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Casual Comment.
Sy J. D. Watson.
. Louisville, Kentucky, seems to be the latest
city struck by the reform wave. The citizens
have determined to rid their city government
of dishonest officials, and they are succeed
ing remarkably well.
The Supreme Court of Kentucky has handed
down a decision overturning the municipal
election of 1905, which ousts the present may
or, councilmen and aidermen, thus giving Gov
ernor Beckham the power of appointing an
entirely new set of officials. Those appointed
by the Governor, so far, are reformers, and it
is predicted, by those who know, that there
will a political revolution in Louisville such
as has been seldom witnessed in the United
States.
The day for grafters and thieves seems to be
fast passing in every section of the country.
Judge K. M. Landis, of Chicago, recently
forced John D. Rockefeller to appear before
his court in the investigation of the Standard
Oil Company, thinking that Mr. Rockefeller
could give some inside information as to the
methods of the Standard.
It is needless to say that Mr. Rockefeller
was unable to give the information. In fact
his ignorance of the Standard Oil Company’s
methods was remarkable. He did not even
know what dividend the Standard pays.
Now comes John D. with a dun to the gov
ernment for $92.20 which he earned as a wit
ness in the case, also a request to know how
he could collect the money. He was informed
that he could collect it in the same manner as.
other witnesses, which will force him to go to
Cleveland or Chicago to get his pay. It is a
safe bet that he gets the money even if he has
to walk from New York to Chicago to get it.
Despite the decisions of Judge Pritchard
against the State of North Carolina in the
passenger rate trouble, Governor Glenn and,
the ether North Carolina officials seem to be
holding their ground.
On July 19, at Raleigh, Judge Long imposed
a fine of $30,000 on the Southern Railroad for
refusing to obey the new law and intimated
that he would follow the same course in other
similar cases which are to be tried before him.
In imposing the fine, Judge Long expressed
the highest regard for the Federal courts and
regretted that much had been said in this con
nection about “conflict” between his court and
the Federal court, but added that the juris
diction for violations of the rate act was clear
ly in the State court, hence his insistence to
retain it. Judge Long also regretted that the
Southern Railway had seen fit to go in the Fed
eral court before putting the rate law in opera
tion and then seeking relief, if it were needed,
in the State court. Judge Long declared that
every other road in the State except the South
rn and Atlantic Coast Line was observing
the new rate law and expressed his belief
that had the Southern and Coast Line applied
the new rate and found it burdensome the
State officials would have granted the relief
necessary.
“Conduct like that of the Southern breeds
anarchy,” he declared. “The law must be
enforced,” declared the Judge and no peace
could come to the State until all this spirit was
suppressed. He saw no sign of any intention
of the Southern to do other than to continue
to violate the law, so it must take the conse
quences.
If the officials in other states would only
show some of the courage shown by those of
North Carolina, we would soon have long need
ed reforms throughout the country. It would
put a stop to railroads controlling states and
put the states in control of the railroads.
WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN.
AMERICAN RAILROADS MOST DEADLY IN
WORLD.
Berlin, July 24.—Herr Guillery, of the Archive
Bureau of the Prussian Railway Administration, who
has prepared a comparative table of statistics of
persons killed and injured by_ railways in various
countries, finds the railroads in the United States
the most deadly.
America has more railway mileage than all Eu
rope, but even taking that into consideration the
United States holds pre-eminence in proportional
figures.
Out of every thousand railway employes the ra
tio of injured each year is: United States, 43.5;
Switzerland, 25.3; England, 11.8; Belgium, 11; Ger
many, 2.4. Killed: United States, 26.1; England,
12.3; Switzerland, 8.2; Russia, 7.8; British India,
6.7; Belgium, 4.1.
In the fiscal year 1902-3 Herr Guillery finds that
76,500 persons were injured in the United States,
of whom 60,000 were employes, and 9,800 were
killed, of whom 3,600 were employes.
Fewest travelers were injured in France.
United States shows proportionately 40 times as
many injured as in Russia, 22 times as many as in
Italy, 20 times as many as in England, twice as many
as in Germany.
The above speaks for itself, and shows plain
ly the inefficiency in the management of the
railroads in the United States.
The record for next year will likely be more
appalling, but the railroads will likely continue
the policy of killing people rattier than spend,
enough money to protect the lives of passen
gers and employes.
The New York World sizes up the situation
in North Carolina in the following editorial
THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFLICT.
Had Judge Pritchard in the North Carolina rate
cases followed the common sense example set by
Judge McPherson in the Missouri rate cases there
would be no conflict between Federal and State au
thorities.
The Missouri Legislature at its last session en
acted a maximum freight-rate law and a two-cent
passenger rate law. The State authorities under
took to enforce these acts, and the railroads went
into the United States District Court for an in
junction on the usual grounds. Judge McPherson
straightened out the tangle by temporarily deny
ing the petition until the effect of the act could
be proved by facts, not theories. As he expressed
it, “The two-cent law should be put into effect
until it can be ascertained by actual experience
whether two cents will be remunerative.”
If at the end of two or three months the figures
of operation show that the rate is unreasonable
Judge McPherson will issue a writ of injunction.
The North Carolina case could easily have been
disposed of in the same way. The railroads made
the same kind of plea. The Southern’s lawyers
represented that a rate of two and a quarter cents
would so diminish revenues as to amount to con
fiscation of property, but no facts were presented
or could be presented to sustain the contention.
Instead of following Judge McPherson’s example
in the Missouri case, Judge Pritchard followed
Judge Lacombe’s example in the New York 80-cent
gas case, except that he has finally declared the
act invalid without showing that the rate was un
reasonable.
Without questioning in the slightest degree the
good intentions or the good faith of Federal judges
who assume original jurisdiction in cases like that
in North Carolina, it is proper to point out that
State Legislatures, State Courts and State exec
utives have constitutional rights which are entitled
to respect. The growing tendency to assume that
an act of a State Legislature is unconstitutional
because a corporation says it is, that justice will
not be administered in State courts and that the
Federal courts must intervene on every possible
occasion—all this is bound to inspire resentment and
provoke conflict. A centralized judiciary may be no
more desirable than any other kind of centralized
government.
As stated in the above editorial, any pros
pect of a clash between Federal and State au
thorities could have been prevented by Judge
Pritchard’s following the common sense ex-
ample set by Judge McPherson in the Missou
ri rate cases, but Judge Pritchard seems to
prefer to show other qualities to common
sense reasoning and rendering decisions up
holding the rights of States to regulate tyr
annical corporations within their borders.
To say that he is putting the President and,
the Federal government in the position of run
ning over a State and denying that state the
right to pass her own laws for the regulation
of corporations is stating the case just as it
is. If Governor Glenn continues to disregard
the orders of Judge Pritchard, the only way
for the Judge to enforce them is to call on
his marshals and if they cannot enforce them
he will have to appeal to the President for
Federal troops.
. Any person can see that this is a serious
situation and Mr. Roosevelt seems to realize it
as fully as any one as is shown bv his send-,
ing Assistant Attorney General Sanford to
North Carolina to try to bring about a com
promise.
So far, neither side seems willing to compro
mise so it may come to where Federal troops
will be sent to overpower State troops and
then there will be trouble that will extend be
yond the borders of North Carolina.
Lt us hope that Mr. Roosevelt is to wise a
man to let the North Carolina trouble reach
this stage, but if it does come to pass that
Judge Pritchard asks for Federal troops to
enforce his rulings, Mr. Roosevelt will act wise-
Iv to replv to Judge Pritchard as Andrew
Tackson did to Judge John Marshall when the
United States Supreme Court declared that
the Cherokee laws of Georgia were void in
that they contravened Federal treaties, and
that two missionaries convicted under them
should be released.
Georgia refused to obev the TT. S. Supreme
Court and President Jackson declined to in
terfere saving: “John Marshall has made his
decision, now let him enforce it.”
A similar jolt delivered bv Mr. Roosevelt
to some of the Federal Judges of the present
time would have a good effect on the Judges to
say nothing of the benefit the entire countrv
would derive by stopping the IT. S. Courts from
declaring almost every law passed in the in
terest of the people unconstitutional.
Please Send Me Your Name
T think that new life can be put into our
Circulation Department, and things improved
generally, by giving my personal supervision
to the work.
Therefore, The Circulation Depart
ment Has Been Moved to Thomson.
Tn a short while I hope to be familiar with
all the details of the service.
Every one who is now acting as agent for
either or both of the two Jeffersonians is ear
nestly requested to write me. I want to know
who is working with me, and to keep in per
sonal touch with these workers.
Please Send Me Your Name
Ts not too much trouble, do me the kind
ness to tell me how many subscribers you
have sent in, first and last. If you would, fur
thermore, send me a list of those acquaint
ances who could be reasonably expected to
recognize and appreciate sound democratic
doctrine when they meet it in the big road, I
should be thankful and grateful.
Rut be sure to send me your name, any
how. Yes—send it to Thomson, Ga. Yes—
that’s the way we spell it.
THOS. E. WATSON.
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