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''BECBMBBR 29, 19101'
fc?wd lansuished during the revolution, some
haying spent as long as fourteen years therein
without trial, under the loved English court
T?T G.d 8aVe us from Taftlsm and the
?rSf ByBt1m thUgh our Psident yearned
for that system as a child for its mother's
breast; for well we know that when he does ho
has forgotten Jthe milk of "human liberty??
rne American ludcns h tihi 4...i ,
Stular- ?ree, Scholfield, White, Thorton,
Phillips and many others have all been, and
our present Judaea am o-nnri cr.
hut it was not our English judicial system that
made them great, but it was that which
made Samuel, Solomon, Daniel and other
3,idiles Fe1 R was their Power to hear and
ability to discern the truth and courage to do
substantial justice for mankind and this dis
tinguished them.
And this element will not be denied a jurist
when he gets his office by election by direct vote
of the people, rather than getting.it by. ap
pointment of a president who says "the people,
are incompetent to judge."
How he separates himself from the people,
Is more than a common man can tell, unless they
take his boast, "I am a lawyer. I am a judge;
I revere the independence of the judiciary" to
mean that he is possessed of a better heart ami
mind and a greater power than any voter humble
or dignified, who, by his vote lifted him from
the dust and made him president. Nevertheless
we can not agree with him that he is superior
to any other good citizen.
All judicial officers should be elected and the
recall of judges is not, and never was adopted
nor intended for any purpose, but to supplant
and hold in check and prevent the corrupt
judge and the corrupt "court rings" and takes
the place of the English law of "impeachment"
and is far more effective. If you ask why more
effective we answer:
. 'Since the beginning of English courts, A. D.,
950, there has not been fifty judges impeached
under this impeachment law in all the English
speaking world, because, the machinery of the
whole qourt is corrupted by the corruption of
the judge, and how could the people obtain a
hearing and who would dare to try to institute
.such a,case, before a machine of the same-kind?
The1 common people 'of J this "age are not fools.
Iietf any Tman go to any federal court or any
state cohrt ' and try to impeach any of the
judges at'the seat of that court and ho will find
that '.he 'has no more show than the proverbial
"snowball," and this without saying that
any court of this state or nation is corrupt or
has been guilty of corruption, but upon the
ground that the fact remains that within these
courts and "court rings," as they exist under
our present system and without the recall, they
are' a law unto themselves. '
; But with an intelligent recall, the measure of
a man's appointment, how he gets the office, his
former life, and employment, will be before the
people, the quality of litigations likely to occur
or that ist in any way apparent; and then if"
corruption occur, the people, as electors, can
take the matter up in their own court, the bal
lot box, and rid themselves of that evil, real or
apparent, which would menace their rights,
for a life-time or a term.
' "Let there be light," were the words of God
in the beginning and a holy man said, "Men
love darkness rather than light because their
deeds are evil:" The people are entitled to
know how every judge gets his appointment and
how he gets his office and to vote for or against
him and since by their personal vote they
have a right 'to' elect him as their ser
vant; by their vote they should have a right to
discharge that servant. To deny them this
right Is to seek to cover up, to obscure, to hide,
and this is darkness.
" The people are this government; the majority
of the people are the voice of the people.
If by their voice they say they want a par
ticular law, they should have it. If having it
they wish to repeal it, they should be permitted
to repeal it.
' If by their Voice they have selected a servant
to do a particular work for them i.e. to dis
pense justice between two or more of their mem
bers, and they see their servant wrongfully
favoring one to the wrongful hurt of the other
they should have a right by peremptory removal,
to convey to that unworthy servant the knowl
edge that they beheld his infamy and disap-
Cid not ail free men since the days' of King
'John in the year 1215 AD., clamor for Jury
trials? "That trial by one's peers? Is it .not
tn the bill of rights of our constitution? Was it
.ot taken from our declaration of independence
The Commoner.
a
Shall the People Rule?" Pass It Al
The democratic precinct club organization
5wv nnW Procee(?in& an encouraging way.
; Fy Commoner reader ought to help In this
work. The headquarters of this movemont has
prepared a pledge to which it asks the signa
tures and address of all democrats who want to
Keep the democratic party true to its great mis-
ong
sion. Tho Conunonor prints herewith a copy
of this pledge and aBks every roader to clip
tho samo and forward it to Senator Robert L.
Owen, chairman Federation Democratic Precinct
clubs, Washington, D. C. Tho hoadquartorB will
send out on request printed copies ,of this
pledge Hore It is:
"Shall the People Rule? is the
Overwhelming Issue" Democratic
National Platform, 1008.
PLEDGE
Tho Presidency in 1012.
Organize
Let Us
I believe in The Rule of the People, and the pnrly nnd tho legal mechanism to make It effec
tive; an Honest Registration nnd Election Laws, a thorough goiug Corrupt Practices Act and
In the Election of Senntora by the direct vote of tho people.
I favor the election of party committeemen and of party delegates to tho Democratic National
Convention of MEN who are KNOWN to favor the People's Rule Program as abovo Indicated and
the progressive principles of the JolTersonlan Democracy.
It is of the utmost importance to tho masses of the people that a man bo nominated as candi
date for tho presidency who is Democratic from Principle, who Is Identified with tho Progressive
Movement to bring the government closer to the peoplo and make it responsive to tho pooplcs'
will and one who is Courageous Enough to lead a fight for such principles.
I will endeavor to attend all Caucuses, Conventions and Primary Elections of tho party and
will assist in organizing a Democratic Precinct Club in my procinct as a part of tho National
Federation of Democrat Precinct Clubs and will assist in making effective tho prlnclploa above
set forth in seeing that the Democrats are registered and attend tho primaries and oloctions.
Name,
P. O,
County R. p. D,
NOTE If you favor the above principles and desire to seo them enacted into law kindly sign
this slip and mail it to R. L. Owen, Chairman Federation Democratic Precinct Clubs, Washing
ton, D. C.
(SEE OTHER SIDE)
On tho reverse side of this pledge the following appears:
' AN APPEAL
. ' I'll
The time for action Is at hand and we appeal to progressive democrats to Im
mediately write for copies of the constitution, by-laws, organization blanks and
literature for use in organizing precinct clubs that will affiliate with the State and
National Federation of Democratic Precinct Clubs in an effort and determination
to have the Democratic platform declare for progressive principles and to nominate
candidates who are in sympathy with and who will wage a fight in behalf of tho
principles set forth in the platform. Address
. THE FEDERATION OF DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT CLUBS
Bliss Building, Washington, D. C.
as written by Jefferson, tho "muckraker?" Are
,not our jurors, judges of both tho law and fact,
in all criminal cases, even case3 wherein our
lives are at stake? Are not the judges and
lawyers only assistants in such cases'? If the
jurors are competent in such cases, then why
give the judges greater power against tho peoplo
in matter of injunction and in civil matters?
When the litigation eomes between some poor
person and some rich corporation if it be not to
serve the interests of the corporation, why not
then also accord to the poor litigant the same
rights he would have if his life was at stake?
-When did tho jury so suddenly lose its fit
ness and competency to judge of tho law and
the fact that it can not also be the judge of
this last Instance? When tild the judge sud
denly acquire a greater fitness to judge of this
poor litigant's rights when hia life was not at
stake, than before? Is It to protect him? If
to protect him, he needed protection before,
when his life was at stake more than now from
that reason. But money getting is a bloodless
affair and men can steal and yet not take life;
yet we have not forgotten how the wolf pro
tected the lamb.
"Shall the people rule?" was the question be
tween King George and the colonies.
"Shall the people rule?" was the question
between the tories and the patriots.
"Shall the people rule?" was the question be
fore the colonies, when Jefferson wrote the dec
laration of independence. .
"Shall the people rule?" was the question
when Jackson fought the national banking
system, which has resulted in panic after panic,
and held the people in iron chains.
"Shall the people rule?" was the question
presented by the Dred Scott decision of the
greatest court of our land, and of which Abra
ham Lincoln in reply to Stephen A. Douglas,
said: "Yes, tho Dred Scott decision Is tho de
termination of a high and mighty court, but I
can see a time when a high and mighty common
peoplo will arise, and in their might, will over
rule that decision."
"Shall tho peoplo rule?" sustained tho fabric
of our nation throughout the terrible war of
rebellion, the re-construction poriod, but has
now, as in the past, confronting and opposing it,
fair-weather friends, who would sap its strength
and bind its scarred and sacred body to tho in
stitutions and traditions of a king.
"Shall the people rule?" was tho slogan of
democracy in the last presidential campaign,
and has ever been its watchword, and is today,
the most burning issue and simply leaves us
to decide, "Shall the clay reply unto tho pot
ter?" "Is the created thing to be greater than
its creator?" "Is the judicial oligarchy created
as an offspring between tho traitorous repre
sentatives of a betrayed peoplo and the hirelings
of wealth, to be greater than the people who
elect those representatives?"
"Shall the people rule?" Though a thousand
politicians, masking under the name of presi
dent, should arise and say "that any appointive
or any elective servant or servants should he
supreme, and clothed with arbitrary power, be
yond the reach of the ballot of the citizen,"
though I be branded "muckraker," and a "bur
den on mankind," I will bear it with tho firm
conviction, that such persons are not the friends
of free government and I will stand on the
teachings of Jefferson and will wait for the
common people, as Lincoln did.
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