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12
The Commoner.
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 2
mon about Uio Man of Galileo In
Brothor Bruco's mission hall.
For soino of us, who aro still
slmplo enough in spirit to bollovo in
the things wo woro taught as chil
dren, it is a sourco of strength to
know that men of big minds and
wido oxporienco, mon who havo
tested lifo In many of its phases,
Bharo our faith and roturn with as
suranco of boing satisfied to tho old,
old story, that, through centuries of
tolling, rotains its powor to touch
and quicken tho soul. Louisville
(Ky.) Jlorald.
DOUJ5TS AIJOUT THE COMPENSA
TION IHIjIj
That only fiftoon Unitod States
senators could bo found to voto
against tho Suthorland-Iirantloy, bill
may bo sufficient proof of the con
vincing quality ol tho arguments
advanced by tho mon who framed tho
measure, tho president who urgod its
passage, and tho labor and othor
organizations which havo put thom
solvos on record as favoring it. But
It docs not conceal tho fact that
sorlous criticisms of this particular
dovlco for compensating Injured
workmon havo boon coming from
those who might be expected to ap
prove it, and who do approve tho
thing it stands for. Tho provisions
of tho Sutherland bill, which was
carefully drawn by a specially ap
pointed and supposedly oxpert com
mission, woro outlined in our issue
of March 2. As our readers will re
mombor, such common-law defenses
as tho fellow-servant and contributory-negligence
doctrines are done
away with, expenslvo and delaying
litigation is cut off, and a definite
compensation scheme is worked out.
Tho measuro applios to common car
riers in forolgn and interstate busi
ness and in tho District of Colum
bia, and supersedes and is exclusive
of all othor state and federal laws
on tho subject It advocatos, includ
ing Senators Root and Chamborlain
qji tho iloor of tho senate, contend
"that IE is admirably fitted to ac
complish the ends desired and if
passed "will bo a benefit not only to
the laboring mon and tho industries
in which they aro employed, but to
the people of tho country as a
whole."
The house ought to follow tho
senate in passing it, thinks tho
Springfield Republican, for
"Tho Sutherland-Brantley bill has
recolvod powerful and wide-spread
indorsement. Tho national civic
federation has made great efforts to
promote its prospects of enactment.
It has been strongly approved by tho
brotherhood of locomotive engineers,
tho order of railway conductors, 'and
tho brotherhood of railway train
men. The bill was framed after ox
haustlvo study of English and Gor
man legislation on tho same subject
and, within tho limitations of our
dual system of government, it ap
plies all tho best features of foreign
systems to our interstate railroads.
With such a law on tile
federal statute-book, there would be
during the coming presidential cam
paign very tangible evidence that,
undor tho American system of gov
ernment, notwithstanding its con
Btitutional checks and balances, pro
gressive legislation, in behalf of the
toilors and demanded by tho spirit
of tho ago, can bo secured without
dolays that become intolerable to all
decent and disinterested people."
But tho Now York American, a
newspaper which can generally be
dopondod on to tako a firm stand on
bohalf of tho working people, "ap
peals to tho democratic houso of
representatives to stop tho progress
of this bill until tho workmen's side
of tho case has had a more consider
able hoaring." Likewise a number
of tho senatorial opponents of tho
Sutherland bill, all progressive, urge
delay for tho same reason. Senator
Rood wants tho labor organizations
of tho country to got "a fair oppor
tunity to examine it." Senator lloko
Smith thinks some of tho now
romedies provided are "difficult and
circuitous" and that tho abolition of
old remedies works against tho real
interests of railrflad-workers. Othor
objections are: that tho heavy in
surance will compel railroad men to
increase thoir cost of living; that
tho presont employers' liability act
is displaced; that litigation is taken
from tho state courts and put finally
into tho hands of one man; that
there can bo no state provision to
supersede or supplement it, and that
all that can bo recovered is what this
act providos for; and, finally, to
quote the Atlanta Journal of Labor,
tho maximum damages allowed "are
grossly and grotesquely inadequate."
Tho Journal of Commerce at one
time denounced tho bill as unfair to
tho railroads, but it later admits
that there has been little opposition
to it from this source; which is one
of the things to convince the New
York American "that the railroad
officials had tho ear of the commis
sion and that the railroad employees
had not."
Tho theory of this legislation, the
New York World believes, "is bound
to become more and more a definite
policy of government." In essence,
it is "that tho industrial worker
should receive some compensation
for his injuries corresponding to the
soldier's pension for wounds in
curred in battlo " The World quotes
Senator Chamberlain's vivid state
ment in debate that "every six min
utes, day and night, a railroad em
ployee is killed or injured, and every
two hours one is killed," and goes
on:
"When men in war are killed or
wounded in such numbers thf whol
nation hangs breathless on the news
from tho front.- Yet the greater dis
ablement of men in peaceful indus
try excites only a casual interest,
though it goes on year after year
with a mounting list of the killed
and maimed. And not only on the
railroads but in the mines. shon
and factories the country over do the
appalling casualties of peace occur.
In one year, among the 5,60 0,0 QO
male industrial employees in the
United States, 208,300 suffered
death or temporary disablement, 34,
785 were permanently disabled, and
tho ratio of accidonts was practically
double that among employees in
mercantile pursuits.
"Inventors of machino-guns and
rapid-firo cannon havo been charged
with increasing tho carnage of war.
Not so much account has been taken
of tho increase of industrial carnage
due to mechanical invention. Yet
tho inventors of tho dynamo and tho
trolley-car, of the locomotive and of
all the machinery of modern indus
try aro responsible for an enormous
multiplication of the hazards of em
ployment With every step in in
ventional progress, life is made less
safe for the operative, and it is only
within very recent times that tho
recognition has come of society's
duty to protect its members and in
demnify them against the mortality
of industry as much as to satisfy
their claims for disability in war."
Literary Digest.
Disfranchising a Socialist
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mnrn
With surprising unanimity both
the radicals and the conservatives of
the press fall upon the action of
United States District Judge Han
ford of the state of Washington in
canceling the naturalization papers
of Leonard Oleson because he "ad
mitted that he is a socialist."
"There seems to be some uncertainty
whether Oleson was deprived of his
citizenship after his naturalization
had been completed, or whether the
decision prevented the final steps
towards naturalization being taken,"
says tho Springfield Republican
(Ihd.) ; "but in either case Judge
Hanford has grossly abused his
power." Tho same paper goes on to
say that in case Oleson was already
a citizen, the judge "has made him
self liable to impeachment, but that
if the other supposition is true,
probably nothing can be done to re
verse the action, for the law on
naturalization gives a United States
judge considerable latitude and dis
cretion in determining each case as
it comes before him."
It appears from the latest advices
that Oleson was actually deprived of
his citizenship after having been
granted a certificate of naturaliza
tion. "If Judge Hanford's amazing
ruling were upheld, it would mean
that a man's citizenship would be
forfeited because of his political
opinions," notes the New York
Evening Mail (prog, rep.), which
does not "recall a more glaring in
stance of judicial tyranny nor one
better calculated to strengthen the
movement for the recall of judges."
"Socialism grows on such incidents."
remarks' tho Now York Tribune
(rep.), and the Philadelphia North
American (prog, rep.), brands it "a
judicial iniquity." "I believe Judge
Hanford should be impeached for
this act," declares Victor Berger,
socialist congressman. The Wash
ington delegates to the socialist na
tional convention, in session in
Indianapolis, insist, according to the
correspondents, that this ruling is
"the beginning of a struggle to dis
franchise foreign-born citizens of the
Pacific slope because of the growing
strength of socialism there," and one
dispatch states that it is "accepted
by the rank and file as the opening
gun of a general campaign against
socialism in America."
Judge Hanford gives to the press
the following statement in defense
of his ruling:
viubuu uuuuuea mac ne is a
socialist, a frequenter of assemblages
of socialists in which he participates
as a speaker, advocating a propa
ganda fpr radical changes in tho in
stitutions of the country. Ho claimed
to have a clear understanding of the
constitution of the United States, and
to have known that, by one of its
articles, deprivation of life, liberty
or property without due process of
law is forbidden, and yet the evi
dence introduced in his behalf
proved that the party with which he
is affiliated, and whose principles he
advocates, has for its main object
the complete elimination of property
rights in this country.
"He expressed himself as being
willing for people to retain their
money, but Insisting that all the
land, buildings, and industrial in
stitutions should become the com
mon property of all the people, which
object is to bo attained, according to
his belief, by use of the power of the
ballot, and when that object shall
have been attained, the political gov
ernment of the country rin be en
tirely abrogated because there will
be no use for it.
"The notion that citizens of this
country may absolve themselves from
allegiance to the constitution of tho
United States otherwise than by ex
patriation, is a dangerous heresy.
The nation, recognizing the principle
of the law of self-preservation, re
stricts the privilege of becoming
naturalized to those whose senti
ments are compatible with genuine
allegiance to the existing govern
ment, as defined by the oath which
they are required to take. Those
who believe in the propagation of
crude theories, hostile to the consti
tution, are barred.
"In order to secure a certificate of
naturalization he intentionally made
representations to the court which
necessarily deceived the court, or his
application for naturalization would
have been denied. Therefore, by the
petition which he was required to
Ttl f nnl 11. i. 1.9 ..
'" "11U UI testimony at the final
hearing of his application, and by
taking the oath which was adminis
tered to him in open court, he perpe
trated a fraud upon the United
states, and committed an offense for
which he may be punished as pro
vided by law. The case, therefore,
comes clearly within the provision
of the law requiring the court to set
aside and cancel his - certificate of
naturalization, and it was so de
creed." This ruling, according to a dis
patch from Washington, D. C, is
division of naturalization in the de
partment of commerce and labor,
who predict that it will bo sustained
by the supreme court in case of ap
peal The Philadelphia Public Led
ger (ind ) and the Boston Christian
E,1?,11110!: both remind s that
naturalization is not a right but a
Privilege, and the Washington Times
dS;L?miJB .t0 Judge Hanford's
defense in the following words:
if we understand the case cor
rectly the judicial action was not
taken because Oleson was a socialist,
onLl?tUS6Mhe announced himself
opposed to the constitution and tho
institutions of tha nn. " u Lao
ration in he same week naturali
T?ni? P PerxT were refused to an
Italian by a New York authority be
cause he applicant said in event of
heToJfT tUIS C0Untry and ItaIy
ZZrld 4alce u.p arms aSaist this
uiinletn
n,rThIai nation must always remain
arboo? ? the touted.
narbor of free speech and free
thought, but that does not carry with
nnV10.i)roposItion tnat it must do
ES?Vhfe a-svoimd of ideas
thTn:wcTaffteCti011 and
"If a man does not believe in thia
nation, its institutions, and its fla
no certainly has no bus?nesa herl
KfX