Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 June 1901 — THE TEST OF DEMOCRACY. [ARTICLE]

THE TEST OF DEMOCRACY.

William Jennings Bryan, in discussing the decision of the supreme court in the insular cases, says: The decision in effect declares that the people are not the source in power; it defends taxation without representation and denies that governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed. It assails the foundation of the republic and does so on the ground of -expediency. * • * This decision, like the Dred Scott decision, raises a political issue which must be settled by the people. The supreme court has joined with the president and congress in an attempt to change the form of our government, but there yet remains an appeal to the people. Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina, in his letter to the governor of that state, published Sunday, says: The recent decision of the supreme court promulgating the damnable doctrine that this republic, whose bedrock principle is the "consent of the governed,” can acquire, by conquest or purchase, territories and peoples, to be controlled and taxed without representation “through congressional absolutism” must be met and exposed and plans must be laid for a battle to the death of the lovers of democracy and liberty against this heresy. Mr. Bryan is right. Senator Tillman is right. Their words are the words of the highest patriotism, and will find an echo in the heart of every man, whatever his past political affiliations, who believes in the Brinciples of Magna Charta, the ►eclaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, and in a Government of the People, by the People and for the People. Whatever doubt any citizen may have entertained that the McKinley administration, acting under the dictation of the money lords, has deliberately adopted a revolutionary policy and program contrary to the principles upon which this government was founded, and subversive of liberty, justice and inalienable rights of man, is swept away by the monstrous decision of the supreme court in these cases. The decision leaves but one issue before the American people. There will be but one issue until it is settled for all time. The Kansas City convention rightfully declared this issue “paramount." So it was in 1900. In 1901 it is not only the paramount issue, it is the only issue which the American people can afford to seriously consider. Until t(jis supreme issue is disposed of all questions of financial or econmic policy must be regarded as puerile and insignificant. Until it is disposed of there can be but two political parties in this country one the party of free government, that is to say, the democratic party; the other the party of imperialism, miscalled the republican party. Every man who stands with those great jurists and patriots. Fuller, Harlan, Peckham and Brewer, and is ready to do battle for the immortal principles which they asserted in the dissenting opinions in the insular cases, is a democrat, whether he believes in protection or free trade, monometallism, subsides or income tax, or what you will. Measured by this supreme test Grover Cleveland and William Jennings Bryan, David B. Hill and Adini Stevenson, Richard 01ney and William J. Stone. Melville W. Fuller and Charles A. Towne, John G. Carlisle and David Turple, are all democrats. However these men may have disagreed upon questions of finance and taxation, they are of one mind upon the supreme question presented by thd McKiniey-Hanna program of revolution and imperialism, which has just been busstained by a bare majority of the supreme court, in defiance of precedent, reason and every accepted i rule of constitutional construction. It is the duty of these men, and of all who, like them, believe in constitutional liberty and in free government to drop all other questions and unite in a supreme struggle to rescue the republic from the fate which threatens it if the constitution is to become the dead letter which the supreme court, itself the creature of the constitution, would make it.—lndianapolis Sentinel. Everybody reads The Democrat.

The supreme court on Wednesday bended down another taxferret decision which is of especial interest to Jasper county just at this time. In the case carried up from this connty and decided in favor of the county it was held by those fighting the investigation that the court only ruled on only one point of the question at issue, and that if the investigation was again continued, delay at least could once more be occasioned by taking the matter into the courts on another proposition. The decision just handed down, however, seems to pretty thoroughly cover the matter in all its phases. The case was taken up from Howard county. The opinion is by Judge Dowling, and holds:

1. Sec. 5,780, R. S. 1881, authorizing a board of commissioners to employ persons to render additional services In case of indispensable public necessity to be found board and entered of record, is constitutional. 2. Such provisions of said section were not repealed by the fee and salary law of 180). 3. Where the reasons for employing experts to search for and collect money due thecounty were stated in a proposition submitted by them, and the proposition was made a part of the record of proceedings of the board of commissioners, followed by a recital that it would be to the interest of the county to accept the same, and that an indispensable public necessity existed for the employment of experts to do work that was enumerated, the facts constituting the necessity were sufficiently found and entered of record. 4. Said sec. 5,780 was within the title of the act of which it formed a part, and is constitutional. 5. A board of commissioners has power to employ experts for such purpose aside from the provisions of said section. 6. Searching the records as experts to discover moneys due the county was not the personal duty of the commissioners. 7. One-half of the sums collected was not necessarily' unreasonable compensation, where the collections were small and the labor of collecting was great.