Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
I again recommend a law prohibiting all corporations from contributing
to the campaign expenses of any party. Such a bill has already past one
House of Congress. Let individuals contribute as they desire; but let
us prohibit in effective fashion all corporations from making
contributions for any political purpose, directly or indirectly.
Another bill which has just past one House of the Congress and which it
is urgently necessary should be enacted into law is that conferring
upon the Government the right of appeal in criminal cases on questions
of law. This right exists in many of the States; it exists in the
District of Columbia by act of the Congress. It is of course not
proposed that in any case a verdict for the defendant on the merits
should be set aside. Recently in one district where the Government had
indicted certain persons for conspiracy in connection with rebates, the
court sustained the defendant's demurrer; while in another jurisdiction
an indictment for conspiracy to obtain rebates has been sustained by
the court, convictions obtained under it, and two defendants sentenced
to imprisonment. The two cases referred to may not be in real conflict
with each other, but it is unfortunate that there should even be an
apparent conflict. At present there is no way by which the Government
can cause such a conflict, when it occurs, to be solved by an appeal to
a higher court; and the wheels of justice are blocked without any real
decision of the question. I can not too strongly urge the passage of
the bill in question. A failure to pass it will result in seriously
hampering the Government in its effort to obtain justice, especially
against wealthy individuals or corporations who do wrong; and may also
prevent the Government from obtaining justice for wage-workers who are
not themselves able effectively to contest a case where the judgment of
an inferior court has been against them. I have specifically in view a
recent decision by a district judge leaving railway employees without
remedy for violation of a certain so-called labor statute. It seems an
absurdity to permit a single district judge, against what may be the
judgment of the immense majority of his colleagues on the bench,
to declare a law solemnly enacted by the Congress to be
"unconstitutional," and then to deny to the Government the right to
have the Supreme Court definitely decide the question.
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