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Show HAS DIOGENES LOST HIS LANTERN?, Ex-Secretary BaHlingT ia reported to have made the remark when the decision in the Alaska coal caae wa announced that "the decision is political, po-litical, not legal." That remark otiarht to be a preat comfort to the men of Arizona who want statehood, although their constitution provides for a recall in th ease of judges, th hame aa other officer. If in certain t'nited States courts political instead of lepal de-cikions de-cikions are rendered for such courts, the recall would not he nut of place. Before the great war the decision, written by Chief Justice Tanner in the Dred Scott eaae, was by the whole north held an political instead of le-pal. le-pal. But we never thonght there was any truth in the claim. The chief justice was but interpreting the law, and whatever wrong there might have been waa in the law, not in the venerable justice. The remark credited to ex-Secretary Ballinger may-have may-have been due to pique, bat a gentleman who has be caflscret arjLpiJh ejn teriot-iughljjoliopft mit hia personal antipathies to go to the extent it uttering a grave criticism of a high United States courts unless he baa roost serious reaaona for making mak-ing the statement. Aa the government ia proceeding proceed-ing nowadays, it begins to look aa though the people,, peo-ple,, before long, will conclude that there is no such thing aa honeaty left among men, not even those who are manipulating the government itself. |