Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1897 — VIEWS OF ALTGELD. [ARTICLE]

VIEWS OF ALTGELD.

EX-GOVENOR TALKS TO PHILADELPHIA WORKINGMEN. Federal Juiliciary Aiding Corporations to Destroy the Repub'ic-Gov-ernment Ownership and Control of Monopolies Desired. Address to Labor Ex-Gov. John P. Altgeld of Illinois addressed an audience of several thousand people at Washington Park, Philadelphia, Monday afternoon. His subject was “Municipal and Government Ownership and Government by Injunction.” The event uhifh brought the ex-Governor to Philadelphia was the Labor Day celebration by the United Labor League. President Ernest Kreft occupied the chair and made the opening address. Ex-Gov. Altgeld spoke in part as follows: The most serious problem that confronts the people of America to-day is that of rescuing their cities, their States and the Federal Government, Including the Federal judiciary, from absolute control of corporate monopoly. How to restore the voice of the citizen In the government of his country, and how to put an end to those proceedings In some of the higher courts which are farce and mockery on one side and a criminal usurpation and oppression on the other. Corporations that were to be servants, nnd begged the privilege of supplying cities with conveniences, or of serving the country at large, have become masters. We have had thirty years of colorless politics, In which both of the political parties were simply conveniences for organized greed. There was nothing to arouse the deep, slumbering patriotism of the masses, and a race of politicians came to the front, many of whom had no convictions, but straddled every proposition and then waited to lie seduced. They were men who made every promise to-the laborer, and then betrayed him. Then men became Instruments through which the corporations worked. Having learned that vast sums can be extorted from the American people, the monopolies used a part of the wealth they got front this source to corrupt the people's representatives, and thus obtained unlimited privileges of plunder, until almost every great city In tills country Is tied and gagged, and cannot even enter a protest while being rollbed.

All of this falls with crushing force on the laborer, for his hands must earn the taxes the landlord pays—he is forced to depend on the public conveniences, and always suffers under bad government. An Individual rarely has Interest enough, or money enough, to bribe a city council or buy a legislature. But the corporations have both, and as the money all comes off the public they offer temptations that are too strong for the average man to resist. Inasmuch as no government can endure In which corrupt greed not only makes the law, but decides who shall construe them, many of our best citizens are beginning to despair of tlie republic. Every one of the great reforms carried out In England and on the continent met with fierce opposition from the same classes that oppose them here, but the business sense and patriotic Impulse of the people prevailed, and I believe will prevail here. Even If private corporations were to serve us cheaper and better than we could serve ourselves we will be forced to take the corporations in order to prevent free institutions from being overthrown by corruption. This reason did not exist in Great Britain, yet the people took the corporations. People Too Corrupt. It Is objected that the cities dare not take the corporations because of this rottenness, but we find that lu so far as this condition relates to legislatures, city councils, etc., as well as to the higher officials, the most of it is due to the temptations offered by the corporations, and it will continue just as long as the corporations exist, while the rottenness in departments is mostly due to the absence of a proper civil service system. With the gradual introduction of an improved civil service system most of tue little peculations will end. But Jet us suppose that municipal governments will not Improve. As things are now. the people have to bear the burden of corruption among officials, have to fatten a lot of politicians, and have to till the coffers of Insatiable corporations besides, while, if these corporations were wiped out, the sums which they now get could go Into the public treasury, and the people themselves would again get control of their government, and they would uo longer be sold by their own representatives, uor defeated in their purpose by a horde of rotten lobbyists, hired liy corporations with money which has been extorted from the people themselves. So long jis there was competition our people preferred to let it regulate everything, but competition is being entirely wiped out by pools and trusts and our people will be devoured by vultures unless the government comes to their rescue. in Great Britain and in many of the continental countries the governments'maintain postal savings banks lu which the poor can deposit their little savings from time to time and get a low rate of Interest on them. In England tills postal savings department, run in connection with the postoffice) perforins a variety of service that is of the greatest benefit to the people. Ip our country the poor people are left at the mercy of private individuals and private companies. The history of both, In banking as well as Insurance, has been tainted with failures, bankruptcy nnd even frauds, and, owing to the high charges, our poor people are deprived of the benefit of life insurance. The total amount which any individual can deposit in a savings bauk is not large, and consequently it does not Interfere with the general business of the country, and Instead of paying Interest on bonds held by the rich of foreign countries, the government pays Interest to its own people. Nearly every government In the world, except ours, owns aud operates its own telegraph and telephone lines, to the great advantage .of Its people. But we still give all the benefit to corporations. An examination shows that the total cost of the construction and equipment of the Western Union telegraph line has been only between $25,000,000 and $30,000,000, yet it has Issued stocks and bonds amounting to over $97,000,000, and it is paying Interest ou this sum. If the government were to take the telegraph at fair price and make it part of the postal system, and issue 3 per cent bonds for it, and were to maintain the present charges, the net earnings, after paying Interest on the bouds, would pay for the entire system lu about five years. On the other hand, If it should decide to do as Great Britain has done, that Is, reduce the charges so as to bring the service within the reach of all the people, the charges could lie cut in two and the system still be self-sustaining.

Great Coni Strike.

In the spring of 1894 there was a strike on the part of the coal miners which extended nearly all over the United States, and which was so protracted that a coal famine ensued and many of the largest Industrial establishments were obliged to shut down; and laboring men, who had no connection with that Industry, were thrown out of employment and there was much derangement dT the business of the country. Since that time the conditions have been getting steadily worse, and finally In a spirit of desperation, only three years after the last destructive strike, the miners of this country struck again—struck against hunger and struck against nakedness—aud they have again made au honorable and heroic struggle to Improve their condition. But these things are now matter of history The only question of Interest to-day is how long shall this go on aud where will it end’ Hyenas are sometimes satiated and lie down to rest, leaving the world to others; but recent years have demonstrated that the hunger of corporations grows fiercer with the feeding, and that If left to have their way the contest must become fiercer and the public will at all times be In danger of a fuel famine and a general disturbance of Its Industries. On the other hand. If the miners are to be reduced to such a state of helplessness and degradation that they will not have the spirit to strike. If hunger and nakedness are to become natural conditions among the adults and Ignorance and crime are to be the environment of the children, then we will soon have in our country a large population that will be a constant menace to free government and republican institutions. Mr. Altgeld advocated Government ownership of the mines and also of all the railroads. Government by Injunction. The corporations discovered years ago that to control the construction of the law was even more Important than to control the making of It, as the Federal judges hold office for life, are Independent of the people and surrounded by moneyed Influence, the corporations have constantly labored to secure the appointment to the Federal bench of men who they believed would ke their friends, th;t Is, men, who by nature, education a J!“ euv,r <>nment, would be In sympathy "’,‘1 11 them, and they now' fly to these courts like the ancient murderers fled to cities of refuge. They do not buy the courts because It Is not necessary. Some years ago Congress passed the inter- ? commerce law for the purpose of protecting tile public against overcharge and unjust discriminations. The corporations opposed this law and have succeeded In getting the Federal courts to destroy It by construction. Again, Congress passed an Income tax law w compel the concentrated wealth of the

land to bear lt> share of the harden* of government. For a hundred rear* such lav* had been held to be constitutional by the Supreme Court, but this time the great corporations objected and the Supreme Court at once came to their rescue and held the law to be unconstitutional. The favor of the opposition of the corporations ha* come to be almost the sole test of the constitutionality of a law. Congress has passed some anti-trust laws for the protection of the public, but they are simply sneered at by the Federal court*, and to-day the formation of trusts Is almost the culv Industry that prospers In this country. Nearly all efforts to curb corporation* or to bring great offender* to Justice have been failures. In many cases the law and the court* seem to assume an apologetic attitude when facing men whose forms have been made rotund by 111 gotten million*, while In many other cases both the law and the court* become terrible In their majesty when dealing with men whose form* are bent, whose clothes are poor and whose stomachs are empty. The fact that the bony and Industrious hands of these men helped to create the capital that is now setting Its heel on their necks and crushing their families does not help them. Not content with the law as they found It, the Federal courts, In their eagerness to serve the corporation*, have usurped the functions belonging to the legislative and executive branches of the government and have Invented a new form of tyranny called government by Injunction. During the entire century In which this continent was developed, when our railroads, our factories and our cities were built, no government by Injunction was heard of, nor Is It heard of In any other country to-day. The law of the land was ample for all purposes. Life and property were protected, order was maintained, law was enforced and our nation became the wonder of the earth. And the law of the land as It existed for over a century Is ample for every purpose to-day. Age of Plunder. But when the great leaders of Industry be?an to pass away, then there came to the ront a class of manipulators who knew nothing about the art of building, but who had learned the art of legalized robbery, and these manipulators and plunderers demanded a new form of government. Tne former leaders allowed the laborer a little of th* bread he tolled for, but the new manipulators wanted it all. The laborers were entirely at the mercy of these men. They first got hungry and then restive —a whip was needed to restore contentment, and the Federal courts promptly furnished It. Government by Injunction operates this way: When a Judge wants to do something not authorized by law he simply makes a law to suit himself. That Is, he sits down In bls chambers and Issues a kind of ukase, which he calls an Injunction, against the people of an entire community or of a whole State, forbidding whatever he sees fit to forbid, and which the law does not forbid, and commanding whatever he sees fit to command. and which the law does not command —for when the law forbids or commands a thing no injunction Is necessary. Having thus Issued bls ukase, the same Judge has men arrested, and sometimes dragged fifty or a hundred miles from their homes to his court on a charge of violating the Injunction—that Is contempt of court. And the men, after lying In prisons a while, are tried, not by a Jury, as Is required by the constitution when a man Is charged with a crime, but they are tried by the same Judge whose dignity they are charged with having offended, and they are sentenced to prison at the mere pleasure of this Judge, who Is at once legislator. Judge and executioner. When the czar of Ilussla Issues a ukase he leaves It to other men to enforce, but not so with these ujdges. Recently a Judge In West Virginia issued an Injunction forbidding the exercise of free speech and actually forbidding men from marching on the highway, no matter how peaceable they might be. There are a few noble men on the Federal bench who have refused to prostitute their courts at the bidding of corrupt greed, but they will In time have to follow precedents set by the others. It will be noticed that these Injunctions are simply a whip with which to lash the back of labor. It Is also apparent that if thev succeed they must ultimately destroy the interests In whose behalf they are now Issued and that they are therefore short-sighted. For If the laborers of this country are ever reduced to the helpless condition of the laboring classes In some European countries—a condition In which they will have no purchasing power—then the great American market must disappear and our great railroads and Industrial properties will not be worth 50 cents on the sl. Glancing at this proceeding, we find that It entirely supersedes government by law and according to the forms of law as guaranteed by the constitution, and It substitutes government according to the whims, caprice or prejudice of an Individual and Is therefore a clear usurpation of power and a crime. Shall the corporations of this land be permitted not only to devour our substance, but also to destroy our liberties? My friends, let us save our Institutions; government by Injunction must be crushed. If the government takes some of the great corporations, then there will not be so many corporation men appointed to the bench. But the constitution has pointed out a way to end these usurpations without having the government take the corporations, and that way Is by Impeachment. Every one of these judges, whether of high or low degree, who has been trampling on the constitution and usurping power not given him Is subject to Impeachment.

Con si cnee! to Infamy. The American people can remove every one of them and consign them to that Infamy which Is now embalming the memory of Jeffries. But this cannot be done so long as Congress Is made up largely of men who are mere corporation conveniences. It will be necessary to send men to Congress who will be true to the people. This may not happen nt the next election, nor yet at the next; but It must come, and must come soon. Providence has ordained that nothing shall go on forever. Our fathers said that every lane had a turn. We have been traveling In a lane that has run In the same direction for thirty years, and are approaching a turn Yea, my friends, do not despair. A turn in the road Is already in sight, and if the American people are but true to their nobler Instincts they will soon be restored to their inheritance, while justice and liberty, equal rights and equal privileges will cover our land with a halo of glory and give our people a new century of prosperity and happiness. But if they do not rise In their manhood and stand for the principles of eternal justice, then all Is lost. This Is Labor day throughout the United States and many beautiful things will be said about the dignity of labor, but I want to say to you that If our government Is not rescued from corruption and If the snaky form of government by Injunction Is not crushed, then It would have been better for your children If they had never been born. BRYAN AT ST. LOUIS. Eloquent Nebraskan Talks on Economic Problems to a Large Crowd, The feature of Labor Day celebration in St. Louis was an address by W. J. Bryan, at Concordia Park. The biggest crowd ever seen in the park greeted the speaker. His speech throughout was enthusiastically applauded. Previous to the meeting, Mr. Bryan reviewed a parade of 15,000 laboring men. Mr. Bryan spoke, in part, as follows: While I find pleasure In participating In the exercises of this day, I am also actuated by a sense of duty, because the observance of Labor day affords me an opportunity for the discussion of those questions which especially concern the producers of wealth. A form of government like ours makes It possible for the people to have such legislation as they desire, but even then it Is possible for a few persons to overreach the people as a whole. The welfare of the people must be sought not in the securing of special privileges to themselves, but In the denying of special privileges to anyone. The labor organizations have been one of the most potent influences in Improving the condition of the wage earners. Labor organizations are almost entirely responsible for the fact that skilled labor wages have not fallen.as much as prices, although they have not always succeeded in keeping employment up to full time. While giving to these organizations credit for what they- have done, it Is only fair to suggest that neither labor organizations nor any other form of protection can secure to the labor permanent Immunity if the general level of prices continues to fall. The Idle man is the menace to the man who has employment, and the number of idle men must necessarily Increase if we have a monetary system which constantly raises the value of the dollar and constantly lower the market value of the products of labor. Arbitration of differences between large corporate employers and their employes ds one of the political reforms most needed by wage earners. Until arbitration Is secured the strike is the only weapon within the reach of labor. Society at large Is Interested In the application of the principle of arbitration to the differences which arise from time to time between corporations and their employes. Laboring people have a special Interest just now in securing relief from what is aptly described as “government by injunction.” The extent to which the writ of injunction has been abused within recent years has aroused a hostility which is, almost universal. It is 2 n, y a question of time when government by Injunction will be cured by legislation. The ma n purpose of the writ of injunction Is to avoid trial by jury. Trial bv jury .Is more Important to the American people today than it ever was before in American history. It was originally intended as protection against the royalty and it Is to-day the main protection of the people against plu--It^<i™ay.whlch^< i™a y . whlch *■ to the country what royalty Is under * monarchlal form ofgnvernmeatr