Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-07-01
Pardon of the AnarchIst..


ST Louis Republic.
Whatever may bc said. either in
general or particular. in condemna-
tion of Gov. Altgcld's pardon of the
Chicago AnarchistN-Le is entitled to
a defense against the rcpu hlican
charge that the pardon is receipt
for the Anarchist vote at the election
OF last year.
This charge is made rccklesslv and
without any effort at proof. Parti-
san editors who could not learn the
fact last year that the time is past
when mere assertion could be made
potent in Illinois politics are, per-
haps, incapable of learning ii at all.
They would do well. nevertheless. to
learn that assaults. alike uuwar-
rantcd by the facts and uniustiGed
by the occasion. are filled with pos
sibilities OF reaction. 1t is due to
their party, if not to themselves,
that they should reflect upon how far
such assaults are likely to help rath-
er than hurt their object.
At the time of the Anarchist trials
in Chicago. John p. Altgeld was one
Of the few citizens of that city, out
side OF the Anarchist societies. who
denounced not only the procedure OF
the court and the methods of the
states officers, but who insisted that
action of the city authorities in dis
persing the Havmarket meeting was
arbitrary and without authority of
law. He did not then and does net
now defend the doctrines of the An
archists per Sc. 1t may be admitted
that he has gone entirely too far in
that direction in his effort to Justify
the pardon of Fielden, Schwab and
Neebe. But in doing so he only evil
dences zeal which is clearly the re-
suit of conviction, and could not pos
sibly be the perfunctory work of a
man in the formal delivery of goods
for the delivery of which he had al
ready contracted, and in exchange
for which he had already received a
consideration.
If suspicion and surmise could
properly enter into such discussions
as this, it would be fair to say that
there is widespread belief among
men of all parties in Illinois that
nothing but the candidacy of Alt
geld prevented Gov. Fifer from par
doning these men early in the cam
paign of last year. The ex-governor,
it is well known, frequently ex-
pressed the opinion that the ends of
justice had been fully served in these
cases, and he had been petitioned by
large numbers of the business and
professional classes of Chicago, in no
way connected or in sympathy with
the Anarchist societies, to pardon
the cOnvicts. The nomination OF
Altgeid by the democrats, which de-
stroyed any hope Fifer may have had
of political advantage from such a
pardon. is said to have decided him
against il. However that may be,
his refusal solidiGed the Anarchist
vote against him and gave 1t to Alt
geld without any pledge or bargain
whatever.
Ii there is politics in Gov. Altgeld's
action it looks more to the future
than the past. The nomination OF
Carter Harrison as the democratic
candidate for United States Senator
must depend upon the Cook county
delegation in the next dem ocratiC
state convention. If that delegation
is divided no Cook county candidate
can get the nomination, and when
Altgeld himself may be Candidate
two years later, there will be no Chi
cago to shut him out from place
among contestants. IF there is poll
tics in the pardon it is on this line
but there is more reasop to baliev,
that Gov. Altgeld btfs sacrificed him
self to cohvictSy more than to al
ambition.