The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-11-14
HOW ALTGELD REGARDS 1T.
The Governor BIames the President
for the Political UpheavaI.

SPRINGFIELD. H.. Nov. 9.-GoveruOr
A.tgeld was asked today for his opinion
regarding the election. He said: 1.-THE re-
suit is not due to local causes. The causes
that produced it operated all over the
country, and 1 think were largely due to
widespread dissatisfaction with the course
pursued by the federal administration. Il
first wore out the patience and destroyed
the confidence of business interests. and
then turned around and literally drove
away those men who toll with their hands
In the spring Of 1898 President Cleveland
was urged 10 convene congress at once
for the purpose OF considering the tariff
question. sc that time a fair tariff re-
form bill could have been passed in six
weeks. The country had spoken upon the
subject; the sentiment Of the American
people was nearly unanimous, and even
the cOrrupting agents of protected mOn0p-
olies were ready to surrender. Had this
course been taken the great business and
manufacturing interests of the country
would at once have adjusted themselves
to the new conditions and gone to work
the country would have again settled
down, and there would have been no tarlm
discussion this campaign. But instead Of
listening TO the voice Of the American
people, Cleveland was accessible only 10
foreign ana eastern money m3nipulators.
The result was that the conditions grow
ing Out OF the panic were l0leQslneQ ana
the business and manufacturing interests
Of the country were practically kept at
a standstill for eighteen months, during
which time thousands Of labOrers were
compelled TO beg bread. The result was
not on.y dissatisfaction but disgust. Never
before in the history Of the republic has
such gigantic b-unders been committed by
president.
while these causes did not produce
the conditions which gave rise TO the great
coal strike and great railroad strike last
summer, they did intensity these c0ndi-
tons. In fact. there is doubt whether we
would have had either strike if the tariff
question had been settled in the spring of
1893. After having helped to produce
these great disturbances the federal adj
mnistration turned its face against the
great laboring classes Of the country and
placed al the powers Of government un-
der the control Of corporations
In Chicago, during the railroad strike,
before any riOting or destruction Of prop
erty, and before anything happened "a
not maintain law and order, and before
the state authorizes were asked 70,
assistance, the federal government. VIC
lating the constitution and principles OF
local self-gOvernment, which the demo
cratic party had advocated for a hundred
years, lnterfered. both through the fed
eral judiciary and by the use of federal
troops. This, by direction Of the attor-
ney-general and president. The country
then discovered that it had a corporation
lawyer for encouragement, and al
though there was I'm Chicago complete
machinery for the administration OF
Justice. vet so eager We're the federal
authorities to serve corporations that the
usual machinery of justice in Chicago
was not trusted. A special representa-
tive was appointed to directly represent
the government as prosecutor and the
ut r1r
made.
1.-THE administration selected not only a
republican, but one Of the most promi-
nent corporation lawyers of the country
and who was attorney for some railroads
involved In the strike, and had therefore
direct personal interest in the outcome
Yet he was put I'm charge Of the machln-
cry of justice. and brought to the seryice