The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-28
ALTGELD'S HOT TALK.
HIS VIEWS ON THE MAKING AND
CONSTITUTING LAWS.
Legislatures and the Judiciary Con-
trolled by Monopoly.

till here. The address caused no little eX-
element. and it's frank criticisms of the
legislatures which make the laws and the
the eyes of many who had not before been
led to consider the questions involved from
the governors point of view. The govern
or's statement that while hundreds of mil
lions of corporation property went absolute
ly untaxed, there was not farm in the
state that escaped the tax gatherer, was
to many surprise, and led to the deter
mination that such rank injustice should be
checked at any cost. In the course of his
address the governor said:
Il trust that your meeting here may be
profitable one that the great interests you
represent may be advanced and that the
millions of our people who cultivate the
earth may be helped on to a happier plane
by your deliberations. The condition of the
men who till the soil has always determined
the condition of the ma tion. When the farm
ers prosper the nation is happy. When the
farming classes suffer then there is distress
in both city Ond country. You represent the
oldest industry known to civilized men, an
industry upon which rests today the entire
fabric of human institutions. Not only does
the world depend on your industry in
physical sense, but men have always re-
garded the husbandman as an important
pillar in the structure of all governments.
AS a rule he stands for industry, sobriety
and patriotism Certainly in our country
have the agricultural classes been the main
stay of the republic. Cities may breed riots
and manufacturing centers may breed dis
turbances but love of order and devotion
to the flag is characteristic of farming
communities.
During the last % years the influence of
the farmer has waned in this country. 9th
er interests have grown up which, by rea-
son of their being more concentrated, have
been able to control not only legislation,
but have been able in many cases to con
troll the construction of the law in their in
terest and the power of constituting the law
is more important than that of making the
laws. Sefishness is a rule of human action,
and, moving in harmony with law that
is universal and eternal, the powerful corpo-
rations have steadily sought to gain adVan-
tage, both in legislation and in the courts.
In all ages government has been kind of
compromise between seltishness and con-
f1icting interests The point at which these
neutraliZe or check eacn other marks the
level of the law.
"The Darwinian theory of the survival of
the fittest that is of the strongest, is found
to prevail in governmental affairs as well
as In the realm of nature Those interests
which take care of themselves survive, and
those which cannot do so soon go to the
wall To be sure the theory of government
in our day and country is that it shall do
exact justice in all cases, and that no one
interest shall have an advantage over an
other. But bear in mind, that is the ideal
government, and has never yet been found
among men. Government must be admins
tered through human agencies and men
carry with them into the legislature and
on to the bench, and into other offices,
whatever bias prejudice they have as
private individuals. Personal interest af-
fects the judgment, while environment and
surrounding influences shape the convic-
tions. Consequently, men of equal ability
and integrity but who have been subject
to different influences, will hold opposite
views on many questions. y man who has
been corporation lawyer for years. or
who is constantly surrounded by that in
tiuence socially or in business will pursue
a different course when sent to the legisla-
ture or elevated to the bench, than will
the man who did not have these surround
ings. though both may be equally honest.
The great concentrations of capital long ago
recognized this fact, and have taken adj
vantage of it and greatly profited thereby.
They have been able in many cases to use
the government as a convenience, or as an
instrument with which to get advan-
only contribute money to elect some men
and defeat others, but they keep their hired
men in attendance upon legislatures, lob
bying to secure the passage of such meas
ures they desire, and to defeat such as
they do not like. These lobbyists very often
get the votes of the country members by
using arguments that have length, breadth.
and thickness; consequently, when You
glance over the legislation for a number of
years you find that special interests nave
gained great advantage, and where one in
terest gains advantage through legislation
others must suffer.
CORPORATIONS FIN THE ASSESSOR.
again, they know how to escape paying
their full share of taxes; they know now to
fix the assessor where they have to deal
with him. and they know what kind Of
guments will control a board of equaliza-
ton where they have to deal with it. In
Illinois the State Board of EqualZatio
assesses corporations. and We find that
while most of the corporation pay their
share of the taxes there are $500 600, coo
worth of property belonging to few ccr-
porations that escape all taxation of every
kind. This necessarily increases the burden
of those who do pay taxes, and | have Yet
to learn of single farm in the state that
is not taxed.
but, more important than all this, the
representatives of special interests long ago
learned the Importance of selecting their
friends to construe the law. They saw that
every important question has two sides and
that generally strong argument can be
made on either side. They saw that simply
elevating a man to the bench does not make
him over; does not make him any broader
wiser or stronger: that he will have the
same prejudices and same leanings on the
bench that he had before; that his mind
will run in the same channel that it did
before and be influenced by the same argu-
ments that it was before, and that one man
would be perfectly honest in deciding one
way, while another would be equally honest
in deciding the opposite way; that it all
depends on mental organization on educa-
ton, on interest, and social. political
and business environment. They therefore
looked after both the election and the ap-
pointment of judges. They made them
selves felt in the election of judges for the
higher courts and in the appointment of
federal judges they welded such an infu-
ence that man was appointed who was
the federal courts, for a quarter of a CEN
fury, have been almost the guardians of
corporations.
"SOme years ago congress passed the in
terstate commerce law. Its purpose was
to protect the public and especially the
shippers, against unjust charges and
against runous determinations. The cor
pora tfons refused to comply with it's pro-
visions. They carried it into the federal
courts and first one federal Judge and
then another proceeded to hold section aft
err section of this law unconstitutional I'M
corpora tons as a dead rabbit.
Then after having thus destroyed an
hen. after having thus destroyed an
protection of the people, these same judges
turned around and made of this law an