The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-25
ALTGELD TO COOLEY.
The Governor Says the Eminent Judges
Utterances Are Not Consistent.

SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, Aug. 24.-The follow
ing interview was had with Governor Alt
geld:
"Ex-Judge Cooley, of Michigan, in ad-
dressing the American Bar Association at
testing to Cleveland against the sending
of federal troops to Chicago. What have
you TO say%'
Governor Altgeld replied very promptly:
I'm addressing the Bar Association Judge
Cooley in the position of a fashionable
preacher who if he wished to be popular
with his audience, had to cater to it's taste.
The American Bar Association is a small
body of men, most of whom have corpora
tions for clients. They are shrewd and able
men, who know where fat fees come from.
Judge Cooley's utterance there must be
taken with some others recently made.
and the question is: How much importance
attaches to them simply because they came
from Cooley?
Nearly thirty years ago, when Judge
Cooley was in his prime. when he was
teacher in the Ann Arbor Law School, he
wrote book on constitutional law, which
was an able work and gave him a reputa-
ton. In this work he points out the limi-
tations upon the federal government and
calls attention to the constant danger that
free institutions are in from the encroach-
ment of a central power through the agency
he says:
dreaded by the People as an Instrument
any foreign power. The alternative of
tia.
"But after writing this book and. while
he was member of the Supreme Court
Of the State, he established a reputation
for being corporation judge, and made
himself obnoxious that when his term
was up the people Of Michigan arose and
put an end to his career In that State.
Congress created the interstate-commerce
board and Cleveland during his first term
as President. appointed the Judge on this
board at salary of $1,000 year and ex-
penses. which was princely in comparison
with what he had been receiving. He held
on to this place until a couple of years
ago, when he retired on account of his old
age, feeling, as he should, very grateful to
Cleveland. Recently, after the President
had sent troops to Chicago: the Judges
with a letter, greatly cOmpilmenting the
President on his act. but among other
things in that Letter he uses Ssa this ,anggage
and valuable lesson in constitutional con-
strueton has been S, settled for all time to
HE thus admits that the Constitution did
not clearly give the President the power
been necessary for the President to give
a lesson in constitutional construction in
order to do Il, and the Judge was gratitied
tiOn had been given with so little blood
shed. Had the Constitution clearly given
the power neither bloodshed construction
nor any other construction would have been
necessary. The world has heard of consti-
tutional construction by means of the mill
tary before. 1t has happened often. The
operations were sometimes brilliant, but
We're always fatal to the patient When
Judge Cooley was in the vigor of manhood
ne expounded the Constitution like a free
| man addressing free people. There was
| the bright reputation he then made must
not be clouded by utterances that are born
OF a grateful dotage-"