The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-07-24
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT.
Governor Altgeld Gives The President
Some Plain Talk--Cleveland
Apes Monarchs.

Apes Monarchs,
When Grover the Monstrous issued
orders for Federal troops to go to
Chicago, Governor Altgeld called his
attention to the fact that the people OF
Illinois could take care of the State.
The Presidents reply was anything
but satisfactory and the Governor sent
him another letter as follows:
Hon. Grocer Cleveland, President Of
the United States, WaShintOm. d. c.
SIR:-Your answer to my protest in
wolves some startling conclusions and
ignores and evades the question at
issue-that is, that the principle of
local self government is just as fundar
mental in our institutions as is that of
federal supremacy.
/. You calmly assume that the execu-
tive has the legal right to order federal
troops into any community Of the
United States, in the first instance,
whenever there is the slightest dis
turbance, and that he can do this with
out any regard to the question as to
whether that community is able and
ready to enforce the law itself, and
inasmuch as the executive is the sole
Judge of the question as to whether
any disturbance exists or not in any
part of the country this assumption
means that the executive can send
Federal troops into any community in
the United States at his pleasure and
keep them there as long as he chooses.
II this is law then the principle of local
self government either never did exist
in this country or else has been de-
stroyed, for no community can be said
to possess local self government if the
executive can at his pleasure send
military forces to patrol its streets
under pretense of enforcing some law.
The kind of local self government that
could exist under these circumstances
can be found in any of the monarchies
of Europe and is not in harmony with
the spirit of our institutions.
2. 1t is also a fundamental principle
in our government that except in times
of war the military shall be subordi
nate to the civil authority. In har-
mony with this provision the State
troops, when ordered out, act under
and with the civil authorities. The
Federal troops you have ordered to
Chicago are not under the cival author
tiles and are in no way responsible to
them for their conduct. They are not
even acting under the United States
Marshal OF under any Federal officer of
the State, but are acting directly under
military orders issued from military
headquarters at Washington, and in
80 far as these troops act at all it is
military government.
3 The statute authorizing Federal
troops to be sent into States in certain
cases contemplates that the State troops
shall be taken first. This provision
has been ignored, and it is assumed
that the executive is not bound to it
Federal interference with industrial
disturbances in the various States is
certainly a new departure, and it
opens up SO large a field that it will
require a very little stretch of authority
to absorb to itself all the details of
local government.
4. You say that troops were ordered
into Illinois upon the demand of the
postoffce department and pom repre-
sensations of the judicial officers
of the United States that pro
| cess of the courts could not be served
and upon proof that conspiracies
existed. We will not discuss the facts
but look for a moment at the principle
involved in your statement. All of
these officers are appointed by the
executive. Most of them can be re-
moved by him at his will. They are
not only obliged to do his bidding but
they are, in fact, a part of the execu-
tive. If several of them can apply for
troops one alone can, so that under the
law, as you assume it to be, an execu-
tive through any n of his appointees
can apply to himself to have the mill
tary sent into any city Or any number
Of cities and base his application on
such representations or showing as he
sees fit to make. In fact, it will be
immaterial whether he make any show
ing or not, for the executive is the sole
judge and nobody else has any right
to interfere or ever inquire about it.
Then the executive a pass on his
own application-hi5 will being the
sole guide-he a hold the application
to be sufficient, and order troops to as