Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-06-07
ALTGELD SAYS IT Is DANGEROUS
The Surrcmc Court Has Tranplcd on
the Rights of the People.

Springfield, ILL.,, June 2-Governol
John p. Altgeld is of the belief that the
supreme court of the United States has
established a dangerous precedent in
remanding Eugene V. Debs and his as
sociates to jail. He expressed himself
in a caustlc manner today regarding
the decision and accuses the court of
tramplng on the rights of the people
and being the tool of monopoly. He
gives his views for publication in a
signed article, in which he says, in part:
THE decision marks the turning point
in our history, for it established a new
form of government, that is, govern
ment by injunction. The provisions of
the constitution that no man shall he
deprived Of his liberty without trial by
an impartial jury is practically wiped
out by this decision of the supreme
court and the order that ours is a gov
eminent of law is at an end, for every
community is now subject to any within
or caprice which any federal judge may
practice, and if the fedora! judges can
do this. then 1t will not be long until
the state judges will follow this exam
pie.
For over a century our government
moved along the lines Of the constitu-
don, and we became great and powerful.
Life and property We're protected and
The law was enforced Now we have
made a departure; the bulwark of lib
erty has been undermined, trial by jury
has been stricken down. For a number
| of years it has been remarked that the
| decisions of the United States courts
We're nearly always in favor of corpora
| lions. Then ii was noticed that no man
could be appointed to a federal Judge.
| ship unless he was satisfactory to those
| interests over year ago the New
| York World talked about a packed su-
preme court, and that court has within
a few days rend red two decisions
which unfortunately tend to confirm
! this charge. y week ago it did violence
to the constitution and laws of the land
by holding that the government had nc
| power to tax the riches of this country
Now it has stricken down trial by jury
and has established government by in
junction
Forty years ago the slave power pre-.
dominated. Today it is the capitalists
The American people crushed the slave
power and saved our institutions. Car
| they rescue them again? Many say
yes. but they have not reflected that the
crushing force which now confronts
them is great ter than was the slave pow
er ever was. Capital sits in the White
house and legislatures. Courts of jus
tice are its ministers and legislators are
its lackeys. The whole machinery o.
fashionable society IS its handmade. Jus
see what brood of evils have sprunt
from the power of capitalism since 1890
First the striking down of over one
third of the money in the world thu
crushing the debtor class and paralyz
ing industry; second, the growing o
that corruption of wealth which is un
dermining our institutions, debauchni
our public officials, shaping Legislation
and creating judges who do its bidding
third. the exemption of the rich from
taxation; fourth, the substitution o
government by injunction for govern
ment by constitution as laws; fifth, tn
striking down of trial by jury. Neve
has there been so much patriotic tail
as in the last 2J years, and never wer
there so many influences at work stran
| Cling republican institutions