The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-06-08
ALTGELD SAYS IT is DANGEROUS
The Supreme Court Has Trampled on
the Rights Of the People.

Springfield, ILL.,, June 2.-Governor
John 2. Altgeld is of the belief that the
supreme court of the United States has
established a dangerous precedent in
remanding Eugene Y. Debs and his as
sociates to Jail. He expressed himself
in a caustic manner today regarding
the decision and accuses the court of
trampling on the rights of the people
and being the tool of monopoly. He
gives his views for publication in
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, a govern
ment by injunction. The provisions of
the constitution that no man shall be
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 federal judges can
do this, then it 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-
ton, and we became great and powerful.
Life and property were protected and
the law was enforced. Now we have
made departure; the bulwariS 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
were nearly always in favor of corpora
tons. Then it was noticed that no man
I - ia -.
ship unless he was satisfactory to those
interests. over a year ago the New
York World talked about packed SUI
preme court, and that court has within
few days rendered two decisions
which unfortunately tend to confirm
this charge. A week ago it did violence
to the constitution and laws of the land
by holding that the government had no
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. Can
they rescue them again? Many say
yes, but they have not reflected that the
crushing force which now confronts
them is greater 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 of
fashionable society is its handmade. Just
see what a brood of evils have sprung
from the power Of capitalism since 1890:
First, the striking down of over one
third of the money in the world, thus
crushing the debtor class and paralyz-
2g industry; second, the growing of
nat corruption of wealth which is un-
dermining our institutions. debauchng
our public officials, shaping legislation
and creating judges who do its bidding;
third, the exemption of the rich from
taxation; fourth, the substitution of
government by injunction for govern
ment by constitution as laws; fifth, the
striking down of trial by jury. Never
has there been so much patriotic talk
as in the last 25 years, and never were
there so many influences at work stran-
Cling republican institutions"