Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-06-03
ALTGELD DESPAIRS
Takes a Pessimistic View of
Things Political.
LIBERTYs BULwARK UNDERMINED

nc ssyss and Enumerates the 11ilest0nes
on the Road to Ruin We Have sssed,
Making Out Bad Cssc-New York
World Obtains Some Foreign and Do
nsstic Views on Questions Of Interest to
Uncle sam-PoliticaI Items.
SPRISGFIELD., Ills, June 3-Governor
John L. Altgeld is Of the belief that the
United states supreme court has estab.
ilshed "A dangerous precedent in remand
ing Eugene V. Debs and his friends to
jail He expresses himself in q very
caust!c manner regarding the decision,
accuses the court Of trampling on the
rights of the people and being the tool Of
monopoly. He gives his views for pub.
iication in signed article, in which he says
In part: This decision marks the turn
ing point In our history, for it establishes
new form Of government never before
heard Of among men; that is, governments
by injunction. The provision of the con.
stituti1n that no man shall be deprived
Of his liberty without trial by an impartial
jury is practically wiped out by this deci-
sion of the United States supreme court
md the theory that ours is exclusively
q government of law is now at an end,
for every community is now subject to
obey any whim or caprice which any fed.
urul judge may promulgatc.
Talk Of "a '.PAcked' supreme Court.
"And If federal judges can do this, then
1t will not be long until state judges will
follow this example. For over a century
our government moved along the lines Of
the constitution and we became great and
powcrful-lifo and property were protect
ed and law enforced. Now VIC have mads
q departure; the bulwark of liberty has
been undermined; trial by jury has been
stricken down. For number of years It
has been remarked that the decisions Of
United Stntes courts were nearly all In
favor of corporations. Then it was mo-
t!ccd that no man could be appointed to
n federal judgcship unless ne was salts
factory to thosc interests. Over n year
ngo tho New York World talked about
packed supreme court, and that court
has within n few days rendered two deci.
sions which unfortunately tend to con-
firm this charge.
Definition OF tho Income Tax Opinion.
IA week ago it did violence to the con-
stitution and laws OF the land by holding
that the government has no power to tax
the rich of this country. Now it has
stricken down trial by jury and has es-
tablishcd government by Injunction
Forty years ago the slave power predomi-
mated; today it is capitalism. The Amer
lean people crushed the slave power, and
saved our institutions. Can they rescue
them againF Many say yes, but they
have not reflected that the crushing force
which now confronts them is greater than
ever was the slave power. Capital sits in
the White House and leIislateS in the
Capitol The courts OF justice arc its
ministers and the legislatures are its
lackeys, and the whole machinery Of
fashionable society is its handnnid.
h "irnod of Evils" Enumerated.
Just sec what q brood of evils has
sprung from the power of capitalism since
1870: First, the striking down of over
onc-third of tho money of the world thus
crushing the debtor class and paralyZng
industry; second, the growing Of that
corrupt use OF. wealth which Is under
mining our institutions. dcbauching pub
lie officials shaping legislation and Great.
ing judge, who do its bidding; third, ex-
cmptiOn of ne rich from taxation; fourth,
substitution OF government by injunction
for government by the constitution and
laws; fifth, striking down the trial by
jury. Never has there been so much pat
riotic talk rs in the last twenty. five years,
and mover were there so many influences
Mt work strangling republican institu-
tions"