The Van Buren press., 1895-11-16
COY. ALTGELD'S REASONS
For the Causes Which Led TO Dem.
ocracy's Defeat and It's Ultimate
Effect.

SPRINGFIELD, III. Nov. 6.-Governor
Altgeld was interviewed on the recent
elections today, with the following
result
Governor. what have you to say
about the electionsf''
"0h, nothing. 1t is not our time to
talk. We have just been laid out and
you know that in polite society it is
regarded as bad form for a corpse TO
indulge in much talk while the wake is
in progress.
How will this affect the silver
movement
oh, | don't know. While the
silver platform has been roughly treated
in the Eighteenth District in this state,
it has yet Jared great deal better than
the gold platform in the other states.
Two years ago we lost the Eighteenth
District by nearly 5000. This time it
seems Mr.. Hadley has carried it by
about 8. 100, and considering the fact
that the causes which worked against
the Democratic party in the other states
also worked against it here, and the
further fact that Mr.. Tanner. as chair
man of the Republican committee, had
lately been in New York arranging to
carry the Eighteenth District. why the
result is favorable wheneompared with
| that in other states. For example,
Iowa went Democratic several times
but two years ago, in the great land
slide, it went Republican by about S3,
600 majority. This year when the
Democrats held their state convention il
was packed by postmasters and the
agents of the Federal administration
and they adopted platform indorsing
| Cleveland policy ON the money ques
ton. and, as result, the great Repub
lican majority of two years ago, instead
of being held down. has been doubled
Drake. the Republican. who was a
weak candidate for Governor, having
majority of upwards of 60 600.
| In Kentucky, the great stronghold
of Democracy, the Federal administra-
ton, by prostitution of patronage,
secured an Endorsement of Cleveland
and Carlisle on the money question
and, as a result, the Democrats are in
the woods looking for the remains OF
their once mighty party.
I'm Ohio Senator Brice and Camp
bell defeated the silver plank in the
convention and adopted gold platform
and, as a result, even the phenomenal
Republican majority which Mckinley
got in the landslide of two years ago has
been increased, Bushnell being elected
by upwards of so, 900 majority.
In Pennsylvania the Democrats
adopted gold platform, and the result
is Republican majority of 150, 900. In
New Jersey, which is really Demo
cratic state, the Democrats adopted a
gold platform, and, as result, the
Republicans have carried everything in
sight. In Maryland, which has been
strongly Democratic for quarter of a
century, the Democrats adopted a gold
platform, and as a result there are not
enough of them left to bury the dead.
In New York the Democrats adopted
gold platform, and, as a result, the
Republican malorities outside of the
city have been nearly doubled. In
Massachusetts they adopted the same
platform, and, as consequence, the
Republican flood is neck deep all over
the state. So that if the election is to
be considered as rejection of the silver
platform in the Eighteenth District, of
Illinois. then it must be also regarded
as the most emphatic condemnation of
the gold platforms in the other states of
the Union ever known.
TO what then do you attribute the
general result, Governorq
4 have found that everywhere all
the men who toll with their hands for a
living feel most intense bitterness
against the Federal administration. and
as the Democratic party is held
responsible for it, there was general
disposition to kick. -
Second, among the Democrats
everywhere the feeling prevails that
this Federal administration has trampled
upon every principle of Democracy, and
has simply done dirty work for the
Republican party; that it has gone
farther in carrying out the principles Of
Hamiltonism than the Republicans ever
dared to go. This feeling was SO strong
that public speakers found that any
reference to the Federal administration
simply provoked a storm of Kisses.
This feeling created apathy on the part
of thousands of Democrats and active
hostility on the part of many others.
Third, there is a feeling among
business men that this Federal
administration is the weakest and most
pusillan,mous that this country has ever
had. This again made it impossible to
unite the opponents of the Republican
party in one phalanx.
Fourth, for a great many years the
Democratic party has practically stood
for no definite principle. We seemed
to be doing business under what was a
sort of political false pretense. Our
So called leaders apparently did not
expect to keep single promise that was
made to the public, and they under
estimated the intelligence of the
American people by imagining that loud
protestatiOns in a campaign would
always win, and that the talk about
keeping faith with the public was
simply silly sentiment. In drawing a
declaration of principles we aimed TO
straddle every conceivable question and
we construed a platform 10 mean one
thing in one neighborhood and the
opposite thing in another neighborhood.
The whole business of the Government
seemed to rest upon the plane of
political trickery, and the Republican
party, in this respect, was just as bad as
we were, but we were not in position
to arouse any enthusiasm for our side.
and when the other causes that have
named began TO operate against us, we
could not arrest them.
In consequence Of all these causes
that party which represents trusts and
special privilege grabbers in this country
has succeeded, and that party which
should have represented the great pro
ducing classes q this country. but was
false 10 its principles. wEs sziir=ly
oye--hr0wn-
--Whs- IN the eoa VII - the s@ac1
of this elec-is1t''
While TIE srsz e=sc- q L VII - %
give = new i1Pe1zs "a -hs r-1s-z and -
increase rh= cl--zr-lg1 Which -1eT