Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-01-17
GOV. ALToELD's MESSAGE.
Says the Machinery of Justice Was
Made the Tool of Corporations.


Made the Tool of Corporations.
Governor Altgeld's biennial message
was transmitted to the Illinois General
Assembly on Thursday. The message is
an exhaustive one, containing nearly 25,-
600 words. The first half of the message
is devoted to the details of State institu-
tions. The other half treats of the labor
troubles. The situation in Chicago and
elsewhere during the railroad riots is rc-
viewed. and the Governor attempts to
prove that the State militia were thor
oughly competent to handle any uprising
that might take place. He asserts that
the President and Mr.. Olney were in
duced to send troops by false representa-
tions of trouble that the sending of troops
before the strength of the State had been
spent was, 4 perversion of the constitu-
tional prerogative: that most of the trou-
BILE arose after the troops arrived; that it
was quelled by the militia; and that even
at its worse it was no more disastrous
than the riots in Buffalo and Pennsyl-
vania, in which the Government did not
dare to interfere. The power which Mr..
Cleveland exercised, Mr.. Altgeld says,
was no more than Emperor William and
the Car of Russia claim for themselves.
The judges of the United States courts
come in for vicious scoring They are
denounced as usurpers The Governor de-
clares that their punishment for contempt
is not only unconstitutional, but that it
violates the usage of years. He asserts
that ar attempt is on foot to RussianiZe
the Government, that the foundations of
the state are undermined, that we are
tending toward "cruel oligarchy OPP
pressing the spiritless poor"
"Tbe constitution divides the powers
Of government into the legislative, judic-
iary ana executive, and contemplates that
no two of these shall be lodged in the
same person, but during the last two
years the people of this country have re-
peatedly witnessed the operation of an
entirely new form of government, which
was never before heard of among men
in either monarchy or republic-that is,
government by injunction whereby
Federal judge. not content with deciding
controversies brought into his court, not
content with exercising the judicial func-
tions of government, proceeds to legislate
and then administrate. He issues
ukase which he calls an injunction forbid
ding whatever he pleases and what the
law does not forbid, and thus legislates
for himself without limitation"
Governor Altgeld dismsses as stale
pretense the contention that the Federal
judges base the injunctions on the inter-
state commerce law. This act he de-
scribes as "as harmless as a dead rabbit"
so far as it regulated or controlled the
railroads. He declared that the Federal
judges proceeded to hold section after
section of the law to be unconstitutional
so far as it affected the roads. "Then,"
he continues, 'after having thus nullified
an act of Congress intended for the pro-
lection of the people, they turned around
and made of it club with which to break
the backs of the men who toll with their
hands-men whom Congress did not
think of legislating against"
The Governor also has something to
say about the control of railroads by the
Federal courts when receivers have been
appointed by those courts. Anything
done to the railroad is treated as con-
tempt of court" he exclaims. IF you
commit an offense against railroad that
is in the hands of it's owners you will be
prosecuted in the county where the of
fense is committed and may be sent to
the penitentiary. But if you tread on the
grass or throw stone on a railroad that
has been robbed by spectators and then
put into the hands of receiver to freeze
out stockholders you will be guilty of con
tempt of some court sitting several hun
dred miles away. and you will be liable
to be carried thither, there to be tried,
not by jury but by that court whose
awful dignity you have offended. 1t is
in connection with these bankrupt roads
that most of the outrageous injunctions
were issued during the last two years."
The question of President Cleveland's
authority to send Federal troops into the
State of Illinois is debated briefly. Gov.
Altgeld declares that Mr.. Cleveland's s
action was an entirely new departure in
the history Of our Government and vio-
lation of the Constitution as it has been
understood for century.
1.-The old doctrine of State rights is in
no way involved" declares Gov. Altgeld.
Nobody for a moment questions the ru-
premncy of the Union. But it does in
volve the question whether, in connection
with Federal supremacy, there does not
go hand in hand the principle of local
self-government. One is just as sacred,