The San Francisco call., 1896-07-06
TOMORROW AT CHICAGO.

Tomorrow the Democratic party will
hold its sixteenth National convention to
nominate candidates for President and
Vice President. The party has weathered
many internal and external storms since
1882, when it named Andrew Jackson for
the Presidency. The severest test of
strength the party ever had before the
present battle of factions was in 1860,
when it was divided into two wings, one
under the leadership of Douglas and the
other under Breckenridge. But the wedge
which split the party at Charleston was
not driven with the vicious vigor and de-
termination to destroy as it is being driven
at Chicago. Some of the greatest men the
country ever produced directed the fac
tions in 1860, but at to-morrow's conven-
tioD the most conspicuous feature will be
seen in the array of brainless asses who
will control the majority and lead the
party to Its eternal damnation under the
generalship of Altgeld.
at Chicago tomorrow Altgeld will stand
the personifcation of the Democracy in
1896 as Jackson stood the personihcation
of the Democracy at Baltimore in 1882.
What spectacle of political degeneracy |!
Jackson was inspired by the loftiest prin-
ciples of truth, right and justice, and his
patriotism was pure and true. He was
sincere in what he did, and his purpose
was to better the peoples condition. The
light OF events reveal his mistakes, but
who is perfectP But Altgeld is very diff
ferent type of man. He knows nothing
of the principles of right or OF truth or of
justice. His sympathies are with those
principles of government which the Jeffer-
sons, the Jacksons, the Bentons and the
Douglases spent their whole lives in con-
demning. They sought political power
that they might WELD it for the pub
lie good. Altgeld seeks power that
he may WELD it to destroy that
principle of government which stands
for freedom under law and adopt in its
stead the principle of liberty without law,
and the majority of the Democratic party
cheerfully acquiesces and licks the boots of
the destroyer of their political honor. No
political party ever reached such depths
of degradation.
The hope has been all along that the
better elemen of the party would be able
to exert an influence for good, but the in
dications are that Altgeldism will sweep
the convention like tornado. Altgeld is
trying very hard to set the West and South
against the East. and whatever is calcu-
lated to engender hatred between the Sec
tions he may be relied upon TO employ to
the uttermost. He said the other dav
that ''the East is not worth saving"
The idea that he intended TO con-
vey was that the West and South should
array themselves against the East and
deprive it of political rights, and strange
as it may appear he was appIauded
for making the suggestion. The surprise
that citizens of the United States would
permit man to publicly use such treason
able language will be all the greater when
it is remembered that 1t was this same
Altgeld who referred to the murderous
Haymarket anarchists as patriots" and
denounced the courts for Furnishing them
for killing people. 1t is difficult to tell
what will be the outcome of a convention
that is dominated bv such a character,
but there are those who firmly believe that
there will be revolt against his authority.
One of the puzzling things about Alt
geld's programme is that he refuses to
commit Illinois to the candidacy of any
one, but those who know his political
methods to their sorrow say mis- plan is to
so manipulate the convention that his
delegates will hold the balance of power
and then throw it TO the candidate
who will give the largest mortgage on
himself for Altgeld's personal use, not
only in the way of shaping the policy of
the administration, should his man be
elected President, but in the control of
patronage. Altgeld is not himself eligi-
bic for the Presidency, but it would make
no difference to him if he were, so far as
his ultimate purpose is concerned. The
overthrow of the existing order of things
and the practical application of anarchism
appear to be the chief object of his life.
For that, as we'll as for many other rea-
sons, the proceedings of the convention
will be watched with deep interest. If he
could accomplish his purpose better by
abandoning the free silver platform, he
would do it. He has no fixed principles
except such as are in harmony with the
doctrine of liberty without law, and he is
just now political power in the land be-
cause he is the supreme autocrat and die
tator OF the Democratic party.
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