New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-11-18

Furnished enough, will simp Say that
If the defendants had q fair trial, and
nothing has developed since to show
that they we're not guilty Of the crime
charged II the Indictment, then there
fought to lie no cutive interference,f fol
no punishment under oIr laws could
then be too severe. Government lLust
/ defend itself, life and property must be
protected aud law and order must be
maintained murder must be punished
and if the defendants are guilty of muir.
der, either committed with their own
hands or by some one acting on their adj
1 vice, then, If they have had a fair trial,
!. there should in this case he no executive
interference. The soil Of America is not
adapted to the growth Of anarchy.
While our institutions are not free from
injustice they are the best that have been
devised, and, therefore, must be main
tained.''
Is this the language Of the anarchist?
Or will it be adverted to by just and
law abiding men as monument to the
honor of conscientious and courageous
chief magistrate as long as the archives
of his office shall remain in existence?
But the American citizen who has any
thing like an intelligent regard for his
own security can never forget that the
crowning glory of our institutions is to
be found in the great guaranty that no
man, however humble or however friend
less, shall be deprive>Fof his life, liberty
or property unless by the judgmen: of
his peers, according TO the law of the
land. 1t has been the sheet anchor of
Anglo-Saxon right since the signing of
the Magma .ChaIta at Runnemede, and
wherever it is withheld from him by
those intrusted with the functions of gov
ernment the citizen is placed as effectu-
ally beyond the pale Of legal protection
as ii he were under the widest anarchy.
It is of equal if not far greater impor~
tance to the great body OF the people,
therefore, that their government should
shield from punishment one who has not
had a. fair trial by an impartial jnry ac-
cording to Law than MAT the penalty
should be vigorously enforced against
him if legally convicted of crime.
A lawyer Of learning and ability, long
distinguished for bis integrity ea the
bench as we'll as at the bar, it is but fair
to suppose thas few if any. ever had
clearer conception of this obvious psin-
ciple or y more honest determinations TO
observe it than Gov Altgeld; conse-
quently, when it was represented to hsm
by those familiar with she facts that tue
jury by which Fiel4ion, .Neebe and Schwab
had been tried Was paclsetl to convict
them; that under the law as laid down
by the Supreme court La other cases.
both before and after thesr trial, the jur-
ors were shown bY-their OWN answers un-
der oath to- be clearly incompetent, and
that the trial Judge was SO Tar prejudiced
against them that he could not and did
not give them a. fair tEial> and when
these representations we've sustained by
proof which satisfied his nsind that they
We're true he repaired the wrong which
had been done Them, anei through them
to the pit ople OF his state, as far as was
in his power, by restoring them to liber-
ty regardless Of the tornado of obloquy
and vituperation he knew would burst
upon III, head. For that act he has been
denounced as All anarchist by thousands
who are totally ignorant Of the facts and
by thousands of others who do not even
know the meaning Of the word. IT, III.
liz plOOlo up0u' WHILE hc Daocu LlS
opinion and the reasons which influenced
his action are all of record where they
can be seen and contloverted if not cor
rect. I imagine, however, that there are
but few, if any, fair-minded men who.
would dissent from his judgment after
reading that record. But be that rs it
may. Surprising the proofs upon which
he acted might not have led every other,
mind to his conclusion, common decen-
cy would suggest, especially in the alb.
sence Of every possible motive to the
contrary, that he should have credit for
honesty of judgment, and more especial
ly when that judgment was in support
Of the most important right that can
pertain to the American 5citizen:-the
right to a fair trial by jury according to
law. If the facts before him had con-
WINGED him that Fielden, Neebe and