The herald., 1896-11-03
GOVERNOR ALTGELD

Editor Herald: There are some thin gs
that are not generally understood by the
mass of the people when they are dis
cussing the issues of the day. and con-
sequently the gold men have con-
trated their attack on these lines.
I refer in particular to the plank in
the Democratic platform in regard to
federal interference and the action of
Gov. Altgeld of Illinois during the Chi
cago strike and his pardoning the an
archists that were sent to prison for
participating in the bomb throwing
some years ago.
In regard to the first point mentioned,
[ quote the following extracts from the
book entitled Facts and Opinions, pub
lished and written by Hazen S. Pingree
the present mayor of Detroit and the
candidate for governor of Michigan on
the Republican ticket, a gentleman
whose reliability and trustworthineSs
cannot be disputed. He says:
There is a secret connected with the
Chicago riots, which were brought
about by Pullman. who refused to arbi-
trate the case OIL his distressed work.
men. The secret is that the officers of
the regular or United States troops
who were brought to Chicago by the or
der of President Cleveland, who foolish
ly took the advice of Olney. the corpora
ton lawyer, vino was attorney general
in C!eveland's cabinet. met at one of the
hotels and denounced the'policy of using
the army to perpetuate wrongs and by
so doing degrade it in the eyes of the
people"
The troops flocked in from all sides
and were disposed ali around the city
at strategic points and guards and vi
dettes were thrown out. Information
came in from the strike districts and lit
tie by little the officers gathered all the
facts in the case. And they found the
facts to be grossly exaggerated. both
the representa- lions of Tie managers
and the publications of the tools of the
corporations, which were certainly
newspapers Wherever opportunity Of
fered they compared the information
gathered by their own men and them
selves, and when they exhausted in
curry and were satisfied they met in
one of the Chicago hotels. That meet
for it's significance that was ever held
in the United States. 1t was calm and
quiet comparison of notes gathered by
the officers themselves, and the conclu-
sion was clear that the army had been
brought under pretense for the pur-
pose of siding with the corporations in
an Industrial struggle 1t was clear that
there was no emergency of sufficient mo-
ment to demand the appearance of the
United States army. 1t was clear to the
eyes of these officers that the police OF
at the utmost the state troops. were
equal to the disturbance that was 60
ing on
There in that room. officers who had
seen service in the great war of the re-
beilion expressed their Indignation tina,
they were called out to be used, as was
patent to them, not so much to quell a
riot as to crush labor unions. These
officers did not conline themselves tc
mere expression of indignation. Then
patriotic feeling led them further thar
that They denounced among them
selves the advisers of the president ot
the United States who had sent them OF
such mission. In their righteous
anger they We're wiling to give thei,
views to the public. and second meet
ing WAS to be held to formulate those
views which were to be spread over the
length and breadth of the land to tn;
people OF the republic"
by some means the particulars of tht
first meeting leaked out before the sec
ond meeting was acid, and the news wa:
suppressed at the order of the govern
ment These facts were known to tn,
newspapers. at least those known to b,
| in the interests of the corporations, ant
they kept those important facts from
the public. Thus the newspapers judg,
of the kind Of facts that must be lait
before the public and the kind of facts
| that must be withheld from the pusIc
And thus the line of facts that Il
against the policy Of a newspaper Ii