The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-01
SCORES EASTERN POLITICIANS.

New York, June 26.-The following
letter was received tonight by the Jour
nal from Governor Altgeld, in reply to
tne query as to the cause of the feeling
\ OIL the West against the East:
springfield, ILL.,, June 26-The feeling
Is not against the East as a section, but
against class there which has dominat-
ed the policy of the government, as we'll
as the policy of the two great political
parties, ever since the war and has treated
this part of the country as great forag-
ing ground Inscriptions men have so
shaped Federal legislation and'the policies
OF the Federal government as to practi-
caily make the whole. country pay indirect
tribute to few interests. These in
terests were and are located in the East
The Southern and the Mississippi valley
States are not only the great producing,
but also the great consuming States, and
they have suffered unjustly both as pro-
uucers and as consumers, for the govern
mental policies were shaped like the darky
set his trap, so as to "catch de coon
a-comin' and a-goin." After the war.
when we were out of danger, when there
was no reason for it on earth, Eastern
fnanciers and manipulators induced the
government to pursue n policy which
practically doubled the debts of the coun-
try. This was solely in the interests of
Eastern and foreign capitalists.
Then followed a period of tariff legis-
lation which levied tribute on the coun-
try for the benefit of the few found
chiefly in the East. Then came the
stealthy and tricky decentralization of
silver which, by forcing gold alone to do
the work formerly done by both gold and
silver, doubled the Importance of gold
and doubled its purchasing power, and
thus compelled this country, which was
Il great debtor nation, to give twice as
much labor to pay the interest as
we'll rs the principal of enormous debts
national, State, municipal corporate
and private-as was necessary to give
when the debts We're created All this
was.in the interest of Eastern. and for
eign capitalists.
The policies of the Government, dicta-
ted by the East, have been ruinous to the
Southern, the Mississippi valley and the
Western States, and, rs Providence has
fixed limit to all things, so there is II
limit to patience and endurance and the
time is approaching when this selfish
unscrupulous and corrupt Eastern dom
ination must cease. Again the same
.manipulators have dictated the policy of
both political parties. Some of these
men claimed to he Republicans, and some
Democrats, but neither cared for party
Ht Olt i'lcsi All NtIt SlllNlUS IOT WAS 10
keep control of the Government and use
it rs n convenience in amassing fortunes
at the expense of the American people.
The Democratic party has practically
been owned by New York for third of
Il century and for II portion of that time
has been treated rs u kind of plaything
by Standard Oil and Wall street mag
mates. From the close of the war down
to 1884 every Presidential candidate was
taken from New York In 1894 the
Standard Oil and Wall street people
went to Chicago and nominated their idol
who was a New Yorker. In 1898 the
same people went to st. Louis and re-
nominated the same idol. In 1892 the
Standard Oil and Wall street people went
to Chicago and again nominated the
same Standard Oil and Wall street idol
In 1896 the same people are advertising
to the world that they are going to con-
troll the Democratic convention For
over thirty years the tail has been waU-
ging the dog Common decency and
common fairness would suggest that the
tail should for once allow the dog to have
his way, but we are notified in advance
that it shall not he so. The methods
pursued by these people are well under
stood. They are going into history
The term STANDARD oil methods" is
not only familiar to our people, but
promises to live. AS may be inferred
from the sound of it, it includes among
other things, "oiling the way" There
is tradition that in 1884, the way was
''oiled' at the Chicago convention, and
the confidence with which these people
assure the world that they are coming to
Chicago to see to it that these crazy
Southern and Western men do nothing
foolish, would at least warrant the in
81.
4 fabricated in and about that convention
For thirty years these men labored to
prevent the Democratic party from de-
claring in favor any definite principle
I To be valuable convenience it must not
have any convictions. The South and
West have deep and intense convictions,
and they insist on declaring them. But
the Eastern manipulators are coming out
to prevent it. Do you wonder that we
b are beginning to feel tired?
JOHN p. ALTGELD,
Governor of Illinois