Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-09-08
AL LTGELD'S
 NEW ISSUES, PUBLIC TO OWN MoNoPo-
 LIES. In His Labor Day Address at Phila delphla the Ex-Governor May Establish Lines for
 the Next National
 Campaign.

Fridays Chicago Record says: Ex-Gov. John P. Altgeld is to de- liver an address to the working men of Philadelphia on Labor Day that is expected to attract national at .tention. He s to touch upon pos tai saving banks, and will favor their establishment, bat the refer enee to that subject is to be only in- eidental to broader program of re form which he is to unfold.
 Mr. Altgeld is to treat the tele- graph, the express companies and the railroads, and will favor Gov ernment ownership of all, as well as the municiple ownership of the local industries like street railways and gas plants, ordinarily known as natural monopolies.
 This will be new departure for ex,Gov Altgeld, and indicates a change of policy on his Eart. AL though he has sometimes been called a socialist, it is only by ignoring the commoa and exact use of words that the term could be applied to him. Mr. Altgeld has been radical, ir- deed. but his philosophy hitherto has been of the individualistic rather than the socialistie order. There is in his public utterances mp to this time no expression in favor of Government ownership of the means of production and distribu- tion, which is the essence of social ism. The Chicago platform. which bore the impress of Altgeld more than that of any other one man, was silent on the question of Govern ment ownership. As Altgeld was the chief factor in determining the issue for the campaign of 1896, so it is suggested he may formulate in his Labor Day speech at Philadel- phia the issue on which future polit- ical campaigns in this country may be fought Altgeld dictated that sil- yer should be the issue in 1896 His forthcoming speech at Philadelphia will be taken to mean that, in his opinion at least, future political battles are to be fought along SO cialistic lines.
 Mr. Altgeld shows a desire to avoid the word socialism in talking of the subject. He insists that the reforms that he will advocate are a matter of business necessity; either the Governments must take hold of the industries and run them or the corporations will own the Govern ment. When the suggestion was made that the speech in question would be at variance with the Chi cago platform, Mir Altgeld replied that no one would be responsible for the address but himself, He pre- sumed it would arouse criticism from all quarters and from all par ties. Nevertheless he believed it pointed the only way to remedy ex- isting evils, especially the evils of bribery and corruption.
 This will be the first time in the history of American politics for a comprehensive program of reforms along socialistie lines to be ad vanced by political leader of Alt geld's prominence in one of the two dominant parties of the country.
 When questioned on the subject of postal saving bank, Mr. Altgeld said he was strongly in Iavor of their establishment He took ex- captions, however, to the methods provided in Records bill for the in- vestments of funds. Instead of in- vesting the accumulated money in bonds, he would turn all the money into the Federal treasury and use it for the payment of Government ex- just like any other revenues. The mere Government obligation to the depositor, Mir. AltgeId said, was as good as the Governments bond.
 MT. Altgeld said the banks would be against the proposition to estab- fish postal saving banks and would do all they could to defeat it. When told that many leading bank CTS in interviews had given their hearty recommendation to the pro iect, he replied: They may be for 1t openly, but secretly they will fight it"