The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-07

ment Ownership, and Government by
Injunction"
The event which brought the ex-Gov-
ernor here was the labor day celebra-
tlon by the United Labor League of this
city. President Ernest Kraft, occupied
the chair and made the opening ad-
dress. He then introduced Mr., Altgeld,
who said, In part:
Aside from the financial question the
most serious problem that confronts the
people Of America to-day, Is that of res
cuing their cities, their states and the
federal government, Including the FED.
eral judiciary from absolute control OF
corporate monopoly,
We have had thirty years OF colorless
politics, In which both OF the political
parties were simply conveniences for
organized greed. There was nothing to
arouse the deep, slumberinS patriotism
| of the masses, and race OF politicl-
ans came to the front many Of whom
| had no conVictious-but straddied eV-
cry proposition and then waited to be
seduced. They were men who made ev-
cry promise to the laborer, and then be-
| trayed him. These men became the In
struments through which the corpora
tions worked. Having learned what
vast sums can be extorted from the
American people. the monopoties used a
part OF the wealth they got from this
| source to corrupt the peoples represen-
| tatIyes, and thus obtained unlimited
privileges OF plumber until almost ev-
cry great city in this country Is tied and
gagged, and can not even enter pro-
test while being robbed.
All OF this falls with crushing force on
the laborer, for his hands must earn the
taxes the landlord pays-he Is forced to
| depend on the public conveniences, and
always suffers under bad government.
An individual rarely has Interest
enough, or money enough, to brilp n city
! council or buy n legislature. But the
corporations have both, and as the mo-
ney all comes of the public, they offer
| temptations that are too strong for aV-
erage man to resist,
Inasmuch rs no government can en-
dure In which corrupt greed not only
makes the laws, but decides who shall
construe them, many OF our best cltl-
gems are beginning to despair OF the
republic.
Others urge that we should remove
| the bribe givers-that Is, destroy this
Overwhelming temptation by having the
| government take all these monopolles
| Itself and furnish the service which they
| now furnish, and thus not only save our
institutions, but have the great profits,
which now 20 Into the pockets or pri-
vate corporations, turned into the public
treasury.
But the corruptlonists, the monopo-
| lists, and all men who are fattening on
| the existing rottenness and Injustice, cry
angrlly: "Why, that would be social
ism. rank socialism, and we are oppos-
| ed tol IT," Some OF these men know the
meaning of socialism, and some do not
hut they control all those men WIN
cling 60 the skirts Of wealth
Socialism has been defined as sys-
] tenn OF government In which the COM
| petltlvc system Is entirely abolished,
and the principle OF associated effort is
| applied to everything.
According to the standard authorities
socialism Is an ideal state founded on
| justice and In which the benefits OF
modern invention and OF monopoly
| shall be shared by nll the people instead
of being controlled by the few and used
by these few to make themselves the
| absolute masters of the many. The
word SOCIALISM" is used as term OF
derlsIon only by the ignorant or the SER
vile.
However, the world Is not ripe for the
application OF socialism. There are as
yet hundreds of things that cannot be
done successfully by the state, and that
must be left to the individual,
ASto mJnuUtIon"
Government by Injunction operates
this way: When a Judge wants to do
something not authorized by law, ho
simply makes a law TO suit himself.
That is, he sits down In his chambers
and issues n kind OF ukase which he
calls an Injunction, against the people
| OF an entire community. or OF n whole
state. forblddlng whatever he secs ut TO
forbid, and which the law does not for
| bid, md commanding Whatever he sees
| flt to command. and which the law docs
not command-for when the law fOrblds
or commands u thing no Injunction Is
necessary
Having thus issued his ukasc. the
same Judge has the men arrested and
sometimes dragged fifty or n hundred
miles away from their homes TO hls
court on charge Of violating the In
| junctlon-thnt Ia contempt OF court. And
/ the mon, after lying In prison awhile.
are tried, not by n Jury. as ls required
| by the constitution when man In
| charged with crime but they are tried
| by the Same Judge whose dignity they
] are charged with having oTCndod, and
| they are then sentenced 10 prison at
the mere pleasure Of this Judge, who is
nj once legislator. Judge and execution
or.
when the car OF Russia Issues a
uknpc, he lenvcg II 10 other men to en-
| force, but not 30 with these judges,
Let us cite Just a few examples out or
n number
scycrni years ago II was charged that
the Northern Pacific railroad had been
robbed by the men who controlled II OF
| over sixty millions Of dullnrh These
same men went before Judge Jenkins OF
| Milwaukee and got him TO appoint three
Of their friends receivers of tho road,
| These receivers, instead Of collecting
tho money alleged to have bcon wrong
| fully ahslmctod, proceeded 10 cut down
the wages NJ the operatives without any
| notice 10 them, aud for fear thOnc opera
| tlvca might get restless those receivers
| went before this Same Judge jenkins
ana rot him 10 Issue nm injunction for
| bidding tho operatives from leaving TIE
| employment uf the railroad About the
| same Time large number of employees
ON California rOllrnnd refused Ia no To-
WORT bccnuHU they were not paid. mud
| u judge Wnsa. Who VIVA operating The
road thruugh hH court issued an order
a