The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-20
ALTGELD TALKS.
Defends Green backs Can See No
Real Sign Of Prosperity.

Chicago. Nov. 2O.-Ex-GoVernOr Alt
geld addressed a fair sized meeting at
Social Turner hall, Belmont avenue and
Paulina street. last evening, and made
naIly in support of Candidate Perkins,
who wants to be elected to congress
from the Sixth district next Tuesday,
but was really a defense of the Chicago
platform and an attack on every Dem
ocrat who diSagrees with it.
Incidentally he gave a couple of side
slapS at Mayor Harrison, who sat on
the platform while he was speaking. In
one sentence he spoke apprOvingly Of
the position of Mayor TaEgart of In
aianapolis, who had pledged himself to
appoint no honest money Democrats to
office, while Mayor Harrison selected
his controller, his corporation counsel.
his commissioners of public works, and
two of his civil service commissioners
from their number, and in another he
blamed Tammauy Hall. which Mayor
Harrison went to New York to aid, for
abandoning the Chicago platform and
said:
'.Tammany succeeded only because
the opposition to ii was divided. and,
had Henry George lived, it would have
been defeated"
Mayor Harrison, when his time to
speak came, retaliated by giving the
ex-governor triHe more fulSOme
praise ''fOr ms great devotion to the
Democratic party than it was really
comfortable for an intelligent recipient
to have to sit and listen to, but other
wise gave no sign Of having noticed the
Algeldian thrusts.
outside of his personal hit the notice
able thing about Mr.. Altgeld's speech
was the fact that he paid but passing
reference TO free silver, and used a
great part of his time in defending the
existing greenbacks and denOuncing
any attempt to retire them. Currency
reform legislation, he declared, was de-
manded by the bankers as the return
for their support of Mckinley, and he
asked his heareTS to vote for Perkins in
order that Perkins might in turn vote
against any such legislation in Wash
angton.
Mr. AItgeld denied that any great de-
gree of prosperity had visited the cOun-
try since the election of Mckinley, and
claimed that what had come was the
result of d shortage in the wheat crops
of other lands He claimed that the
NEork1nSmen were worse off than they
ever were. and drew a gloomy picture
of the condition of the country Then
referring to the last presidential cleo
tion, he said:
1T was TOO much to expect that in
one blow we could overcome the evils
of 30yearS' standing. Duringa all that time
there had been no minority party in this
county, but the corporations and trusts
had ruled the Democratic and Republi-
can parties alike, and directed both to
their use
In the summer of 1896, however. a
band Of earnest men met here in Chi
cago, and, recognizing the fact that if
during the last so years the Democratic
party had stood for the people present
conditions would not exist, determined
to return the party to the advocacy of
JeifersOnian doctrines
Mr.. Altgeld then reviewed the last
election. citing Democratic success in
Nebraska and Kentucky and Demo
cratic gains in Iowa, Ohio, and Massa-
chusetts, where the Chicago platform
had been Endorsed, and concluding:
Had it not been for the treachery of a
Democratic boss in Cleveland Hanna
would have been swept off the cart -
Republican success in Maryland he
ascribed to the fact that German had
not fully embraced the Chicago faith.
and he ascribed the victory of Tam
many, which was also an apOstate, to
the division among its opponents.