The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-05
That Offers Bribe and You
VIII End Corruption
So sSaid John p. Altgeld at
Brooklyn Today.
ORATOR OF THE DAY
At the Meeting of the Kings
Co. Democratic League.
The Ex-Governor Makes Char
acteristic Speech.

New York July 5.-Ex-GoVernor Johh
P AItgeId of Illinois addressed ABOUT
1000 people in the Academy of Music
Brooklyn. today. The meeting was un-
der the ausDices of the Democratic
league of Kings county. Henry George
presided and introduced Mr.. Altgeld,
who was greeted with hearty applause.
He said in part:
To-day the most wonderful nation on
earth is in distress. Its children are
suffering and its foundation stones are
slipping away
war debt and has reduced it by one
half. Yet such has been the govern
mental policy that today it will require
twice as much of our products 10 pay
the remainder as would have been nee
esSary to pay it all when it was created
Being a producing and debtor nation, it
was crime to legislate exclusively in
favor of the creditor classes of Europe
and thus destroy the purchasing power
of four people. Every general abuse is
intertwined with the money question
and you cannot ignore it; for it fixes
the limitations on enterprise and ma ter
ial prosperity. There must ultimately
come a system of finance or exchange
that will have a philOSophic basis and
will not restrict human effort But I'M
til this does come, we demand the re-
storation of the bimetallic system as it
formerly existed in our country because
it was the best thus far given the
world.
and commercial world as they do in the
physical world. The paralysis of our
country has been produced by certain
causes. So long as they exist they must
continue to produce the same effects.
We were promised prosperity; it has
not come and it requires no prophet to
see under existing conditions no perma-
nent prosperity can come. Ihe forces
of destruction are still a work gather
ing the substance of the natiOn into the
hands of the few. The country is para
nj hat he
would only have confidence and go to
work he would be well. But in spite of
this he is unab Bile to rise.
Suppose he did. SUPPOSE that a tenn
poraIy stimulant could create a tenn
porary activity? 1t would be along
cid lines; it would be in harmony with
those forces that paralyzed u.s. The
patient would soon collapse a second
time and then the case would be hone
less: A squirt of activity under Nc
k1nIey conditions means the more Ger
tain death of free institutions; it means
that the poison of corruption shall go
on until every organ of the body is de
stroyed.
The universal corruption that is to-
day destroying our country comes from
the concentration of capital and the
alarming aspect is that it is practiced
by men who talk patriotism and who
stand high in the estimation of the pub
lie 1t is idle to talk about purifying
the government SO long as men of inf1u-
ence and position offer vast sums to
corrupt it Cut off the hand that offers
Dr1be and you will end corruption
we must devise some way of remov-
ing overwhelming tempta tions on the
one hand and of distributing among all
men the benefits and advantages flow
ing from the process of cOncentrat tioD
As power never limits itself, we must
find a method of curbing it
II asked whether the government
viii take the railroads or esta bIish re
ferendum say you do not know brt mat
every step which may become necessarI
10 save Iree government and restore
happiness in this land will be taken
say that II necessary to do so the gov
ernment viii not only take the rail
Eoaus out every monopoly and concen-
tratiOn of property which interfaraS
with either the rights or the welfare of
the people. u
For 80 years our party has been a
neutral party; the manipulators who
Wished to use it as a convenience did
not want it to stand for anything There
We're interests that seemed to control
both parties This was the easiest way
OF controlling national legislation Had
thls peen a positive compact and ag-
gressIVe minority party stand for prin-
c1ple the cry of distress would not be
heard in this land today.
Had there been such a party the
standard Oil trust could never have
nominated the same man three times
IN IN succession for the presidency Trad
ing politicians made this possible. Com
promisers, traders and neutral men
never correct abuses, never found or
save free institutions and never fight
ton and courage can save this land
unfortunately we seem to have been
slowly and unconsciously losing our
personal independence Through the
scramble for the dollar, the longing for
position AID the dread of criticism we
ere becoming cowardly in conscience in
thought and action and are losing our
birthrights.
mo country has drawn so much from
the storehouse of omnipotence as has
ours. In all that makes wealth great-
ness or glory, we have been overloaded
LimitiesS riches are WITHIN our grasp
centuries of happiness are within our
reach. A kindly father bids US go forth
and enjoy the estate he has prepared
Tor US Meantime we have fallen into
the hands of the despoiler and the pois-
on OF political leprosy is entering our
blood- II we submit, all is lost; if we
rise In our manhood and crush the enc
my, IL will give a new inspira ton to
mankind. 1t Will be new declarat ton
OF independence, broader and deeper
than that of our forefathers.
In every state the people are arous-
ed; they see their condition growing
worse, they see the hope of their chill
dren disappearing; they see poverty
hanging over the future; they see the
black flag of hunger floating over some
of the richest sections of Gods earth
and they are crying for justice NV
friends, that cry will free the Ameri-
can people. Even if we should be borne
down again and again, the voice of hu
drive the money changers out of the
temple and the traitors out of the land
The Benedict Arnold of 1850 sleeps on
English soil. Let the Benedict Arnolds
of this age make their graves beside
bim."