The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-09-09
MUNICH Al CONTROL.
Altgeld Wants Us to Emulate
the English.
by INJUNCTION.
The Ex-Governor Makes . Strong At
tack on Present Power OF Courts.
Fsvors Government Ownership of Raii-
roads Referred to Coal Strike.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. -EK.Governor
John p. Altgeld of Illinois addressed an
audience Of about / 900 people at Wash.
ington park on the Delaware river on
Labor day. His subject was "Mu.
nicipal and Government Ownership and
Government by Injunction.
The event which brought the ex.
governor here was the Labor day cele
bration by the United Labor League Of
this city.
Mr.. Altgeld said that. aside from the
financial question, the most serious
problem that confronts the people OF
America today is that OF rescuing their
cities, their state and the federal gov
ernment. including the federal Judi.
oiary. from absolute control Of corp or.
ate monopoly.
He showed the benefits Of municipal
owl ership in the infinitely better con.
dition of the cities of Great Britain,
than those of this country. Said he
There are at present in the United |
Kingdom 1856 municipalities that sup.
ply their inhabitants with water, with
gas and electric light, and one.third OF
the street railway mileage of Great
Britain is owned by the municipalities
Leaving out London, it amounts to two
thirds. And in most instances inl
which they do not own the street rail.
ways, they have compelled the com
psnies to grant low fares and divide
profits.
Everywhere the tendency is toward
collective ownership and enterprise,
and so satisfactory has this been found
that where once tried the public will
tolerate no other method" +"
Mr.. Altgeld declared that the same
reasons which compelled the British
people to make change exists here.
and we should follow their example.
Mr.. Altgeld then detailed the condi.
tion OF the miners. resulting from low
wages and scant work. Now" said
he, Suppose that the United States
government should say The constant
recurrence of these disturbances of in.
| dustrial and economic disputes between
the mine owner and the miners cannot
longer be endured; neither can per.
! nit large portion of the most indus
trious of my people to be reduced to
such low position that they will be
unfit to maintain free institutions
These people should have living wages.
so that by industry, economy and pru
dence they can support their families
and educate their children. On the
other hand. the owners of the coal
mines should have a reasonable income
from their property. l will take these
mines myself, l will buy them where
/ can, and where | cannot | will have
their value ascertained by fair trial and
pay the owner, so that every man will
got good, fair compensation for his
property. / will issue bonds bearing a
low rate of interest for these mines, and
| Il xtrfll thnGa mi I .,
the postoffice.
81 will fix scale of wages which
will give every man fair wage for his
work, as | now pay other government
employees. | will fix the price of coal
30 that every man will know what it
will cost him. / will fix this price so
low that all the people of America can
get their fuel at the cost of production
and such slight addition as will pay
the low interest, and in the course of
years reimburse the purchase price, so
that the mines will cost the public
nothing. l will in the same manner
take the anthracite coal field, which
are now operated as a monopoly. the
price of such coal being arbitrarily
fixed without reference to competition.
I will sell that coal to the American
people at the cost of production, with
slight addition for the payment of in.
terest and the ultimate payment of the
purchase money, thus enabling the
people to get anthracite coal for much
: less than they now get it, This will
: give stability to the coal supply; it
will elevate that large population that
now depends on mining for living
make Of it higher grade of citizens
it will reduce the cost of living to
every Ameri an citizen, and will be a
blessing to the country"
Mr.. Altgeld said the voice of the
laboring man would be heard in ap.
proval and that of the monopolist
againstiit. Which should prevail
He then advocated government own.
ership Of the railroads, for then rail.
roads could not be wrecked by stock
/ jobbers, and wages Of the laboring peo.
Pile reduced, while those of the higher
employees would remain the same. The
government would cut wages at the
top.
Ex-Governor Altgeld then talked on
government by injunction. Said he:
Government by injunction operates
this way When judge wants to dc
something not authorized by law he
simply makes q law to suit himself
That is, he sits down in his chambers
and issues kind of ukase which he
calls an injunction, against the people
Of an entire community or Of a whole
state, forbidding whatever he sees fit tc
forbid, and which the law does not
forbid, and commanding whatever he
sees fit to command, and which the law
does not command-for when the law
forbids or commands thing no iniunc
ton is necessary.
Having thus issued his ukase, the
: same judge has men arrested and some
{ times dragged fifty or hundred miles
Q away from their homes to his court on
q charge of violating the injunction -
/ that is contempt of court, And the
men, after lying in prisons while. are
tried, not by jury, as is required by the
constitution when a man is charged
with o crime, but they are tried by the
same judge whose dignity they are
: charged with having offended, and
they are then sentenced to prison al
the mere pleasure of this Judge, who IL
at once legislator, judge and execu'
tioner,
when the czar of Russia issues q
\ ukase he leaves it to other men TO en-,
, /, force, but not so with these judges.
y ut is not necessary for me to say tc
you that Republican institutions anC
government by injunction cannot both
exist in the same country They are
exactly opposite in character and one
or the other must die.
curs Your Stomach.
You oan quickly do this by usinI
South American Neryine, It oan our