The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-04-16
THOMAS JEFFERSON AND JOHN
T. AITGEID.

lIr. John =. Altgeld, Of Illinois, made
speech last Wednesday night in Chicago
at the Jeffersonian celebration in lauda-
ton of Thomas jefferson and his prin-
ciples. lie not only made a speech, but
the telegraph tells that he was selected
to be the principal speaker II really
looks like the irony Of fate that Altgeld
should be put forward as the expounder
of Thomas Jeffcrson's doctrines. jefferson
las every true Democrat does-belleved
that I'm this world one man stands upon
"a footing as good I'm all respects as any
other That Is. he believed that there
should be one law for an. which should
hear in precisely the same way upon all.
T,ut Jefferson never supposed that any
state of society could be brought about
I'm which all men would come to be en-
doved with the same mental and moral
characteristics or with the same physical
abilities. He never supposed. therefore
that we should see condition of things
i'm which AN men were equally well OF.
All that me asked was that the laws
should allow an to have equal opporiuni-
ties. Wren this was secured for every
man jefferson felt that he had done all
that government could do for man, and
if one outstripped another under that
state of affairs and accumulated more
propertv than another one, jefferson was
inst as firmly resolved as any man in the
world could Die that The whole power OF
society should be exertcd 20 secure that
person i'm the safe possession ana en-
iovmcnt of what he had accumulated.
Aiteeld utterly repudlates this PROPOSE
ton. He may talk about it as he chooses
but men who refuse TO be deceived by ap-
Dearances and who insist upon looking
below the surface of things at them as
they are. know that Altseld is aiming at
producing a condition of things in which,
if the employees Of a great corporation 60
unon "a strike they may compel that cor
poration 10 acccde to their demands by
burning and otherwise destroying its
property If it refuses 10 make the con-
cession. That is the real English OF his
government 10y injunction plank in the
CHICAGO platform. and OF his pardoning
the condemned anarchists lie may deny
81 as much as hc pleases, but ne stands
convicted in the minds Of all candid men
Of aiming at that law ana Of seeking to
attain II By false professions Of his real
purpose.
Now. no real admirer OF Thomas Jeder-
son would fail TO denounce as gross libel
upon him any charge or insinuation that
DC would have tolerated any such idea
as this. There never lived a wiser or
more conservative statesman than
Thomas jefferson. and while he was pas
siouately attached 10 the idea that all
men should stand upon footing OF per-
feet equality before the law and each
should have just as good an opportunity
20 improve his condition as any other
ono had. he was as fixed in his resolution
that the laws should be submitted to and
obeyod by all and that every one should
be perfectly protected in all that was
his, as any man that ever lived. We can
imagine no character who would have
been more offensive and intolerable 70 Mr..
Jefferson than this same man Altseld'
We can imagine no scene that would have
been more horrible 20 Mr. Jefferson than
the street riot in Chicago when the anar-
chists whom Altgeld pardoned as oppress-
ed patriots, murdered tho Chicago po-
ncemcn with their internal bombs We
can imagine no scene that would have
been more horrible to him than the spec
tacle OF the last Chicago mob rioting in
the streets OF that city. destroying prop
erty and threatening life, though Alt
geld thought them patriots who were
being deprived OF their inalienable rights
when Mr. Cleveland sent the. military
forces OF the United States there TO conf
pei them 70 desist from their rlotous
conduct and permit the other citizens OF
tho United States TO have the use Of
Chicsgo's streets that they might go on