The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-28
TIE ALTGELD-DRYAN THEORY OF
GOVERNMENT.

49, IL
GOVERNMENT.
While Mr.. Bryan is making a great out
cry about the alleged danger of imperial
ism there are many who believe that far
greater danger turks in his theory as TO
the constitutional power of the national
government. Briefly, this is the AltgeId
theory. The Chicago platform declared as
follows:
We d~enounce arbitrary interference by
federal authorities in local affairs as a VIC
lation or the Constitution of the United
States and a crime against free institu-
tons. and We especially object to govern
ment by injunction as a new and highly
dangerous form of oppression.
This plank was intended as an assertion
of the Altgeld doctrine that the President
had no right to send troops into any State
to protect United States mails or property.
or to enforce United States laws without
the request of consent of the Governor of
such State. This was the basis of the cor
respondence between Governor Altgeld and
President Cleveland relative to the send
ing of troops to Chicago during the rail-
road strike aud riots of 1894. In his letter
of acceptance in 1896 Mr.. Bryan explicitly
iuuOfScu Tie <AltScIQ lHcOIy VI SofCiA iASh
as dictated in the Chicago platform. In
this letter, after characterizing the Union
as IAN indissoluble union of indestructible
States" he said:
1t will be noticed that while the United
States guarantees to every State a repub-
lican form of government and Is
To protect each State against invasion, IL
Is not authorized to interfere in the domes-
tic affairs of any State, except. upon appn-
cation of the Legislature of the State, or
application of the executive where the
Legislature cannot be convened. This pro-
vision rests upon the sound theory that
the people of the State. acting through
their legally chosen representatives, are.
because of their more intimate acquaint-
ance with local conditions. better qualified
than the President TO judge of the neces-
sity for federal assistance.
In these smooth phrases Mr.. Bryan vir-
tually asserted that the right of local self
government includes the right to stop mail
trains and defy United States laws, and
that when the President sends troops into
a State to enforce United States laws it is
an interference with the domestic af-
fairs of the State. The assumption is
hat the people of a State. that is, a mob in
Chicago, New York or any other great city,
| are, because of their more intimate &C
| quaintance with local conditions" better
judges than the President whether United
States avs should be enforced or not. This
was the Altgeld theory in 1896, and it was
Endorsed and amplifed by Mr.. Bryan. BY
the reaffirmation of the Chicago platform it
is still the position of the Bryan Democ-
racy. A few days after the publication of
| Mr., Bryan's letter of acceptance Attorney
General Harmon gave out a letter in which
he declared that Mr.. Bryan's doctrine "fs
more dangerous than that of secession"
for 1.-The latter at least left the govern
ment some power and authority in the
territory of the States which should choose
to remain. while Mr.. Bryan would reduce
1t to the mimicry of the stage" The at
torney general added:
1t was no more intended to make the gen.
eral government dependent upon the States
with respect to the matters committed to 1t
than to make the. States subject TO the
general government, with respect TO the
rights reserved to them. AS the general
government is authorized to maintain a
regular army and navy. which the States
cannot do. and as the militia of all the
States is subject to the direct call of the
President, 1t was natural that the States
should be made to call on IT for aid against
violence, but there was no reason why IL
should call or wait on them for protection
to itself.
The important point in the matter is that
Mr.. Bryan is as fully committed to the
Altgeld theory of government now as he
was in 1896. The possibility of the election
as President of a man who holds that the
President has no power under the Constitu-
ton to maintain tle government intrusted
to his charge is a much more real dam
ger than imperialism. 1t is the advocacy of
his 16-to-1 hobby. that makes Mr.. Bryan, in
the language of the Indiana Gold Demo-
Gratis. IAN unstable. an unsafe. and a dan
| gerous man."