The Savannah morning news., 1900-11-04

he can stoop on occasions 10 very small
things 10 oratory IS sometimes spent
iu generous devotion 10 party principles
or again employed as a cat-o'- mine tails
~ Foad petty enemy His friends say
that ne is a good hatcr ana his enemies
call him vird.ctive.
Al one time or another ne has opposed
himself 90 nearly an Of his PARTY friends
and has allied himself with his party
enemies Nobody ever denounced mug
wumpcry' more vigorously or practiced
IL moro throughly Tie has one tremendous
force back OF him-hls political fearless
ness, another is his keen intellect and a
third E his sentiment
Altgcld the willy. Alleged the polltl-al
power the hard fighter. Is pre-emnently
d man ~ sentiment IL IS his hxcd idea
tina. his mission Is 10 be the knight Grant
OF the downtroddeu. Chairman Hannl.
his shrcwd political adversary would say
% Altgeld probably as ne said 81 Mr..
Bryan i believe that ne 60 a dcmagaguc.
lut he Is honest" Altseld's sentiment Is
always coming TO the surface in various
ways. Sentiment perhaps very much moro
than any sympathy with the doctrines OF
Anarchy. lea him 70 pardon the condemn
cl Chicago anarchists. Perhaps the only
time that the persistent IRE % the news
Not the NtfnteEist ne - common
Considered.
papers ever drew q reply from him was
during bis term as Governor when IL was
.usinuatcd that Mrs Altgeld had furnish
ed the executive mansion too elegantly
and artlsficaliy 80 state expense. AS n
happened the expensive importations were
from Altpclds private house in Chicago.
and ne was then a wealthy man Allgeld' S
Indignant roar was heard from the Lake
10 Egypt" lie S. devoted % his wife. an
invalid They have no children.
John T. Aitgeld IS commonly believed
10 be- one OF the shrcwdcst wire pu efs
IN active politics This IS q mistaken no
ton tie is not a strategist by nature.
He is dreamer driven hy the cXigencie
OF the time into the thick OF political
affairs His idcllism is Of that strong
Tcutonic type that becomes q part o. the
warp and woof of character. II concea'a
itself in his old SLOUGH hat ana his UNI
calmly figure and it Is often 'belicd on Tho
surface by his blunt and homely speech
j. appears Boo countless details Of MS
public carccr-as FOR example his labor
lous and intensely human study OF our
nenll system written while h. was yet
q STRUGGLING young lawyer hard put 20 u
90 pay his Office rent OF strategy IN the
sense 81 political nnesse he hn almost
none Instead 90 10 there IL singular
simplicity. almost childlkeness in MS
character IL is trait pcrh8ps essential
20 a certain l1rgeuces OF view. Fer cN-
ample in the National democratic oonven-
lion at Kansas city he met ail suFge--
ttong that the silver plank Doe left out
OF ihe platform with the bland remark.
"NVrv gentlemen. We want 20 put the
things that we believe in the platform.
So far as Aligcld was concerned, that
vas all of b. THE things We believe.
Gentlemen" seemed 10 him the proper
.tltcmcnts FOR platform. Nobody ever
4csGsel him OF being a trimmer. lie never
.ets his sails TO catch passing breezs.
show me a man who has made a
worse mess % his pollii al career than
AIteeld has. Il YOU can once said Bob
1.' Burke. a local Democratic boss.
In "A way. the observation Is strikingly
iust For a BRET space the eN-G3vernor
..d the Democratic vote Of his state IN
,is hand Re lost %. yet he has retained
,nost his old influence IN party affairs
mo once holding period OF Al ge,d's ca
r.er extended over only about six years
/ ar he had set out with that Intention ~
.ui3 scarcely have laid himself open &
| ---re attacks from al quarters He houtec
| ..tsbilshed usaFes ard displayed a con
| .,r,pt for traditions. Some Of the friend'
| r,at ne appointed to once betrayed MIN
| "a his term was thick set with news
o.ner scandals. Through Il all Afgold