The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-30
GOVERNOR ALTGELO


ten a sympathetic but somewhat dismal
sketch of the late John p. Altgeld of
Illinois. In this While certifying to Alt
gelds sterling and unbending honesty
and his great ability in many respects,
Mr.. Walker says he was one of the
most unpopular of men, giving as a
possible reason for this alleged unpOp-
ularity that his ideas were probably
ahead of his time
AS one who enjoyed a personal and
in some respects, intimate acquaintance
with Governor Altgeld, | must dissent
from Mr. Walkers statement that Alt
geld was an unpopular man. OF course
popularity is a relative term, relative
both as to degree, and to time and
place. Whatever may have been Att
geld's popularity or want of it else
where, he was certainly not unpopular
| in Illinois, where he was best known.
| Outside of Illinois he was known prin-
| Cipally as "the man who pardoned the
anarchists" In Illinois he was known
for more nearly what he was than that
| phrase, unaccOmpanied by a knowledge
of the surrounding circumstances,
| would seem to indicate, and there he
| had an enduring popularity, and his
memory will long be cherished.
AS to his popularity, it may be stated
| that in 1884 he ran on the Democratic
| ticket for congress in a district which
| included the northern part of Chicago,
the University town of Evanston, and
an adjoining agricultural county. 1t
had been a Republican stronghold for
years. A Republican nomination was
considered equivalent to an election.
He canvassed the district as it had sell
| dom been canvassed. If it had not been
| for a slightly cracked quality in his
voice he would have become one of the
greatest orators of his time. He had
| every other qualification, wide and ac-
curate information, a mind well stored
keen insight into human nature, a
sense of humor, lofty imagination, a
splendid diction, keen reasoning pow
| ers, and a presence and manner that
impressed hearers with belief in his
honesty. The result of that election
was so close, that it was several years
before the Republicans again consid-
cred the district safe one.
Two or three years later he was elect
ed a judge of the Superior Court of
Cook County, by a decisive majority,
but resigned from the office before his
term had expired. In 1892 he was. the
! Democratic candidate for governor Of
Illinois. In that campaign he made a
complete canvas of the state speaking
in every one of the 10l counties in the
state, and in most of them more than
once. 1t was in this campaign that he
was opposed with the alarum IF Alt
geld is elected, he will pardon the anar-
Chists." His reply to this was charac-
terstic He said: IF l am elected,
and a petition for the pardon of the
anarchists is presented to me, / shau
consider it,; and if l think that they
ought to be pardoned, l will pardon
them" Thus in sense, the question
of whether the anarchists should be
pardoned, was submitted to the people
OF Illinois, who were most nearly inter-
ested in the question and knew most
about it, and by them passed on. Alt
geld was elected and took office in jan
uary, 1893. Some months afterwards,
a petition for the pardon of the anar-
chists was presented. Governor Alt
geld appointed and announced days on
which he would give the subject hear
ing. These days extended over several
months, and any person who desired to
be heard on the subject, either for or
against their pardon, either orally or
in writing, was given every Opportu-
nifty to be heard. Scores of people were
heard. They came from all classes OF
the community. The states attorney
who prosecuted and members of the
jury who tried the anarchists joined in
the request for pardon. There was very
little opposition to their being par
doned Finally after months of oppor-
tunity for hearing, it was announced
that the anarchists would be pardoned
on Thanksgiving Day. Not a daily pa
per in Chicago raised a voice of OBJ
lection. Scarcely a voice of disapproV-
al was raised throughout the state. The
pardon was acquiesced in and approved
by nearly the entire people of Illinois.
afterwards, that the Chicago Tribune,
whose management had a personal diff
ference with Governor Altgeld, entirely
aside from politics, thought the pardon
a matter of sufficient public interest, to
justify an interview with Judge Gary,
the judge who presided at the trial,
and sentenced the anarchists. Judge
Gary is an eminent jurist, and an hon
eat man. But he was then a man ad-
vanced in years, and it had been no.
ticeable for some time that his express
ed opinions regarding the anarchists
had been gradually growing more bit
ter. Moreover, he and Altgeld had had
d violent difference during the time
that the latter was on the bench. While
| would not say, nor do 1 believe, that
what Judge Gary said in this Tribune
! interview about Altgeld and his pardon
was either due to old age or conscious
ly to his former difference with Altgeld,
the fact remains that such difference
had existed, and that Judge Gary's ut
terances regarding the anarchists
grew much more radical as time separ-
ated them from the trial.
But even this interview, violent as it
was against Altgeld and against his
pardon of the anarchists, fell Hat at the
! time, and attracted little attention
! from the public. 1t was not until the
campaign of 1896, when Governor Alt
geld again ran for governor, when
! greater effort if possible was made in
! Illinois to defeat Altgeld than to carry
| the state for Mckinley, that it was re-