American Ideals 23 



During the summer of 1894, every American capa- 

 ble of thinking must at times have pondered very 

 gravely over certain features of the national char- 

 acter which were brought into unpleasant promi- 

 nence by the course of events. The demagogue, in 

 all his forms, is as characteristic an evil of a free 

 society as the courtier is of a despotism; and 

 the attitude of many of our public men at the 

 time of the great strike in July, 1894, was such as 

 to call down on their heads the hearty condemnation 

 of every American who wishes well to his country. 

 It would be difficult to overestimate the damage done 

 by the example and action of a man like Governor 

 Altgeld of Illinois. Whether he is honest or not 

 in his beliefs is not of the slightest consequence. 

 He is as emphatically the foe of decent government 

 as Tweed himself, and is capable of doing far more 

 damage than Tweed. The Governor, who began his 

 career by pardoning anarchists, and whose most note- 

 worthy feat since was his bitter and undignified, but 

 fortunately futile, campaign against the election of 

 the upright judge who sentenced the anarchists, is 

 the foe of every true American and is the foe par- 

 ticularly of every honest workingman. With such 

 a man it was to be expected that he should in time 

 of civic commotion act as the foe of the law-abiding 

 and the friend of the lawless classes, and endeavor, 

 in company with the lowest and most abandoned 

 office-seeking politicians, to prevent proper measures 

 being taken to prevent riot and to punish the rioters. 

 Had it not been for the admirable action of the Fed- 



