Altgeld, John Peter, 1847-1902

William Jennings Bryan stands in the stirrups of his mount, a donkey labeled “Democracy,” directing the honor guard led by Adlai E. Stevenson, and including Henry R. Towne, Joseph Pulitzer, and Carl Schurz carrying a large flag with a portrait of Emilio Aguinaldo under the heading “The George Washington of the Philippines.” Also included are Oswald Ottendorfer, Edwin Lawrence Godkin, William Bourke Cockran, John Peter Altgeld, and William Sulzer.

comments and context

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1900-10-17

President Roosevelt responds to Outlook editor Lyman Abbott’s comments on the sections of Roosevelt’s recent “muck-rake speech” dealing with the inheritance tax. Roosevelt did not mean to suggest that such a tax would be the only measure necessary to deal with the amassing of large fortunes, but wished to bring attention to the fact that it would help. He believes that a progressive income tax would also be good, but feels that it is harder to frame such a measure, while modifying the tariff would have a minimal effect on such fortunes. Roosevelt is puzzled by Abbott’s comments about taxing land, and asks if he is trying to revive the theories of Henry George, or if he is referring to something else. Regardless, Roosevelt feels the language is too vague to be useful, while he was trying to bring attention to specific measures that could be accomplished. He was surprised the portion of his speech dealing with labor leaders has received little attention; while he feels that the amassing of great fortunes is harmful to the United States, so too is the sort of violence resulting from “unhealthy sentimentality and morbid class consciousness” like that of socialist leader Eugene V. Debs.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-23

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Henry S. Brown writes to President Roosevelt describing printed reports on a political meeting held in New York City in October 1896. Brown includes quotations from the New York Journal’s article.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-06-01

Creator(s)

Brown, Henry S. (Henry Schroff), 1843-1928

Songbook for the Republican presidential campaign of 1900. The cover features illustrations of the candidates for the Republican ticket, President McKinley, and Governor Roosevelt.

Collection

Dr. Danny O. Crew Theodore Roosevelt Sheet Music Collection

Creation Date

1900

Creator(s)

Chase, George B.; Kinsey, John F.

Governor Roosevelt is in the midst of a violent altercation. Dressed in his trademark Rough Riders uniform, a book narrating his Cuban adventures is strapped around his chest and a bandage labeled “Iron” is on his cheek. As Roosevelt shoots at a fleeing man and at a rabbit disappearing down a hole, he is thrown off his balance by an exploding bomb called “Altgeld’s reply to the St. Paul speech,” and is hit with a brick labeled “From Colonel Bacon.” Off to the side, Governor John Peter Altgeld prepares to throw another bomb.

comments and context

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1900

A fireworks display is being prepared. An “Anarchist” and John Peter “Altgeld” are lighting a rocket labeled “Altgeld Anarchistic Boom,” and several men identified as “Bland, Crisp, Teller, Waite, Blackburn, Wolcott, Morgan, [and] Stewart” are lighting rockets around a large medallion labeled “Free Silver Coinage Craze” with a silver coin labeled “In 16 to 1 We Trust.” Blackburn is holding a rocket labeled “Silver Speech” and on the ground are fireworks labeled “Snap Silver Resolutions.” At a table on the right, labeled “Coin’s Financial Hocus Pocus Game,” is William H. Harvey operating a shell game, and behind him is William A. Peffer, the “Windy Man from Kansas.” Caption: They are making great preparations for their Populistic Pyrotechnical display; but it will be only another fizzle.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-07-03

Creator(s)

Dalrymple, Louis, 1866-1905

A wagon labeled “Free Silver” is filled with a group of “free silver” supporters identified as “Tillman, Boies, Sheehan, Bland, Blackburn, Bryan, Sewall, Pattison, Sibley, Jones, Geo. Fred Williams, Peffer, [and] Altgeld.” Tillman holds a pitchfork with flag labeled “Repudiation” and Altgeld holds a burning torch. The wagon had been harnessed to a mule wearing a halter labeled “Democracy.” It has broken loose and is gathering speed as it rolls backwards down a hill. Caption: Silver Lunatics–Hip, hip, hurrah! Just see how much faster we are going since we cut loose!

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-08-12

Creator(s)

Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929

A “Silver Mine Owner” depicted as a “silver-tongued ventriloquist” sits on a box labeled “16 to 1” on a stage, with William Jennings Bryan as a dummy sitting on his lap, holding papers labeled “Free Silver Harangues.” In two boxes at the mine owner’s feet are dummy Arthur “Sewall” on the right and dummies William A. “Peffer,” Benjamin R. “Tillman,” John Peter “Altgeld,” and George Fred “Williams” on the left. Caption: If the show succeeds, he’ll get all the profits.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-08-12

Creator(s)

Opper, Frederick Burr, 1857-1937

A group of Democrats, identified as “Hill, Murphy, Vest, Bland, Matthews, Morgan, Harris, Crisp, Tillman, Altgeld, Campbell, [and] Stevenson,” stand near a bier labeled “Dem. Free Coinage Platform” on which lies the expired “Democratic Party” donkey. A ladder labeled “Chicago Convention” has been placed against the bier and the “Chicago Nominee,” wearing the black shroud of a widow, climbs to the top. Benjamin R. Tillman places more straw on the bier with a pitchfork, while John Peter Altgeld and James E. Campbell use torches to ignite fuses to burn the donkey. David B. Hill and Edward Murphy console each other.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-07-08

Creator(s)

Dalrymple, Louis, 1866-1905

An encampment of the Democrat/Populist presidential candidate and his followers dances around a campfire labeled “Repudiation.” Depicted are, from left, “Peffer, Jerry Simpson, Teller, Vest, Watson, Bryan, Sewall, Sen. J. P. Jones, Jones, Altgeld, Bland, [and] Stewart.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-11-04

Creator(s)

Dalrymple, Louis, 1866-1905

At center, William Jennings Bryan, labeled “16 to 1,” stands on a platform “Built by Popo. Platform Silver Syndicate” and holds up a paper that states, “‘We Denounce Arbitrary Interference by Federal Authorities, in Local Affairs, as a Violation of the Constitution,’ etc., W.J. Bryan.” On the right, labeled “1861,” Jefferson Davis holds a paper that states, “‘We Denounce Arbitrary Interference by Federal Authorities, in Local Affairs, as a Violation of the Constitution,’ etc., Jeff. Davis.” Davis confronts Abraham Lincoln who is holding a copy of the “Constitution of U.S.” The bombing of “Fort Sumter” is taking place behind them. On the left, labeled “1896,” Benjamin R. Tillman, John Peter Altgeld, Eugene V. Debs, and John P. Jones are standing on a torn American flag labeled “National Honor” and raising a new flag labeled “Dis-Order and Mis-Rule.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-10-28

Creator(s)

Dalrymple, Louis, 1866-1905

William Jennings Bryan rides on the shoulders of the “Tammany” Tiger, carrying a banner that states “Repudiation and National Dishonor.” Accompanying him are, on the left, John Peter “Altgeld” holding a torch burning “Arnachism” [sic] and, on the right, Benjamin R. “Tillman” with a patch labeled “S.C. Primaries” over one eye and holding a pitchfork that appears to be soiled with manure.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-10-14

Creator(s)

Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909

William McKinley walks down a street in the neighborhood of “Anarchy Slum” with a tall, well-dressed female figure labeled “Gold Standard” on his arm and two policemen labeled “Palmer” and “Buckner” walking behind them. On the wall is a presidential campaign poster that states, “Vote for Bryan, Watson and Repudiation.” In the background, Mary E. Lease is standing at the corner of a building, and Benjamin R. Tillman and John Peter Altgeld are standing on a cobblestone street labeled “Populist Alley.” An unidentified man, possibly William Sulzer, is leaning against the wall of the building, between “Miss Gold Standard” and “Palmer.” Caption: Miss Gold Standard and her escort have a brace of strong policemen to see them through the slums of Popocracy.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-10-07

Creator(s)

Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929

William Jennings Bryan rides a donkey labeled “Popocracy,” and holds a sword labeled “16 to 1” and a string attached to a small cannon labeled “Boy Orator,” at the head of a small army of followers. Among those identified are “Stewart, Watson, Coxey, Lease, Peffer, Tillman, [and] Altgeld,” and possibly Joseph C. S. Blackburn. They are armed with farm tools, brooms, and a large sword labeled “Silver Syndicate” carried by Stewart. Their military standards state “Repudiation, Down with the Supreme Court!!, [and] Dishonesty” and “D–n the Savings Banks, The Loan Associations, The Life Ins. Co’s – The Institutions of the Gold Bugs!!” Across a plain is a large army with flags that state “National Honor” and “Allied Armies of the Sound Money Democrats and the Republican Party,” with the U.S. Capitol and the White House in the background.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-09-30

Creator(s)

Dalrymple, Louis, 1866-1905

William Jennings Bryan, as a pirate on a ship labeled “Popocracy,” stands on a barrel, playing a violin, attempting to lure a nearby ship labeled “National Prosperity” close enough so that his band of pirates can board it. Among those pirates identified are “Tillman, Altgeld, Lease, St. John, Sewall, Watson, Peffer, Sulzer, Waite, Debs, Bland, Wm. Stewart, Hill, Blackburn, [and] Coxey.” The men are armed with guns, knives, and rifles. Blackburn has a patch labeled “1895” over his right eye. Caption: Trying to lure a rich prize, in good old buccaneer fashion.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1896-09-23

Creator(s)

Taylor, Charles Jay, 1855-1929

Print shows a pack of dogs, with their tails between their legs, howling at a full moon labeled “Prosperity” outside the U.S. Capitol building. The dogs are labeled “Tillman, [?], Vest, Jones, Bryan [his tail tied to a can labeled “16 to 1″], Altgeld, Gore, [and] Hogg.”

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1899-10-25

Creator(s)

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

Major General Sickles urges United States military veterans to set aside partisan differences to oppose the election of the Democratic Party’s candidate for the 1896 presidential election, William Jennings Bryan. Sickles primarily denounces Bryan on the issue of replacing the gold standard with a looser silver standard, which will, according to Sickles, allow debtors to pay off creditors and government bonds with less valuable currency, defrauding many veterans and army widows of the value of their pensions. Sickles considers this an unconstitutional attack on the public credit, a move towards Populist mob-rule. Sickles also accuses Bryan of encouraging the type of sectionalism that sparked the American Civil War. Although Sickles identifies as a Democrat himself, he denounces the platform and candidate, Bryan, approved at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and voices support for the Republican Candidate, William McKinley.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1896-07

Creator(s)

Sickles, Daniel Edgar, 1819-1914