Suppose that President Cleveland had appointed Clarence S. Darrow,
attorney for the American Railway Union, instead of Edwin Walker,
attorney of the General Managers’ Association, as special counsel for
the government!
And suppose that Darrow had ordered the offices of the General Managers’
Association sacked, the books, papers and correspondence, including the
unopened private letters of the absent officers, packed up and carted
away and the offices put under the guard of Federal ruffians, in
flagrant violation of the Constitution of the United States, as was done
by order of Walker with the offices of the American Railway Union!
And suppose, moreover, that the American Railway Union, backed up by
Darrow, agent of the United States government, had sworn in an army of
“thugs, thieves and ex-convicts” (see official report of Michael
Brennan, superintendent of Chicago police to the Council of Chicago) to
serve the American Railway Union as deputy United States marshals and
“conservators of peace and order!”
And suppose, finally, that the expected trouble had followed, would
anyone in possession of his senses believe that these things had been
done to protect life and property and preserve law and order?
That is substantially the case that President Cleveland is trying to
make for himself and his administration out of their participation in
the Chicago strike.