Synthesized answer
The provided passages do not contain information detailing how Fischer's specific defense might have influenced public opinion at the time or Altgeld's later decision-making process for the pardons.
The passages do indicate that the defense's arguments, including those of Fischer, were presented in "Judge Gary's Court" [2]. Passages mention that Fischer was one of "The Eight Anarchists" [1, 2]. The speeches of these anarchists, including that of Adolph Fischer, were published as part of "The Famous Speeches of the Eight Anarchists" [1, 2]. These speeches were made during the period when the "eight hour movement" was being discussed [3]. There is also mention of "public sentiment" and "public clamor" during this time, with a claim that no citizen dared express an opinion other than that prescribed by the authorities [5]. However, the passages do not explicitly connect Fischer's defense to public opinion or Altgeld's pardon reasoning.
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
RDONING FIELDEN, NEEBE and SCHWA B. BY JOHN P. ALTGELD, EX GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS. SAN FRANCISCO FREE SOCIETY, PUBLISHERS. 1899 page Chapters (not listed in original) Introduction Epigraph Address of August Spies Address of Michael Schwab Address of Oscar Neebe Address of Adolph Fischer Address of Louis Lingg Address of George Engel Address of Samuel Fielden Address of Albert R. Parsons Their Last Words on the Scaffold Altgeld's Reasons for Pardoning Fielden, Neebe and Schwab End Matter This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1931. The…
← The Chicago Martyrs ( 1899 ) August Spies , Michael Schwab , Oscar Neebe , Adolph Fischer , Louis Lingg , George Engel , Samuel Fielden , Albert R. Parsons and John P. Altgeld Introduction → Volume 1 of the Free Society Library 4139508 The Chicago Martyrs 1899 August Spies , Michael Schwab , Oscar Neebe , Adolph Fischer , Louis Lingg , George Engel , Samuel Fielden , Albert R. Parsons and John P. Altgeld No. 1. FREE SOCIETY LIBRARY. May, 1899. The Chicago Martyrs The Famous Speeches of the Eight Anarchists in Judge Gary's Court AND Altgeld's Reasons for Pardoning FIELDEN, NEEBE AND…
ant to call your attention to it, if you please, on some points on which I think you are laboring under misapprehension. Your honor says that there can be no question in the mind of any one who has read these articles (referring to the Alarm and Arbeiter-Zeitung ), or heard these speeches, which were written and spoken long before the eight hour movement was talked of, that this movement which we advocated was but a means in our estimation toward the ends which we sought, and the movement itself was not primarily of any consideration at all. Now your honor, I submit that your are sitting in…
responsible for their wrongs, but the government does not brook any forcible resistance by even so much as a single man. It regards this single man as a torch that may explode vast numbers of others. It, therefore, demands not only a victim, but victims. Victims they must have, whether they be innocent or whether they be guilty. The innocent will answer for examples as well as the guilty. "Away with them! Victims are what we want," say monopoly and corporations. So, being unable to discover the guilty man, the machinery is set to work to convict seven innocent men in his stead. Your honor,…
demanded for it. There has been much said about the public sentiment. There has been much said about the public clamor. Why, it is a fact, that no citizen dared express another opinion than that prescribed by the authorities of the State, for if one had done otherwise, he would have been locked up; he might have been sent to the gallows to swing, as they will have the pleasure of doing with us, if the decree of our "honorable court" is consummated. "These men," Grinnell said repeatedly, "have no principles; they are common murderers, assassins, robbers," etc. I admit that our aspirations and…
More questions about this book
- Adolph Fischer explicitly states he was "tried... for murder, and I was convicted of Anarchy." Explain, in your own words, the critical difference between these two charges as Fischer perceives them, and why this distinction forms the core of his protest.
- If Fischer accepted death as a penalty for being an Anarchist but denied being a murderer, what does this reveal about his core beliefs and values regarding justice, political ideology, and personal integrity?
- Fischer compares his connection to the Haymarket bomb to that of State's Attorney Grinnell. What is the intended rhetorical effect of this comparison, and what does it imply about his view of the prosecution's true motivations or the fairness of his trial?
- Beyond the specific events, what broader implications can be drawn from Fischer's statement about being convicted for "Anarchy" rather than a specific crime, regarding the conflict between state power, individual freedoms, and political dissent?