The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-08-30

carefully guard against anything Of that
kind. II is not merely person soliciting,
but the person agreeing to receive or actual
ly receiving, that ought to be held up to
public scorn and contempt by being indict-
ed in the Criminal Court" The Judge then
quoted The constitutional provisions against
bribery and the law in pursuance thereof,
and saidi +" Any open address, persuasion,
or coaxing would not CONC. within the act,
but the moment any office, money, article
OF value, or promise ofadvantages is offered,
il brings the act within the statute. In or
der to make the offence charged here you
have only to inquire was there an offer or
endeavor 10 influence any member Of the
Legislature by Offering or promising them
money, promising them anything of value,
promising them any advantage Of any office,
any advantages of any kind Was that
done II so, it would be an attempt to So
licit them TO do what is illegal, and is an at
tempt to bribe and unlawful solicitation.
All that is necessary to be proved is that the
accused solicited members of the Legislature
to vote in particular way, under promise
of procuring money for them or offering to
give them money, telling them where mon
ey could be procured, or that they could
have money by doing so and so. Bribery
has long been prohibited in Pennsylvania,
and yet, to the scandal Of our State-I hope
it is false, hope it is only scandal--it has
been urged, and said hundreds and hun
dreds of times, that such and such bill
was procured by bribery. 1t demeans our
State, it brings us into contempt with other
countries, brings us into contempt with our
sister States, causes us to be belittled abroad
to be belittled at home Injuries the legisla.
tive body with the community. The very
suspicion that they take brides is an injury
to them, an injury to society in general, be
cause they are led to dstrust the laws thai
such Legislature passes and to disregard
them entirely. Therefore it is high of
fence against society, and one that should
be most carefully guarded against by court
and juries, punished inaexibly and wthou
any hesitation" Judge Pearson also in
structcd the Grand Jury to proceed agains
members in whose cases no indictments hav,
been framed, but whom the evidence sub
mitted to the jury duplicates in corrupt so
licitation of members of the Legislature o
of accepting or agreeing to accept n bribe
"In this way" he said, "nether the person
charged in the indictments nor the member
of the Legislature themselves can escap
punishment. You cannot act upon news
paper reports. You have no right to ac
upon resolutions of the Legislature. Yo
+ act upon the evidence produced before you
and that alone; and if that makes out cas-
of either bribery or receiving brbe agains
the person who is charged, find true bill
make presentment of them to the DistriC
Attorney so that the whole matter shall b
, properly and fully Investigated in court, S
that we may get at the bottom of thes
. things. Sometimes committees of the Leg
, islature examine such subjects. The
7 have not the same power the courts have j
y compelling the attendance and testimony {
1 witnesses. Sometimes they are not yer
r anxious to find out what has been done
sometimes they are not very willing to el
pose whether they have been guilty Of n
:, ceiving bribes. They don't want to tell an!
, thing that takes place. But we want to fin
out everything about it. We want to get
. the truth OF the matter, and get to the bo
tom of it, and see who is guilty and who
70 not guilty, or whether any person is guilt
N or whether it is a mere general SANDER.
a. the Commonwealth produces witnesses
II show the truth of the allegations made
= the indictments, find true bills, without Il
~ least regard to whom it will strike; witho
~ the least regard to the character of the pc
!, sons accused"