Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-03-09
Aa,lcaster Fntelligencer.
TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 8, 1880.
The Bribers'S Plea.

LIE DrlDeES'S fle0s
The pleas of guilty entered by the de-
PENDANTS in the bribery cases were wisely
made in their own interests, as would be
conceded, if it was not otherwise appar-
ent, from the fact that they were delib-
erately made under the advice of the
astute criminal lawyers who undertook
their defense. The result is likewise most
satisfactory to the people, since it takes
away all doubt of the guilt of theaccused
men, and, moreover, shows that they
were hopeless of manipulating the ma
chinery of justice to secure their acquit-
tai. 1t is great thing for the people to
receive this assurance of the integrity of
the court of Dauphin county; and it is a
great thing for them to have secured the
conviction of the first men who have
been brought to trial for seeking to cor
rupt the Legislature since the law under
the new constitution has denounced the
Offense. If the result will he to save us
hereafter from corrupt legislation we
may congratulate ourselves to-day on
one of the most important reforms we
have ever gained.
Since they were hopelessly caught in
the meshes of the law, it was wise in
Kemble and his companions to confess
their guilt and avoid the greater promi-
nence which a protracted and hardly
contested trial would have given to their
crime. But it is very doubtful whether
they would have had the nerve to thus
accept their fate, without kicking, if it
was not for the generally credited fact
that the disclosures of the trial would
necessarily have involved other people of
Importance whom kemble could not
afford to sacrifice. In his testimony be-
fore the legislative committee he refused
to make a full disclosure as to who were
his employers in the attempt to bribe the
legislators that was being made under
his direction, but it did appear with
sufficient distinctness that his work was
done in the interest of the Pennsylvania
railroad company and by direction of its
officers. 1t was of the greatest impOr.
tance that this whole affair should he
closed up us quietly as possible, and the
rats already in the traps have been per-
suaded, by sufficiently potent induce
ments, to take the punishment their bad
luck has brought upon them and let the
more fortunate fellows outside escape
with whole skins. The arrangement is
no doubt mutually satisfactory and
profitable all around and the very best
thing that could he done in the way of
mending this broken crOckery of the
ring of plundererS that for SO many years
had their own way with the Legislature
and the treasury.
Mr.. kemble shows that he dies very
hard in his attempt toput in a plea which
will stop the trial, but at the same time
save him from a confession of guilt. 1t
will be an ingenious device Of his lawyers
if it succeeds but it seems to be SO very
absurd for a judge to permit man to
plead that he is guilty, but nevertheless
is not guilty, that we can hardly con-
ceive that the plan will succeed.
Mr.. kemble may protest to the
public as much rs he pleases that he
did not seek to corrupt anybody, and eX-
plain as he pleases why he plead guilty
to an Indictment charging him with so
doing; but certainly the court should
not permit any such nonsense TO appear
On its records. If Mr.. kemble is i'll
duced by controlling reasons to plead
guilty, when he is innocent. the law will
indulge him in his desire, and to 1t his
reasons are of no consequence. To
the public they will be very in
teresting, and we would all be glad
to hear from Mr.. Kemble why he did
such a thing. We will believe all he
chooses to tell us about his being vica-
rious sacrifice, although it would be as
well if he did not squirm SO much in
taking the dose.