The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-07-21
THE WOOD PULP SENATOR.


Republican machine politics have touch
ed bottom in the election of Warner
Miller to be Senator from New York.
The only thing the halfbreeds have had
to say in apology for most of their cam
didates has been that they were not 80
insignificant as Platt. Even 30 much as
this cannot be said fr Miller. He is
not only the most obscure man, except
Platt, ever sent to the Senate from New
York, but he is worse than obscure. He
has made but one public appearance in
such manner as to arrest public atten'
ton even for a moment, and that APP
pearance arrested public attention sim
ply because it was disreputable. Before
the Republican party debauched the po-
litiCal morals of the country, member
of the House of Representatives who
was 30 lost to shame as to make his ap-
pearance as a lobbyist before commit
tee of the II use of which ne was men,
Der, in behalf of his own individual in
terests, uld have rendered his own re-
election impossible. Yet this is what
Miller did, and it is absolutely the only
thing he has done since he has been in
Congress, by which he has made himself
known to the public. This performanc
would have been unbecoming and dis
reputable even if Miller's private busi-
ness had been conducive to the public
welfare, or rot inconsistent with it. 1t
is primary rule of politics and morals,
| that Representative must represent his
constituents and not himself Even if
Miler's con ,tituents had all been engaged
| in his own business, the fact that it was
his own occupation would have stopped
any sCrupulous, any delicate minded,
any r, ally honorable man fit to be
member of Congress from advocating it
in Congress- But it was, as the Tribune,
and the Times, and the Evening Post,
which have been supporting Miller for
the SenatOrship, pointed out at the time,
not even an extensive and important in
dus ry for which Miller prostituted his
position 10 lobby. 1t was a monoT oily,
established and protected, as was fully
shown, not by act of Congress, but by
Treasury decision giving to an act of Con-
grees an Interpretation Congress never
intended, and under which Miller was
enabled to tax, for his personal benefit,
every man in the country who bought
book or a newspaper. In other words,
Miller used his position as a Representa-
tive in Congress to lobby for job in
which he was personally interested.
We repeat, that before the Republican
machine had debauched political morals,
a man who had been guilty of such
performance as this, could not have been
reelected to the seat he had thus dis
graced. The Republican party of New
York not only does not punish or reprove
Miller for having represented wood pulp
and nothing else in the House of Rep
resentatives. 1t calls upon him to go
up higher" and represent wood pulp in
theSenate. Nay, the very Republican
journals that pointed out the nature Of
Miller's otfense when he committed it,
with what at the time looked like man.
illness and independence, have wheeled
in to the support of Miller with as much
Cheerfulness and alacrity as if he were
an illustrious and unspotted statesman,
instead of being man who has only
once emerged from obsCurity, and then
to become disreputable.-N. Y. WOrld