The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-13
Mr.. Warner Miller, one of the candidates


nominated by the half breed caucus is a
wood pulp manufacturer, and it is pleasant
to note the difference in opinions expressed
of him by leading New York Republican
papers For instance the New York
Times of date of July 8, 1881, says:
ssMr. Miller, who is the candidate for the
seat abandoned by Mr.. Plat, after cred
liable experience in the Legislature was ell
ected to Congress. The two candidates be-
long to the class of useful Legislators and
faithful public servants rather than that of
brilliant leaders There is no ground on
which any Republican can seriously object
to them"
The same paper of date of March %,
1880, however, is guilty of the following
in regard to the same Mr.. Warner Miller:
when member of the State Legisla-
ture Mr. Warner Miller of Herkimer, cul-
tivated the reputation of a reformer-of
man whose soul revolted against the self
ishness and greed of the professional pol
iticians and who was sincerely DESTROYS to
serve the people from purely disinterest
ed sense of public duty. As member of
the House of Representatives Mr.. Miller
has revealed himself in a new character.
Instead of resolutely sustaining, as many
less pretentious men have done, from tax
ing any part In legislation in which he is
personally interested, Mr.. Miller has de-
voted much time argument and influence
to the task of convincing the committee of
Ways and Means that they ought to leave
untouched his monopoly of the manufac
ture of wood pulp. MIR. Miller's disregard
of the line which separates public duty
from self-interest lends extreme probable
ity to the Washington report that he has
threatened to attempt to load down any
bill to place wood-pulp on the free list,
with amendments opening up the entire
question of tariff legislation. The com
mittee may or may not be moved by Mr.
Millers threats, but though wood pulp may
not be placed where it belongs, the mem
Der from the Twenty second New York
district has at least placed himself in that
lowest of all categories of public men-a
reformer whose professions Of virtue have
yielded to the first temptation
Then comes the Euensag Post, supposed
to be always firm in its convictions and to
be a total stranger to crow diet. On the
date of July 9 the Post says:
Whether this happens or not the course
of the Republican majority is clear. They
must vote for Lapham and Miller and con-
tinue to vote for them until they are elect
ed. The trial of endurance should be now
made close and sharp. The time for one
or two ballots day has passed"
That being the Posts sentiments on July |
9, 1881, it is interesting and at the same
time instructive, to read in the issue of
April 3, 1880 the following:
when his constituents elected Mr. |
Warner Miller they perhaps thought they |
GplpPtInO n look after their J
interests in Congress in respect to finance,
economy in public administration and |
other political matters. They were mis-
taken. The only finances about which /
Mr.. Miller has troubled himself are his own |
finances; the only question of economy to
which he has given any thought is the |
economy of his own pulp and paper estab-
ishments, and he has not allowed political
matters to stand for moment in the way
of his private profits
Miller and his associates have been en-
abled to enrich themselves by the duty on
pulp and other paper-making materials.
His first interests in hte-official as well |
as individual life-has therefore been to
keep this duty on the statute
book. He has voted steadily |
in the House of representatives. |
to prevent the consideration of tariff |
measures, and he has presented the dis |
graceful spectacle of member of Con- |
gress before the committee of ways and |
means endeavoring, by specious arguments |
and false statements, to further his own /
pecuniary interest and to pocket more dol
lars belonging to the public in addition
to the stock of dollars of which the public
has already been virtually robbed
Miller has labelled himself with his own
paper as the Great Pulp Monopolist He |
ought to carry the label through his next |
canvass, if he ventures to make another, |
and when the people, whom he has misre !
presented gather joyfully at his political |
burial, they may well inscribe this epitaph |
uponEhis dishonored tombstone: Here |
lies one who did the same at Washington
and who was always faithful to his duty
the duty on pulp"
To be sure all this apparent discrepancy
of opinion of the same papers in regard to
the same persons on different dates
is nothing very remarkable in
Republican papers, when that party
changes its own opinion of men SO rapid
ly that it takes more than ordinary agility
to keep up with it. A party that can so
radically differ in its estimate that it makes
of its candidate for vice-President between
the 10th of November and the I'd of July,
when the said candidate is still the same
man he ever was, can never blame its pa
per for any slight inconsistency in regard
to Mr.. Miller.
If MIGHT no xvaIl for D;s+ria+ Attorpav