Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-06-01
THE BLAcKGUARD SPEAKER

The majority of those members of
the House of Representatives who
made Benjamin l.. Hewitt, of Blair Co.,
the presiding officer Of that body must
long since have satisfied themselves
that it was in all respects an unfit and
a disgraceiul selection. Speaker Hewitt,
however, doesn't intend that anybody
shall for moment forget his unworthy
and disreputable character. He has
repeatedly misused the rules of the
House in the interest Of the ringsters,
whose purposes he has consistently
forwarded. His shameless decisions
and general conduct in the chair have
called down the criticism of the honest
and better members, who have been
unable to endure without a protest the
disgrace into which the Speakers con.
duct has so often threatened TO involve
the whole House.
In every instance when criticized,
Hewitt has undertaken to defend his
defenseess and utterly infamous con.
duet and has taken the floor to make
q blackguard speech. 1t is in this
that the Speaker excols, and his every
effort is o shame and humiliation to
the Commonwealth. Hewits conduct
toward Wolfe yesterday was as usual
without justification, but the black.
guard Speaker seems TO find it neces.
sary at regular intervals to relieve
himself Of an amount OF accumulated
blackguardism, and it is pretty gener.
ally directed at the member from Un-
ion, because that gentleman has had
the courage to fttingly characterize
on the floor of the House lIewit's con.
duct The scene yesterday was equal
IN its disgraoeiul features to anything
that has preceded it, The Speaker
insulted Mr., Wolfe not only, but the
whole House, by his manner of putting
the call for the previous question.
There was nothing whatever to justify
such conduct from the Chair. II
showed a complete unftness of the
Speaker for his position, and all that
was left for Mr., Wolfe was to donounce
the action in earnest and appropriate
terms, which he did. There was moth.
ing left for the Speaker TO do--because
he is incapable Of anything else--but
to blackguard Mr.. Wolfe from the
chair, and when he found he couldn't
do from that position all the black
guarding which he seemed TO think
was demanded Of him. he went down
on tho floor, and appears TO have en-.
joyed himself in Safeguarding several
members and bringing disgrace upon
the whole llouse. These things Hewitt
regards as "the sweet variety Of legis.
lative life"
The humiliating and disgraoeful fact
is that Harrisburg has never been
afflicted with such disreputable
Speaker as Hewitt. His ignorance
could be endured his vulgarity and
low.gradc Wow Of everything could
even be tolerated if he were moved by
an honest purpose. But his whole
course shows him to be Just what Mr.
Wolfe some time ago on the floor Of
the House declared him to be, ian abet.
tor Of ringsters." He has not the re.
spect of one decent member of the
House, and every decent member is
compelled to object to the blackguard
methods Of the Speaker in order to
save himself from shameless participa-
ton. The purpose of his conduct
yesterday was to aid few members
as disreputable as himself TO defeat a
bill whose passage is demanded by the
leading interests Of this city and State,
and they have temporarily succeeded.
Philadelphia Times.