Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-10-12
WALLACE'S SPEECH.

The Hon. W. A. Wallace and Samuel
J. Randall addressed large meeting
of the Democracy of Philadelphia on
Saturday evening last. To-day we give
the remarks of the former as reported
in the Sunday Times. Mr.. Wallace's
opening words we're
Pennsylvania. degraded plunder.
ed dsgraced Her law making pow.
er reproach her chief city a sink Of
"official corruption Sad the state.
ment; sadder still the fact. Who hears
me will deny it?
Your home and mine
The Siobe Of tho states there .he stands.
Childlsss and crovnls-s IN her volcels-- WOE
What is the remedy Shall we sslve
the wounds her foresworn sons have
given her, or, with aching hearts probe
them to the quick. and with steady
hand and keen surgery cut the gan.
creme from the body polite?
cabal of men whose god is power
and whose leveris money has controlled
the State, enacted its laws and prede.
termined its policy for fifteen years.
Their will, their purses and the purpos.
es and aims of corporate wealth, their
ally, have been the sole tests OF the
fitness of statutory laws to our wants as
people, of the measure OF taxation TO
be imposed upon us and Of the sources
from which revenue was to be drawn.
The existence OF this power is no myth !;
il is hideous reality, and only those
who have watched its operations and
seen it's slimv folds again and again coil
ed around those whose constituents
elected them as honest men. only those
who have seen it's manipulations OF men
and its almost universal success in its
movements, can justly appreciate the
vicious influence it exerts.
Hearken to the words Of the Patriarch
Pearson, the just and fearless Judge IN
passing sentence on five men in 1850 /:
" You have each been severally indicted
for corrupt soliciting members Of the
General Assembly in the performance
OF the duties of their office, by Undue
ing them, under the promise Of money
to vote in favor Of particular bill then
pending before the Legislature Of Penn.
sylvania. Four of you have plead gull.
ty and one was convicted on trial. 1t
is greatly to he feared that for many
years il has been the practice in this
State to procure the passage OF laws by
corrupt and improper means, and To
such an extent has this evil prevailed
that instead of examining into the pro
priety or impropriety Of measures pre-
sented to either house for enactment.
the inquiry was much more likely to be
made as to the amount o! money which
l. n.
afford to pay for the passage OF the law.
1t was charged throughout the whole
country that bribery in the Pennsylva'
MIA Legislature was of daily occurrence
and was always the order Of the day
You went into this criminal practice in
plain violation Of law with your eyes
open. You we'll knew that many mem.
bers Of Legislature were utterly corrupt
and we're ready to sell their votes in the
public market to the highest bidder.
You were ready to suborn them to com.
init perjury by violating the oaths they
took on their installation into office"
The name OF Pennsylvania Legislator
has become . kissing and byword
Contempt and contumely, instead Of
respect and approval pour upon us from
our sister States Are you proud OF this2
Would you perpetuate this7 Corrupt
ing and debasing influences per.
wade the atmosphere of the State
Capital. The closing hours Of each
session of the Legislature for years have
been full of proofs Of the wealth. the
power and the corrupt purposes Of those
who have dominated and dcontrolied the
Republican organization. Such things
could not be il we had firm and pure
Executive. who owed fealty to no ring
and owned himself.
CRIMES COMMITTED FoE PARTY.
At the door of the Republican party
Of Pennsylvania lie the charges, often
publicly made, that high State officials
bareained the extreme penalty Of the
law with organized murderers in ex.
change for aid to it's ticket in State
elections; that again and agaip II has
bought and paid for petty political lead
ers In outside organizations 10 WELD
their influence in the same cause that
in this city IL has corrupted the ballot,
organized repeating. purchased perjury
and false counting and pardoned
criminals convicted Of grave ofFcnses
against the election laws that the
expenses of the State Government
are larger now than ever before
and increasing that this vast increase
is applied 70 the maintenance Of horde