Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-08-24
The Commanding Issue.

vades Its newspaper organs in their at
tempted discussion of the issues invol-
we'd in the present contest. After six
weeks of effort to find weak point in
the armor of the democratic candidate
for governor, the most subservient of
these journals boldly take up the uni.
versal admission as to his courageous in
tegrty OF character, and attempt to
sneer down this commanding recon.
mendation to public confidence and
support. 1t is argued that honesty is
such a common virtue that the admitted
possession of it should not specially
commend a candidate for public position;
that the republican party is crammed
full OF honest men; that its candidates
are always honest: that no one ques-
tions General Beavers honesty, etc,
etc. The object of the men who write
and talk in this loose way is to belttle
Mr.. Pattison in public estimation and to
divert attention from the one vital is
sue of the contest.
Ever since the close of the war the re-
publican party in Pennsylvania has held
possession Of the state government, and
many of the municipal governments.
under false pretenses. Year after year
its Candinates have come before the
people with the solemn pledges, only to
violate them at the first opportunity.
Under two republican administration
at Harrisburg legislative debauchery and
official iniquity became so shamefully
notorious and defiant that the people
imperatively demanded constitutional
revision as n means of governmental
publication. After failure to control
the convention or turn it aside from the
patriotic purpose of its creation, the cor
rupt republican managers and their ar
my of imperiled henchmen attempted
to prevent the adoption of the proposed
new organic law. Defeated in this the
ring coolly came to the front with earn
est protestations of devotion to reform,
and thus new lease of power was Sc
cured, to he as Systematically abused as
before. The tide of villainy swept on,
reaching its highest mark in the riot
bill bribery iniamy and only being
checked by the iron doors of the penit.
entiary.
Thus for nearly twenty years has the
great Keystone state been disgraced as
no other commonwealth in the Union
ever was Four millions of citizens have
been systematically plundered. A great
party has been prosttuted to the base
uses of a few corrupt men. Our legisla-
tive halls have become a by'word and
reproach. The executive office, with its
grave responsibilities and immense pow.
er for good or evil, has been the open or
secret ally of public plunderers, its dere
lict incumbents ignoring alike their
conscious knowledge of duty and their
sworn obligations to the people, and
trampling upon their own seif.respect,
being the ready tools of the designing
men who place them in power. The
ballot box has become polluted until in
some places it is an object of public dis.
trust A partisan press has been subsi
died and enslaved. And now the enc
my is determined to secure by any
means within its grasp, however repre-.
| hensible, control of the state government
| for four years more. The same tactics
are pursued as heretofore. candidate
for governor has been selected who is
satisfactory to the big boss and all the
! little bosses, and who has the etfrontery
to come before the people loudly de-
claring that he is wholly innocent of
any such alliance with the machine.
| The soldier issue is raised to hide the
real issue of honest government, and
every effort will be made thus to
sneak in at the back door of the public
temple. The campaign on the part of
the Cameron machine has been and will
be to the end one of false pretenses.
The vital issue before the people of
| PENNSYLVANIA to day is whether the gov.
ernment OF the state, so long and so dis.
gracefully prosttuted to base purposes,
hn tn ts min al
conceived by the patriotic founders OF
the commonwealth, or whether it shall
continue to be simply gigantic wheel
in the corrupt machine to which we are
indebted for the ruinous political evils
of the time. 1t is therefore of the su.
premest importance that the leading
characteristics Of the gubernatorial can
didates should be taken into considera
tion. The essential qualifications need
ed in the next governor of this state are
intellectual alertness and ability, inilexi.
BILE honesty, and dauntless moral cour.
age. The coming executive will not be
required to face belching cannon, but
heiwill be compelled constantly to un-
dergo a much severer test of genuine
manhood and patriotism. He must be
fully prepared successfully TO fight an
army of public plunderers, or the people
will be betrayed as of old. He must be
n man of iron will, controlled by an ex.
alted sense of public duty and immova
BILE alike in the face of threats and temp
tation. In word, he must be a man
who has been tried and proved. One
who has been weighed in the balance
and not found wanting. One who has
been thoroughly tried in the public
crucble, and who has emerged there
from without the smell of fire upon his
garments. He must be man who can
say mo" with the emphasis of moral
giant.
Such man is Robert Emory Pattison.
He is not theory. He is not an expert |
ment He does not come before the |
people simply pleading acceptance of
glittering but empty promises. He |
stands upon a four years record in O |