Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-10-05
The Issues of the Campaign.


which become the vital topics of the
day. In the contest to be fought out
in Pennsylvania on the 7th of Novem-
ber, the main and essential questions
are honesty and capacity in State of.
fees, faithful enforcement of the new
constitution, and the overthrow of that
system of pernicious machine rule
which is best known by the expressive
term, "Bossism."
Our Commonwealth has now been
ruled by the Republican party for
nearly quarter of century. Dur
ing this long period the Democrats
have not had governor they have
rarely had State officer; they have
never had more than one branch ofthe
Legislature. To all intents and pur.
poses, they have had little more part
IN the government they are taxed to
support than if they lived on the shores
of the Pacific.
Like all associations and men long
accustomed to the use ofpower and pat
ronage, the Republican party has be-
come insolent, corrupt, and defiant.
Under its administration the expenses
OF the State government have doubled
and quadrupled. The taxes wrung
from the hard earnings of the people
have been largely wasted in extrava-
CANT appropriations, or squandered
upon measures intended to enrich
conniving few at the expense of the in.
dustrious many.
In December, 1873, the citizens of
the State, by vote of more than two to
one, adopted a new constitution, the
selt-evident aim of which was to check
the lawlessness of the great corpora
tons and restore to the people the
rights of which they had been robbed.
1hls lnstrument-one of the noblest
codes of civil conduct ever conceived by
the mind of man-Temains practically
dead letter. Legislation has been
demanded each year for the enforce.
ment of lis most important provisions,
and persistently refused By the Bosses
at Harrisburg. The odious discrimina.
tion on our lines oftransportation CON
tinue without hindrance. Vast inter.
ests have been crushed to suit the ob.
jects of corporation officials and those
OF their partners and favorites. 4
healthy competition is frustrated in
various leading lines of business. The
cost Of food, light and fuel; the pros.
perity of cities and towns the rates
for freights and passengers, are no
longer subject to natural laws, but are
influenced, engineered and directed to
fill the purses of miilionaires and stock
gamblers, without regard to the vel.
fare of the lines that may be affected
or the rights of the communities that
live along and are dependent upon
them. These may be strong statements,
but they are no more forcible than the
truth requires to be told. The proofs
of them are to be seen everywhere
throughout the Commonwealth in Grip
pied enterprises, stunted towns, bank
rupt business firms and discontented
populace.
While these evils have afflicted the
State at large, the Republican party
itself, which claims to have been foun-
ded as the special champion of Free
dom, has fallen under the control of
an olegarchy as arbitrary in its meth
ods as the Car of Russia or the Shah
of Persia. 1t is no stretch of the imagi.
nation to assert that, so far as its gene
raj management is concerned, Simon
Cameron, j. Donald Cameron, and
Matthew S. Quay are the Republican
party of Pennsylvania. No governor
has been elected since 1863 who they
did not name in advance. No candi-
date whom they seriously opposed has
been put upon the Republican State
ticket during the same period. For
upwards Of twenty years they have
shaped the legislation, fixed the APP
pointments and dictated the politics of
the State almost without protest in
side their party. When Simon Cam
eron became weary of Senatorial hon.
ors they had only to give the command
and an obsequious Legislature made
haste to choose his son Donald to fill
his vacant place at Washington.
When the Riot bill bribers we're tried,
convicted, and sentenced by an up
right judge, the Pardon Board obeyed
the order for their release without even
decent delay.
Under their sway talent and devo-
ton to principle have well-nigh be-
come crime in the Republican party.
The 100000 Republican voters Of the
State embrace scores of pure and bright
men who would FIJI almost any position
with credit. These have been syste-
matically crowded to one side and cool
ly given to understand that their servi-
ces are not wanted. New York makes
governors Of her Seymours, Dixs and
Tildens; we of Pennsylvania have to
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