Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-05-05
Asl!eas1rI Elttelligemrer.
FRIDAY EVENING. MAY S. 1882.
PrOfiting by Experience.

ana In SOO0 1alLn, 10 IcdCH IL uuIluS Iilc
last four years. After this time our es
teemed contemporary renews its practi-
cal allegiance to what it alleges has al
ways been its faith, that the leopard can |
as easily change his spots as the "polit-
ical boss and chronic ofiice-hunter and |
Office broker" can reform. Four years
ago the Nc,o Era won its first consider
able victory in local politics, and it ex
ultingly sang the discontinue of Sense |
mig tossed on the horns of bull ram
pant That was over the nominations
of McMellen, Edgerly, Croft, Coble,
BuShong & Co. No more corrupt com
bination than theirs was ever formed in
our local politics, to win by corrupt
means: and rs we pointed out to the
Ncp Era at that time, their election
was accomplished in carnival OF
fraud" From their official career moth
ing else could have been expected than
what the Neu Era says is " thus graph
ically but truthfully stated 10y the Com
mitttee of Seventy-two in their ad-
dresS":
"Thc county has seen its old men grow
Indifferent and its young men debauched
as they stepped into the political arena
GERS who have been elected have in many
cases committed wilful and direct perjury
upon the thresholds of their terms of Office
and used their positions afterwards as a
highwayman would use his weapons to
plumber every one with whom their Off
cial duties brought them in contact. This
is not the place to portray the corrupt
jObbery in these positions which has
tended to make every public man, from
the highest to the lowest of those who
should be our guardians, 4 vacillating
coward when compelled to decide between
plain duty and the behcsts of the imagi-
nary power which assumed to make or un-
make him. The humiliating terms to
which these officials have been compelled
to submit must likewise end. 10 be free
men must be untrannlelled to he un-
trammelled the positions tLuy hold ought
to be the voluntary gifts Of The people, not
the disgraccful badges of sc,vi:ui!e to any
man or any interest"
Each of these officials closed his career
leaving bad taste in the mouth of the
public. The Ncr Era, unhappily, for
the cause of real reform, never discov-
cred that their administrations were no
Improvement on any that had preceded
them until it q,larrelled with them po-
ltically and for the raid of McMellen,
Urban and others on the county treas
ury, assisted 10y Coble and BushOng, in
the dying hours of their term, about all
that il has had to say was 4 feeble
apology for the steal i'm the Urban
Barnes bill, on the ground that there
was an Imaginary "judicial decision
to sustain it.
One year later it aided in the election
of Recorder Good and County Solicitor
Fulton. 1t cannot show us wherein
there has been any reform in the fees
taken in the recorders office; and the
Investigations of the auditors have
demonstrated that the rapacity of the
aldermen and cOnstables never had less
check put upon it than in Solicitor Full
tons " scrutiny :" of their bills. Two
years ago we found the influences which
the Nee Err is supposed to inspire
divided between support for district at
tOrney of that notorious political
boss " and disreputable 4" chronic office
hunter,' J. w. Johnson, and of Adam
J. Eberly, in whom that /" Office broker
Levi Sensenig, and his henchman, Il
Frank Eshleman, had speculative in.
terest, the realization of which was part
of the bargain and barter at Cincinnati
that the Nc,c Eraerstwhile SO vigorously
denounced.
Last year the Ncr Era won another
partial victory, or claimed that it did, in
the election of High, Eaby and Reeser,
and yet their offices are run by exactly
the same persons and on the same line
of fees-legal and illegal-that were
charged when they were conducted by
had opposed. We believe the county
treasury is not now ut the mercy and the
disposal of those who deal in cattle and
offices Oh the same principles but in the
rest of "the row" the administration of
those who were elected against the Neu
Era's opposition may fairly challenge
comparison with those who were sue
cessful by its aid. Its descriptions of
the Cameron ring" about which we
have heard so much, have been simply
victories for the McMellen- -Mentzer
ring one year and for the Sensenig ring
the next, and after four years of this
battleGOre and ShuttlecOck the Era rue.
fully cOnfesses to having taken some
things for granted on the assurance OF
others which results proved never exist.
ed in fact" After years of experience,
which the statute of limitations will al.
low us to begin with Roebuck, it is
ready to admit that "the man who will
cheat in politics will lie in politics and
he who will lie and cheat himself or
friend into Office will steal when he gets
there or connive at his friend doing so -
"a discovery which, we fancy, Il slight
degree of political sagacity would not
have required so many years to make.
The truth is that the Republican
party of this county, in its leadership, is
too largely made up of political bosses
and chronic office hunters and office
brokers - for any reform to he accom-
plished within its ranks. It's battles can
only he between one set Of these and
another. When they are mainly on one
side the nominations are sure to be con-
trolled by that side, and when they are