The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-11-24
A POLITICAL FRAUD.

There is no more impudent and dem
agogneical man in Congress thai,
William d. Kelley of Philadelphia.
His fatterers style him the Father
of the House, because they say that
he is the member longest in continu-
GUS service. He is Republican by
profession-we say by profession,
for as to principles he has none, having
belonged to all the parties and issues
which have existed since he came into
public life. Everything by turns, and
nothing long, he keeps himself before
the people like the clown in the circus,
by his ground and lofty somersaults,
at every turn coming up smiling, with
his tongue in his cheek. He has been
in Congress SINCE 1861, more than
twenty years. and during all that time
has partaken to the full in all the
schemes of plunder and rascality of
which his party has been guilty. 1
In 1878 he had his fingers in Oakes
Ames' pocket book, and dabbled in the
Credit Mobiier fraud, and in reference
to his completely in that scheme of cor
ruption, the New York Tribune said
"Wm. ID. Kelley of Pennsylvania was
very much confused in his memory
thought at first it was very proper
thing for congressman to hold, but de-
MED that he had any of it /; Thought he
had borrowed $1,000 of Oakes Ames,
which Ames, on the contrary, said he
had paid him as dividends from Credit
Mobilier. Upon discovering that stock
actually stood in his name, changed his
mind about the honesty of the transac-
tion, and turned it over to the United
States government
In 1876 he assisted his party in the
forgery and perjury which put Hayes
fraudulently into Office. No word ever
fell from his lips in favor of seating the
man who was honestly elected. The
father of the house was willing to cheat
the people out of their honestly elected
President, just as he had three years
before surreptitiously held Credit Mo
bilier stock, and as the Tribune said
in a subsequent paragraph, "betrayed
the trust OF the people, and deceived
their constituents. H
In 1882 when the River and Harber
steal was put through Congress, whore
was Kelley Was he in his seat bat.
Ting for the right No conveniently
absent, on pretended political mis-
sion. Again, in the language of the
Tribune ''betraying the trust of the
people" and ''deceiving his constitu-
ents." These are but steps in the car
reer of VIM. ID. Kelley, but. they show
the course that this man has been pur-
suing for twenty years. STEPPED in
all the political corruption of his party,
he has sat in the House with major
ity of his political party around him,
resolutely refusing to Tighten the bur-
dens of the people, and assisting in the
plumbers of more than 100000, ,000
per annum.
But light has at last broken upon
William The scales are beginning to
fall from his eyes. And the impu-
dence of it all is that his claquers at
Washington are beginning to tell us
what Judge Kelley is going to do.
Judge Kelley, who has been in Con
gress for twenty years, is now going
to do something. Stand from under !
Pig Iron Kelley is moving He is
going TO move against the Internal
Revenue system. A system that the
Democrats have condemned from the
beginning, but which has been main
tanned by the Republicans until now,
Why does Judge Kelley move now :
"Beeause, says his putting correspon-
dent, "The subject has assumed more
Importance because Of The results Of
Me recent canpdign. Aye, the
people have spoken in thunder tones,
and Kelley has heard; but he may rs
well understand that the Democrats
do not need his help. They will sweep
away Internal taXation-they will turn
out OF office thereby four thousand
partisan collectors-they will abolish
the tax on matches-they will lessen
the tax on cigars and tobacco--they
will repeal the tax on bank cheques
they will stop river and harbor steals
with Kelley's scat empty.
"Because of the results of the
recent campaign Kelley is going to
move on the Internal Revenue system
Though somewhatlate, we may thank
heaven that something can move even
pig-headed Kelley.