The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-06-21
4Is HEROIC TREATMENT JUSriFI-
ABLE?"
Stirring Letter from Ex-Chief Justice
Agnew.

At 1ciAShA' A''t- kNbNSA- hAi'NNi ~ A>A
Chief Justice Agnew to the Phila-
delphia Telegraph, should be read by
every Republican, Regular and In
dependent, who has the success Of the
grand old party and the welfare ol
the State and country at heart =
To the Editor Of tie Eeeniag Tele-
groph:
| have Just received an Eren;ng
f9eqrah of June 1, noticing my let
ter to the Press, in which | said -
81 detest Bossism, but | fear the ex-
tirpation of the cancer by the knife
might kill Inc patient" You have
shown your appreciation of the IL
lustration, by whole column 20 re-
fute the power of two and half
lines. YOU make 4 great mistake
when you suppose your ridicule Of
my timidity will break its force with
the thinking people of this State.
There is q point in it which your
alarm fears they may see. They
have not forgotten, though it suits
you TO do 50, my open letter in the
face Of the election of 1878, in which
! assailed these bosses and the
many opinions in which i havecom-
batted wrongs and iniractions OF
right and justice, to which others
have tamely submitted. | have no
fear OF the people, ana am willingto
accept the charge Of timidity, when
the destruction Of Pennsylvania in
terests stares me in the face lou
would destroy life because you do
not like some friends of the patient,
and call it heroism. Let us see
what my fears are, and then use the
knife or not. as better judgment die
tates.
The power OF the independent
ticket can be felt in the defeat only
OF the Republican party in the State
In the language OF my letter TO Mr..
Mapes, This is inevitable, for the
Democracy. who are wise as serpents,
will take advantage OF division"
Democratic success gives that party
a four years lease of power in the
State. This includes the Presiden-
tial election of 1884. Now, who
taught you that the defeat of Boss
ism, by i deep-seated schism in the
party, is not fatal disruption, or
that the death of Republicanism in
1882 will be followed by a happy
resurrection in 1884 You are not
the first one whose foresight is not
equal to his hindsight." " You viii
find that many beside myself viii
regard your tragic heroism simply
suicide, to be punished by a stake
through the body at the crossroads.
Could you not tell us something
of the other side-the humiliation
of Republican defeat, the heartburn
ings of clashing leaders, the bicker-
lngs and animosities of factions,
the rejoicing Of the victors, the slim
Ulus of victory TO further effort, the
transfer of the ''spoils," the advant.
age OF the arsenals and munitions of
war, and the strongholds of power
and the control which possession of
the State gives over the election of
1884. Your quackery would use
the knife, though you endangered
the Union by the loss of Pennsylya-
MIA. 1t reminds me Of case of
malpractice tried before Us. when a
heroic surgeon extirpated the liver
as huge tumor, Did he kill the
patient? Certainly. A Democrat
ic victory IN 1884 is a reversal ofthe
Republican policy oftwenty years
is danger to the doctrine Of protec-
tion-to the system of National cur
rency, the revival of free trade no
tions, the resumption Of Bourbon
ism, the renewal of Bossism III the
South, and Of many dangers which,
when you were a common-sense Re
publican, You once saw.
You refer to my detestaiion ofBoss-
ism. You are right. | would hit
every head which pops up. But
5our detestation of il reminds me of
the fable Of the bear, who would kill
a fly OF the iace OF bis sleeping mas
ter. The blow of his paw broke the
jaw, but it killed the Ay.
Now, sir, have said enough to
demand a side of your paper, in the
proportion of two lines
and half to q column. Go on, my
good Don.
Please publish. d. AGNEw.
BEAVER, June s, 1852.