Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-11-13
Ianraster fntelliaenrer.
The called Jade Winces.

plain the result In Luzerne county, where
the rascals have had to go. In its be.
wilderment the Record attempts TO put
upon Senator Coke the responsibility Of
the writ OF custer served on the rascals
there. But, instead of ascribing the
event to the natural causes operating in
the interests of good government, the
Wilkesbarre organ, as is natural to sor-
did natures and biased judgments, hits
upon the grotesquely impossible, rather
than the transparent causes Of the over
throw Of its cohfederates. To make
this amusing theory good, 1t reconsti
tutes the character of Eckley u. Coke
and presents him to Pennsylvania an
epitome of Dorsey, Chandler, Roheson
and Blaine-a Machiavel in intrigue,
venality and corruption Hypocrisy is
the tribute vice pays to virtue calumny
Is the homage the corrupt pay to the pure.
Men of all parties who have watched the
stainless career of Senator Coke, since he
reluctantly threw the influence of his
high character and great abilities into
the cause of purer politics, will learn
with an amazement, not unmingled with
mirth, that there are men bold enough
and short.sighted enough to impugn his
honor and assail his methods
If there be one man in the state Of
Pennsylvania whose public career can be-
taken as q type of purity in politics, that
man Is by the consensus of all factions,
ofall parties, Eckley B. Coke, the senator
from Lu2erne. Sensitive, high.miud2d,
spotless in every relation of life, public
and private, his advent in public affairs
has been felt as wholesome, invigorating,
purifying, from the remOtest precinct of
Luzsrne to the slums of Philadelphia,
Thus identified with the methods that
make public station worthy the devotion
of the best minds of the time, it would
naturally be supposed that this states
man might escape the ribaldrieS OF the
partisan and the malignancies OF the
enyous. That in few instances Sena
tor Coke has not escaped these tributes
which ignorance and malice pay to
integrity, is not surprising, remembering
the forces that his efforts to reform poll.
tics must naturally array against him.
Senator CoXe's interest in politics has
awakened the conscience of Luzerne.
Inspired by his active interest the law.
abiding have been induced TO come out
and vote the better element of the
party has been put into control of its
organization the young men coming
into an age of political influence have
been rallied 20 the Democratic standard
honest labor whose friend he has always
been, and capital Of which he is the re-
gardful protector, nave Joined in support
of him and his msthydG, and tire eyi.
dence, of his eyangeli2irg presence was
shown in last weeks election by q major.
ity of $500 for dacency, purity and
reform. Basiug its theses ~ ths-to
the right thinking only 2 gcaCllyiug evi'
dence of public virtue-the Record,
without venturing to formGlize its base
ness, insinuates wildly all manner OF
sinister intervention upon the part of the
honored leader of Tue Luzerla DemOg
ricy. II the Record b. taiI,a at its
word, the gragatnen OF .Ie offence
charged upon Senator Coke is the use of
money, in changing d Republican major
ity into minority OF $500. II the jing-
ling of the guinea were an influence 80
potent with the Republicans OF Luzerne,
an organ of their party would be wiser
in concealing the venal stuff its ranks are
made of than publishing It's baseness to
the world.
1t will, however, require a good deal
stronger testimony than the irrespOnsi-
ble chatter of party organ to shake the
faith Of Penusylvauians in the spotlCss
ness of the man who made his name
national by an act of scrupuiOusness and
delicacy worthy OF the historic states
men Of the purest times. Nor does the
charge, even though it rested on ten
able foundation, come with consistency
from the exponent OF party which has
held power since 1872 by open, persistent,
cynical, shameless bribery. The party
that bought Grants election in -, the
party that forged and bought and stole
the electoral returns in 1879, that scat
tered crisp greenbacks in Indiana ia 1850
the party that plundered the treasury
during three terms to corrupt the ballot,
makes but a sorry figure in denunciatiou
OF money in elections No, our Wilkes
barre contemporary mus! seek further to
find the cause of Republican collapse.
When the people pronounce the sentence.
turn the raScals out" they do not
mean, "buy the rasCala OUT" What
has happened in Lu2erne, will happen in
every county in the state and in every
state in the Union when the plunderei
voters find men OF character and attain
ments like Eckley b. Coke to take up the
course Of reform. Demoralized aud de.
spicable as the ruling forces of the Re-
publican party have grown during the
last eight years, We hesitate to believe
that the masses are the despcable
stipendiares, the Wilkesbarre organ
represents them. We believe them to be
rational men, who, convinced of the
turpitude OF their leaders and enlght
ened by the example of such a man as
Senator Coke, feel that a change is neces
sary, and that they cannot 90 astray
under such leadership. The time will
come when the entire state will rasnond