The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-11-25
THE FATHER OF THE HOUSE.

tllis-it will be perfect, impartial and
thorough only when This is accomplished. q
THE FAITH Err OF THE HOUSE.
William ID. Kelly, OF Philadelphia, is called
the Father of the House of Representatives.
He has served longer in Congress than any
of his fellow members He is also the cham
pion in Congress of high tariff; and no tariff
we have yet had has been high enough to
please him, though his party has oppressed
the country for twenty-five years with one so
high as to be largely prohibitory, greatly
cripple our foreign commerce and almost
annihilate our merchant marine. He began
his political career as a Democrat, and as
such he secured nomination and election as
Judge of the Court of Quarter Sessions in
Philadelphia. During his judgeship, the
Republican party sprang up and gathered
strength, while the Democracy was losing it
by division. He went over to the Republi-
cans, and took the stump, being still on the
Bench, and detained as a violent partisan.
He held on to the judgeship till the Repub-
licans elected him to congress- where he has
continued to the present time. Though so
National reputation, and his fellow
members have never classified him
above a second rate member. His own
classification, however, places himself far
above all his fellows. He is on the
best terms with himself, and nothing puz-
zles him more than the fact that the people
do not show more appreciation of his great
ness by electing him President. He believes
that the constellation Of great qualities that
glow in him is in some manner eclipsed by
the Solid South, that womb of Republican
woe. He is irritable and arrogant and gen.
orally disliked by his fellow-members. The
chiefs of his party IN his district would like
to get rid of him, but can no.. His nomina-
ton and election, term after term Is secured
by some very wealthy manufacturers in
Philadelphia, chief among whom is the great
drug and chemical firm of Powers Il Weight
MN. He may be considered as their own
member of Congress. For the special bene-
fit of Powers & Weightman he induced the
Republicans to impose and maintain an
enormous duty on quinine for quarter of
century, thus extorting millions annually
from the sick of this country to pamper the
boundless greed of his masters.
He regards himself as tariff oracle and
entitled by pre-eminent tariff knowledge to
precedence in Congress in all matters per-
tanning to the tariff He looks with pity on
the lack of tariff intelligence in his fellow
members from the interior, and expects every
member who makes a tariff demonstration
without first consulting him to make an ass
of himself.
Though young in craftsmanship he is won
derful in invention. He invented the "kel-
ley mode" OF payment. This Kelley mode
should not be COMPOUNDED with the Kelley
motor, also Philadelphia invention. They
are distinct ..-.----.e-..--.
When Cakes Ames was bribing so many of
his fellow-members of Congress with Credit
Mobilier stock, Kelley too yielded 10 the
temptation-to the extent of a few thou
sand. He had been a Judge OF Criminal
Court and well knew the hazards of crime
He desired to fortify himself against the con-
sequences of his Credit Mobiier indulgence
Ames was ready to help him. He passed his
check to Ames, as in payment of the stock
Ames had given him for his vote Ames
took it and at once tore it up. Upon this
sham payment Kelley swore, before the Po-
land Committee of Investigation, that he
had paid for his stock. The committee
pressed Ames into an expose of the modus
operandi OF the payment-paymento on which
the Judge based his oath of payment.
few days after the expose the Judge
came to the wise conclusion that netwith-
standing his sworn payment for the stock, it
did not properly belong to him. He wished
to purge himself of it, and to make sure that
the public should know that he had done so,
as his good name was involved. He sent
his stock to the Secretary of State with an
explanatory note telling him he found that
stock in his possession; that it did not be-
long to him; that he did not know exactly
who it did belong to, but thought it ought to
belong to the United States, and therefore
he sent it to the Secretary. The Secretary
responded kindly, saying he had no
jurisdiction of fiscal matters; that these
belong to the Secretary OF the Treasury, and
he would send the stock to him. The latter
announced that he had received it, and
would 'cover it into the Treasury" He COW
cred it so well that it has never been heard
of since, and it is probable that he. or the
thieyish Republican set around him, not
only covered it, but cabbaged it. Some
member of Congress ought to have this COW
eriDg investigated
As might be expected from such Repub-
7can paragon, Old Kelley shakes his bloody
shirt with no less vigor than he does high
tariff.
M'CLELLAN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY