Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-06-13
0be ia,,faster 1ntelliacufer.
LANCASTER. JUNE 10, 1885.
IashIng the Senate.


Senator Kennedy made sensation in the |
Senate in its closing hours. He declared |
that he did not expect again TO speak in |
that hall; its temperature did not suit his |
temperament. He could not abide the in |
sincerity and seiishness which ruled the |
senatorial conduct He did not wish to re-
turn to the Senate though if his enemies
should undertake to say that it was
case Of sour grapes with him, he would
perhaps deem it incumbent to go back to
show that he held command of
the situation. And in his closing words to
his associates Senator Kennedy seems to
have given free rein to the pent up feelings
of disgust with which their conduct had
inspired him during his service among
them, and he roundly and clearly told
many of them that they were no good"
With just what degree of accuracy Sem
tor Kennedy has measured the souls of the
several senators he denounced, we will not
now undertake to say; but we have
no doubt that he is sincere, and
is himself convinced that he has
not misconceived his men. SENATOR
Kennedy is always sincere in the opinions
he expresses, if not always discreet. There
may bea question as to the correctness of the
judgments he expressed to the Senate in
its closing hours, and about the discretion
of expressing them, even though they were
sound, but there can be none rs TO the
honesty with which they were held and
said.
Senator Kennedy has been very
useful maskn the Senate, which stands in
need, of men of his type to keep the lash
upon 1t. That it has not profited as it
should from his lashings, only shows how
thick-skinned are those who put themselves
INTO representative Office for the profit it
Will bring,them. We have no doubt at all
that thS general characterization of the
Se9ake by Senator Kennedy, was correct
we abstain from saying this about
the individual senators he pounced upon
simply because we have not full personal
knowledge of them. But we are ready tc
say that Senator Kennedy speaking from
close observations and with sincerity, il
not likely to have widely erred. His fellow
senators were panied at his language and
begged him not to be pei sonal. 1t shocked
the senatorial idea of what was becoming
Senator Lee asked Senator Kennedy tC
stop and Senator Lee is also an hones
senator, but he is not as bold as h,
might be with profit to the state
II he had share of Kennedy's impetu
osity, he would be stronger.
We do not deeply sympathize with tn,
feeling that would keep senat or's tongu,
silent about the failings of a fellow senate
when those failings are directly prejudicia
to the public interests. Senator Kenned,
denounced the shallowness, insincerity an,
inAdelity to public trust manifested by tn
senators. He was right to denounce this
and he was right to name the senator
whom he believed to be abusing the pub
lie functions for their private interest
No honest man should be expecte,
to sit in the Senate in harmoniou
association with dishonest men, anymor
than he would thus associate with such me-
elsewhere. If the people send to til
Senate dishonorable men, honorable sena
tors but do their plain duty in exposing
them and holding alOof from them. The
are present in large numbers in the legisa
ture and have given 1t the evil name whic
it holds; and they have give it an atmos
phere which is SO oppressive to homes
men as to make it almost unbreathable
Senator Kennedy says that he wants IL
more of it. 1t does not suit his tempera
ment to see dirty things done about hir
all the time, with rule of senatorial coul
tesy upon him requiring him to ignor
them and to assume public aspect of re
spect for those who do them. At the close O
his experience, fired by particularly mea
exhibition of subservience, he broke on
into indignant protest. The senators WHOM
he denounced were silent under the pun
ishment; spaniel-like submission tina
spoke louder for their prudence than thei
spirit.