Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-04-18
THAT QUAY SCANDAL
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT HAIR
RIsoN FROM HENRY c. LEA.

Mr. Ill. Q. Lea. the publish er and civil
service refo. mer, has addressed a signif-
cant open letter ITO President Harrison.
Mr., Lea Is a relative of Henry Cary Lea,
one of the most prominent men in Phila-
dolphia.
SIR: No graver scandal has darkened
our political history than the charges
brought against Senator Quay by the New
York World, In its issues of February 10Th
and March Sd. 1t would be useless here
to recapitulate them further than to say
that, with full details of names and places
and dates, the World asserts him to be a
man whose political career has been a
succession of flagrantly dishonest acts,
including the temporary abstraction from
the State Treasury of $260,00 in one in.
stance and of 100000 in another.
No such accusations, involving iniquity
so varied and so continuous and supported
by such an array of minute detail, have
ever before, l believe, been brought
against politician so conspicuous. II
they are true Senator Quay ought to be in
the penitentiary. If they are false he is
cruelty libelled man his accuser is a
journal of the highest financial standing,
and no jury of his countrymen would re-
fuse him exemplary damages that would
put him beyond all future reach of want.
Vindication and profit both await him as
an incentive to prove his innocence, but
although two months have elapsed since
the gravest of the charges were made
public neither solicitude for his character
nor desire of gain has prompted him to
break silence. 1t is his own fault if the
public should regard him as acquiescing
in the truth of the charges.
1t is true that the crimes alleged against
Senator Quay are connected only with his
career as Pennsylvania boss, but your
close connection with him has rendered
the scandal National. You were duly
warned in advance from friendly source
of the danger of such an alliance, yet by
accepting his man, Mr.. Wanamaker, as
member of your Cabinet, you assumed re-
sponsibilitY for both of them. In pursu-
ance of this alliance you ave enlarged
Mr.. Quay's Importance by virtually Civ
ing him control of the Federal patronage
in Pennsylvania, thus rendering him the
dictator of the Republican party in the
State.
He boasted of your subserviency to him
when, in explaining his triumph over
Representative Dalzen in the struggle for
the Pittsburgh pnstoffice, he publicly said
/" the President, though very anxious to
crafty Mr.. Dalzell, for whom he has
high esteem, could not, under all the cir
cumstances, we'll avoid complying with my
wishes" Even Mr.. Quay's remarkable
silence under the accusations of The World
does not seem to have lessened his intiu-
ence over you. He signalized his return from
Florida a week or two since by capturing
the Pittsburgh Surveyorship of Customs
against the candidates urged respectively
by Secretary Blaine and Representative
DalZell.
THE HARRISON QUAY PARTNERSHIP.
Indeed, his power would seem to be as
great in Washington as in this State, for
the party organs now tell us that he has
been endeavoring to buy off supertiu-
Gus candidate tor the Governorship with
an Assistant Secretaryship of War. In
thus entering INTO political partnership
with Mr.. Quay you must share the losses
as well as the gains of the venture. 1t is
not Pennsylvania alone, nor even the Re-
publican party only. that has a right to
protest every citizen of the land must
feel humiliation at the smirch thus lntlict-
ed on the Chief Magistrate of the nation.
AS Republican by conviction, ardently
desiring the success of the party so long
as it deserves success, let me request you,
Mr.. President, to take calm survey of
the situation and render to yourself an
account of your stewardship. Thirteen
months ago you entered upon the duties
of the highest office which the world has
to bestOw your party was supreme in
the control of both Houses of Congress
and of the Executive everything prom
ised a prosperous and useful Administra-
tion, in which you, by simply adhering to
the pledges under which you were elected,
might earn another term from the conf
dence and gratitude of the people. The
only cloud upon the political horizon was
your acceptance of a Postmaster-Gen
eral at Mr., QuaY's dictation, ostensibly as
a reward for certain services performed
during the canvass. That cloud, then no
larger than mans hand, has spread till
it covers the armament.
Look back now and reflect upon your
work. You have sedulously devoted
yourself to the distribution Of "patron-
age :" you have turned out nearly forty
thousand Democratic oflice-holders, and
in this ignoble business you have filled
vacancies thus made by giving "recog-
milton to the worst element of the party.
You have thus degraded it to the lowest
level, till it no longer deserves or enjoys
the public confidence, and its interest, as
Ill hot &c