Iron County register., 1890-01-30
fORAkER'S VIILAINY.
A Political Conspiracy Which Stands Alone
in American History.

A Political Conspiracy Which Stands Alone
in American History.
If common and notorious criminal is
found consorting with those of his own
class, no one is surprised; if, under
stress of examination before a court of
law, such a man admits that he has used
as tools men even meauer than himself
expecting to profit by their rascality
the world says: ''Why, it is only a
case of Fagin and The Artful Dodger'-
employer and employed, the one promis-
ing support, advancement and protec-
ton: the other returns" From Grim
inals we ali expect crime, and long IA
miliarity with its manifestations has
dulled the edge of surprise.
When, however. the scene shifts from
crime to politics and we find man but
yesterday prominent candidate of one
of the leading parties for the nomina-
ton to the Presidency Of the United
States-the crowning honorable ambi-
tion of every statesman -confessing to
having dealt with 4 trickster to compass
his election as Governor of Ohio: con-
Tossing to the long series of lies, eva
sions and tergiversations which marked
the earlier history of the episode of the
Wood letter, it is enough to bow the
head of every American with shame
that such things can be, and lead him
to pledge the efforts of his life to purg
ing, not alone the party now involved
but the political system of the country
of such evil.
1t is scarcely Y worth while to go deeply
into an analysis of the case, and the
Free Press will not attempt it. Two
ltneSseS-accOmpliceS in this atrocious
political fraud-com bine to place Mr.
Foraker before the American people
convicted as charged. These are Wood
who concocted the forgery, and JOSEPH
Benson Foraker, the beneficiary con
templated when the crime was hatched
Imagine man, a leader in his State
prominent in the National councils O.
his party: lawyer-one who had beer
judge-imagine him being ''deceived'
by such person as Wood. The wish O
Mr.. Foraker was the devil which stood
at mis- elbow and inspired both though
and act. The thought in his mind may
have been this: Il am Governor; | wish
to be Governor again, that l may one
day be President. ! feel defeat in the
air. If am defeated, my end is come
will risk all on this last device"
And so the man recommended to hin
by an obscure political heeler was re
tanned to produce certain evidence; anC
he did so. 1t was delivered to Mr.. For
aker The candidate did not intend il
for publica tiOn-nOt at all; it was toe
shaky for that. He intended it to be
shown to this one and that one ''abour
headquarters" To be talked of by
Democrats and Republicans: to elbow
its way into the press in the form of in
situations and innuendoes-and to kill
Mr.. Campbell-whom Mr.. Foraker il
his heart knew to be innocent, because
it would not take form definite enough
to be answered.; before it was too late tC
counteract it's influence.
The testimony shows one thing with
the utmost clearnesS. 1t shows thai
neither Halstead nor Foraker was above
using paper upon which the name o
one Democratic candidate appeared ac
companied by those Of Sherman
Mckinley, Butterfield and other Re
publicans as a weapon against tina
Democrat, while the signatures Of the
Republicans were suppressed.
This brands Foraker and Halsteaf
alike as political tricksters.
The testimony shows another thing
to the satisfaction of every thinking
man-that Foraker was a party, from
first to last, to the fraud which was
planned to defeat Campbell and compass:
his own election. This is shown in the
stories he told at the time of the origina
exposure, when he denied that ne knew
at certain date that any other name
than that of Campbell appeared upor
the paper-a story contradicted by his
own testimony upon the stand; this is
shown by his easy deception by cheaI
adventurer: his payment of money tt
that man to go upon second mission
for him, when Foraker himself SO seri
ously suspected Wood that he was led tc
hire another man to watch him: it is
shown by his tacit consent to the pre-
conceived exposure and his failure tc
give any man whose name appeared
upon the forged paper the least chance OF
explanation.
Foraker is as dead as Rameses I.
Halstead should be also. But what Of
Forakerism and what of Halsteadism:
Do they die with those who will give
them name for all time?
Let us be thankful that even Harri
son rather than Foraker is President
and that Halstead is at home rather
than at a foreign court. Then let us
put the heels en- the head, not the tail
it.-Detroit Free Press.