Evening journal., 1891-10-13

The DUTY OF TIE SENATE.
The Philadelphia Ledger Makes 3 Plain
Abatement.

The Philadelphia Ledger Makes Plain
abatement.
There is no craftsmanship In the ques-
tion Certain grave charges have been
made against the administration of two
of the chief officers of the commonwealth.
The duty OF the Senate is simply to as.
certain by diligent, faithful inquiry
whether these charges are true or false.
The state arrsigns for reasonable cause
for cause furnished chiefly by the &C.
cused themselves under their own hands
the auditor general and the state
treasurer. The administration of
their offices. whether good or bad, is to
be found In the official records OF
their respective offices and In
the disclosures which have been
made through the several inyesti
cations Of the BRrdsley frauds.
The Senate's duty to It's constituency
demands that the most courageous, vigor-
GUS and impartial inquiry shall be made,
and nothing can be more obvious than
that the great majority of the Senate
can, In this matter, serve It's party best
In no way so effectively as by serving the
state best. Any course OF action adopted
by the Senate upon the assumption that
because the accused officials are of the
party Of the majority, IL cannot. without
injury to the party, make faithful In
quiry into the gra charges preferred,
lest they shall prove true, to the detri-
ment OF the party, would be adopted to
its greatest injury. The pursuit Of such
course could have but one result-that
Of filling the public mind with indigns-
zion against the political organi cation re
sponsible for 1t. The intelli
gence, aoumen, the common sense with
out the Senate is not less, but greater Ia
the aggregate than within It.
The people Of this commonwealth will
watch the proceedings Of the Senate with
extraordinary interest. No policy, such
as that Of the ostrich, which, hiding its
Insignificant head in the sands, leaves its
great stupid body exposed, can be
adopted by the Senate without subiecting
10 10 universal condemnation. The
grave charger made against the auditor
general and the state treasurer must be
inquired into, not only diligently, but
with absolute courage and good faith.
These officials are either innocent or
guilty, and the public, whose servants
they are, demand that the truth regard
ing them shall be ascertained and pro
claimed. To day they hang as a great
weight upon their party; If the majority
of the Senate should attempt to iuggle
with the question Of their innocence or
guilt they will on the Sd of November
be crushing weight upon their party.
Whether they shall or not be that on
election day depends chiefly now upon the
conduct of the majority OF the Senate,
all whom should cot fidently assure them
selves OF the lndisputable fact that
not what Governor Pattison or the Demo
cratic party says or does, but what the
Senatorial majority and the Republican
leaders or organs say and do, will hurt
the Republican party. The intelligent,
honorable Republicans OF Pennsylvania,
not less than the Democrats, want
and will have the truth, and all Of II.
with regard TO this matter, and they will
Judge inexorsbly their public servants
II they. either by direction, or Indirect
ion, attempt to keep 1t from them. With
regard to the Senate the sternest ad
herence to what is right will be what Is
most expedient, even from the extreme
partisan point Of view. Philadelphia