Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-17
SUPERFICIAL vIRws ON REPUBLICAN
CORRUPTION.

- SNA POAeASS' IL q ISC6uI ISSUE IL
said
Ex-senator Pomeroy, of Kansas, who
has lately died, was living illustration
in the later years of his life of the stern
ness with which the Republican party,
in its earlier days, visited retribution
upon those who became identified with
questionable acts in their public career.
Senator Pomeroy was connected with
the giving of bride for the purpose of
securing his reelection. He was
straightway defeated, and remained in
condition OF ostracism to the hour of
his death. But, really, Senator Pome-
roy did no worse than men who have
been made since the rulers and the
bosses In the greatest states in the
union, and have even been put at the
head of the national party in the man
agement of political campaigns. His
misfortune was that he lived too early.
Had he been in congress ten or fifteen
years later, the chances are that he
would have been reinstated as great
public leader, or made the subject of
eulogistic resolutions at the hands of
his party associates. This is the differ
ence between living when parties were
careful to preserve public integrity. and
in the times when they were advised by
those prominent in their membership
not to be "too particular"
Our esteemed California contempt
rary, the San Francisco Call, in an Issue
of the other day, reproduced this pass
age from the New York Herald, with
the following comments:
Superficial observers take it for
granted that the purchase and sale of
Office and the corruptions of officials in
the United States will continue because
the practice has obtained a strong foot
hold in some of the states that the SEN
sibilities OF the people have become cal
lous to wrong-doing. The Call does not
believe this is the case. OF course, in
the way nominations have been made
for some time past few men who have
had money have corrupted conventions,
by which means dishonest officials have
been forced upon the public. The great
mass of the people, however, are as
much opposed to bribery and other
species of crimes as ever, but it was
difficult to find remedy, for when the
machinery of both political parties was
in the hands of knaves bad men were
sure to be elected. Under the Austria
liam system of voting, however, there
appeared a chance to head off dishon-
esty. In California we have not yet Sc
cured a complete victory, but we are
making progress toward it, notwith-
standing the clogs which were thrown
around the Australian system by the
last legislature.
The HERALD regrets very much that
both of these well-known journals write
of the matter in very superficial spirit.
1t is quite true that there was an at
tempt at gross and infamous corruption
when Senator Pomeroy came up for re-
election before the Kansas legislature.
At a critical stage of the contest Mr..
York, member of that body, got up in
his place and produced bag of money,
which he sent up to the speaker, and
which he said he had received from an
agent of Mr.. Pomeroy as a consideration
for his voting to re-elect that individ-
ual to the United States senate. Under
such circumstances, it was OF course
very hard for any legislature to have re-
elected man thus incriminated, and
Mr.. Pomeroy went by the board. In
every respect that was a famous cleo
ton, and its miscarriage procured for
California the honor of a residence
amongst US of the Reverend Isaac S.
Kalloch, who was in the Pomeroy fight
up to his armpits. Having exhausted
his usefulness in Kansas, Mr.. Kalloch
transferred the scene of his excep-
tionally valuable political and demagogic
labors to the Golden State.
But both the New York Herald and
San Francisco Call are lamentably at
fault in supposing that Senator Pome-
roy introduced the fashion OF purchasing
seats in the United States senate by
wealthy Republicans. That practice
was coeyal with the formation of the
Republican party, or, at least, only post
dated that party by two years.
The first and perhaps the most imam
GUS break in this line occurred in the
election of the Hon. Simon Cameron to
the senate of the United States from
Pennsylvania in 1858. There was a
Democratic majority in that legislature,
and the Hon. John w. Forney received
the Democratic caucus nomination for
the exalted station. Every one,
of course, supposed that Forney
would be elected. But they were not
acquainted with the methods of the
Winnebago chief, who was a modern
edition of Philip of Macedon, an ancient
worthy who believed in capturing cities
with gold. Old Lochiel bought three
Democrats, Wagonseller, Minear and
Lebo, and was triumphantly elected.
So great was the public indignation
at this fragrant instance of corruption
that these three recreant Democrats
were burned in efigy in every township
in Pennsylvania. Nothing in our polit-
ical history excited agreater commotion.
When this ugly incident happened
the Republican party was only two
years old. In the second Republican
national convention, which met at Chi
cago in 1860, Simon Cameron received
heavy vote for the nomination for the
presidency. At critical stage of the
convention he formed a union with
Horace Greeley and nominated Lincoln
over William H. Seward. When Mr..
Lincoln was elected president he
promptly appointed Simon Cameron