Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-25
Complete Collapse of the Man Whose Sin
Has Found Him Out.
TO GUST BRECKENRIDGE FROM CONGRESS
His Expulsion May lie Moved at Once II
the Jury Returns "A Verdict Against
Him-Mora Turpitudc Be
You'd Belief.
WASHINGTON BUREAU OF THE BEE,
h12 Eonrteenth Street.
WASHINGTON, March "a

man in congressV' This question Is upon
every tongue in Washington. referring to
the Pollard Breckenridge breach Of promise
and damage suit, and the political future
OF the defendant.
Whether or not Colonel Breckenridge is
acquitted or convicted by the Jury. which
is expected to bring in a verdict within the
next two or three weeks, there never will
be any question in the minds of the people
Of Washington who have followed the pro-
ceedings in this remarkable trial whether
he is a man of good moral character. II
the jury should, without leaving its box,
and without consultation or hesitation, re-
turn an instant verdict Of acquittal, he
would stand convicted here and elsewhere
of base moral turpitude. There would be
no question of his depravity. In point of
fact, he doesn't question that matter him
self.
Here is a man ripe in years, white-haired
and venerable in appearance, honored by
long public service at the hands of his peo-
pie and trusted by all the good people of
Kentucky, who, with a lovable wife and
family, allures a young woman-whether an
innocent school girl or one experienced in
the ways of the world-into a life of shame,
and carries her about from place to place,
first as his daughter, then as his mistress,
and finally as his afianced bride. His own
wife died some two years ago. Testimony
shows that before the earth had settled upon
the newly-made grave he was going about
and consorting with the complainant, and
that within a week he had renewed his
promises of marriage and publicly acknowl-
edged that lie intended to marry her as soon
as he could do SO without being condemned
by the voice of the people.
HIS UNPARALLELED DUPLICITY.
Meanwhile he is making overtures to an
other woman, promises to marry her, and
even goes to New York and marries her
secretly, but at the same time, according to
testimony, he takes the first woman with
him. registers her at the hotel as his
daughter, occupies communicating rooms,
and consorts with both women almost within
the same hour. If ever such perfidy, such
deception, was shown in a man of his years
and reputation and ability, the annals of
society have failed to record it, and there Is
no old inhabitant who can recall it to
memory.
All these things and many more are
known and proven in a man 81 years of age,
but in appearance fully 60. Worse than all
this, Colonel Breckenridge has posed as a
man of prime moral character. All these
things must rise like the miasma which
eminates from the bog in springtime to
poison the morals of the country and point
a moral to the constituents of this man.
People here are wondering whether 1t can
be possible that even a gallant Kentucky
constituency can close its eyes to such things
brought against and not morally disproved by
their representative in congress. There are
men in Washington who, while admitting
all of the charges against this man to be
true, are offering to wager that his friends
at home will renominate him and send him
to congress again with an increased ma
jority.
While a great deal of interest is being
shown by the country in this celebrated
cause, it is bringing up In the minds of the
people in Washington, where most Is
known, moral suggestions. People are here
inquiring among themselves whether, after
all, Colonel Breckenridge is a very much
worse man than other men In public life.
This Is one of the 'unfortunates' caught in
the act. 1t will be recalled that 1t was
only a few years ago that another Kentucky
congressman, who met a tragic death a
short time afterward, was surprised first
In a most compromising position with a
woman at the Interior department, and a
short time afterward, not to be baked in
his course of waywardness and feast OF
lust, in a similar position in the crypt of
the capitol. One of the principal attor-
neys for the defendant, 1t will be remem-
bered by readers of current news, only a
few years ago assassinated the betrayer OF
his wife on a railroad train and escaped
punishment by the plea of temporary mental
alteration.
MORAL CHARACTER IN CONGRESS.
But now ABOUT the moral characters Vi
men now In congress? is the question upper
most in the public mind of Washington.
1t is alleged that there are many others
guilty, but not in the high degree, Of
kindred crimes against the moral calendar.
1t is stated that should the 1ury convict
Colonel Breckenridge and award a judg-
ment to Miss Pollard, a member of the
house stands ready to offer a resolution
looking toward his expulsion from the mem
bership of that, body. The question has
hnnn raigp1 whpthnT or NOT the house or
senate can take cognizance of such an
offense. OF course both branches of
congress, like all parliamentary bodies,
are judges of their own member
ship, and they determine the quail
fcation and fitness Of each individual mem
= Der. The clause relating to fitness of mem
bers of parliamentary bodies, upon which
the bodies themselves pass, 1t is contended,
relates not to ability to discharge duties i'm
posed, but moral turpitude. When Senator
Roach of North Dakota was faced with
charges of embezzlement and investigation
with a view to expulsion was demanded 1t
was clearly proven that the senate had the
right to investigate such charges, and If
found true, to eXpel the guilty senator.
- Members of the house. who have discussed
and Investigated the subject, contend that
moral crimes. such as have been brought
s&ainst Colonel Breckenridge, affect his Mt
ness to be a member of the house, as did
the C larges alleged against the senator from
NORTH Dakota, and that II a jury affirms
THESE charges against ,olOiti bItChlilTluEe
he can with perfect p%ropriety be expelled,
because his presence in the house would not
only degrade that body and deteriorate the
usefulness of it's individual members as
public officers, but injure the moral status
of the individual members of the house.
WHO WILL SHY II DOMICK?
An effort to expel Representative Breckin-
ridge of Kentucky from the house of repre-
sentatives on the ground that he was of i'm
moral character, and his presence in that
body was degrading, would be a novel spec
tacle, No doubt IA great many heads would
be ducked every time a hand was raised to
throw a stone, because there are so many
culpable individuals in that body, so many
men who are guilty OF the little frivolities Of
life, that they would be afraid of injury to
themselves by such a proceeding; but there
are many men without sin in the house of
representatives who are willing to cast the
first stone. While three or four members
emerged from an inebriate hospital in one
week recently, and there are quite a little
crowd who do not claim to be spotless in
character, there are no less than a dozen
who would gladly respond II Speaker Crisp
were to call upon them any morning to MI
the office of chaplain. There are probably
that many ordained ministers in the house.
More than two dozen of them are prominent
temperance speakers, and others are deacons