The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-03-14
UNWORTHY- OF CONFIDENCE

/
making against the Frank-Lotan fac
tion of the republican party in Multi
nomah county, is making some reyela
tions of party ''secrets" that are
damaging to say the least, and show
some of the questionable methods that
were adopted at the last session OF the
legislature to prevent legislation. In
telling how the Simon charter bill and
some other measures intended to cut
down public expense were swamped,
the Oregonian gives this version OF
the dishonest use of money: :,
"a corruption fund of s12, 500, headed
by Mayor Frank, was raised. Every
city official was required to pay one
tenth of his annual salary in5o the
pot. This large sum was entrusted to
the discretionary care of M, jack
Mathews, with Instructions to go to
Salem and place it where it would do
the most good. With that high sense
of devotion to the public interest which
has ever marked Mr.. Matthew'S course,
he discharged his trust faithfully.
Most shameful methods were used to
defeat the general desire for the pas
sage of these various measures of
economy. By open and systematic
trading, skillful manipulation and COM
plication with other measures, and,
above all, by successful attempts upon
various persons who were susceptible
to the influence of money, all the bills
except one were defeated" usf.
And so it is really true that 'ssuc-
cessful attempts we're made upon
.apersons susceptible to the influence
of money! to prevent the passage of
measures calculated to lessen the bur
dens of taxation. In palmer language,
Mr. Matthews, according to'this state
.ment, really went into the Legislative
halls and bought votes. For the past
year the Oregonian, and with nearly
other republican paper in the state,
has been- endeavoring to lay the
blame of failure to pass economical
laws and repeal extravaganza ones upon
the senatorial contest-the dead lock
that continued until the last day of the
session. But now the Oregonian con-
fesses that it was the questionable use
of money that prevented some, at least,
of those economical measures from be-
coming laws. e --
Admitting that this last confession
OF. the Oregonian is true, and it seems
to be worthy of credence,5 there were
some men in the last legislature whose
opinions could be warped by the use of
who held financial gain
in greater esteem than the pledges
they made prior to election. 1t is
to the. people of the state
to be forced to acknowledge that such
men have been elevated to positions of
honor and trust, and it reflects dis
credit. upon the party that stood
sponsor for those legislators. The
party that placed those men in nomi-
-. - f.. ~
nation and guaranteed their honesty
was responsible for the disgrace thrust
upon the state by their acts in the last
but the voters of Oregon
will be to blame if they again place in
power those who have proven so
pliable to the influence of pelf. And
since political parties are no more than
an assemblage Of men, and should be
held to strict accountability for the
conduct of those whom they entrust
with: Office, the voters Of the state can
not support the legislative nominees
Of the party to which those purchase
able law makers belong without en-
dorsing their r-dishonest acts.