The herald., 1897-02-12
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY IL, 1897.
A DISGRACED LEGISLATURE

When Chief Clerk Duckworth's pecu-
occasion to say that the legislature
would exhibit great deal OF indigna-
ton, and announce with flourish that
neither Duckworth nor any other guilty
man should escape the wrath of out
ragged legislative iategritS and betrayed
public condolences; but .that-there would
be no sincerity in the outburst; that
behind the fuss and feathers there was
= bucket of whitewash. which. al the
proper time, would be used to decorate
the chief clerks official body
How well The Herald prophesied the
vote of the legislature upon the direct
question of expelling Duckworth bears
witness Forty-four assemblymen out
Of a total of seventy-seven present and
voting declared officially that the chief
clerk had done no wrong; that to rob
the taxpayers of California and to plum
der the public treasury is to commend
the robber and plunderer to the most
ty of morality, high protection and pros
perity. Without any purpose wha tever
Of being extensively personal. The Her.
aid begs leave to observe that COM
pounding felony is a grave offense in
the eyes of the law, and to observe, fur
ther, that there are men doing time in
the California penitentiaries for offenses
FAR less inimical to the well-being Of So
ciety and the stability of government
than the crime which forty-four men,
bers Of the legislature committed when
they compromised with thieving meth
DDS and practices in public officials.
BY the investigating committees own
report the fact is established, though
unwilingly, that Duckworth with the
aid and consent of a large following of
assemblymen, deliberately planned to
rob, and subsequently did rob, the state
of large sums of money; and yet, in the
face of these facts, the majority of the
members of the house declare that he
did no wrong. 1t follows, therefore, that
Duckworth is a true and faithful repre-
sentative and exponent of the political
morals, the official methods, and the
general purpose of the majority Of the
members of the California house of rep
Z resentatives. 1t is not often that as
Z sembla ges of men publicly glory in their
4 own degradation. In his most reckless
y disregard for clean hands and clean
4 government, Boss Tweed never reveled
in more infamous official debauchery.
An effort is made by the decent
element OF the Republican party to hold
X the Democracy equally responsible for
z Duckworth's victory, because a few
5 Democratic members voted against his
expulsion. So far as they go, they are
equally deserving of contempt, but the
4 onus of the evil doing does not rest
upon the Democratic party. Forty-six
Of the eighty members of the assembly
are Republicans The organization of
sthe house is Republican throughout, and
lthe Republican party is responsible for
'.he conduct of the assembly and for all
n legislation. The Republicans could have
X Expelled Duckworth, but they did not
want to do it.; the Democrats could not
nave expelled him II they had tried;
md that is the long and the short of
yst. AS to the Democrats who voted with
Ii he Republicans to exonerate the chief
Eslerk they played ward politics at the
4 Expense of sound principles of govern
nent.
z The fact remains that the whitewash-
i ~ Of Duckworth is likely to give the