Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-06-18


ment. 1t takes from the people their
right of direct representation through
the house of representatives-sup
that body and nulifies it as the agency
in the government that the constitution
created it to be. If it is allowed to go
on, our government is fatally weakened
in Just that department where it is most
Of all important to the people that its
strength shall be most jealousy guarded.
Il Boston Herald.
TANNERS AWFUL MISTAKE.
The Chicago Tribune, one of the lead
ing republican papers of the West, has
the following:
Governor Tanner has done something
which, on his Inauguration day, no one
would have deemed possible. He has
made Chicagoans deplore the defeat even
of Atgeld as a choice of evils. Violent,
revolutionary as he was, and shady in
his official actions as he was, he never
would have signed the Allen bill; he
would rather have lost his right hand.
Any other man who ever held the office
of governor of Illinois would have
vetoed the Allen bill without hesitation.
Atgeld two years ago vetoed street
railroad measures which were not one.
tenth part as offensive as the Allen bill
which this legislature has corruptly
passed. He was not afraid to give his
reasons for doing so. Governor Tanner
has signed the rascally Allen bill in de-
fiance of the protests of the whole mass
of the people of Chicago, but has not
ventured as yet to give his reasons for
doing so, if he has any he dare exhibit
to the light.
The only approach to an excuse for a
reason is to be found in the governors
colloquy with Alderman Harlan on
Tuesday. said the latter This bill
was passed by bribery. The governor
cannot fail to know it, Then the
governor, seemingly indignant, replied
as follows:
Governor Tanner do not care, Mr..
Harlan. to hear anything further from
you on this subject. | will not permit
| you to finish. You charge that know
| that these bills were passed by bribery.
| Until you retract that you can talk no
further.
do not know it, Mr.. Harlan. do
not like to have you charge that here
| | think the man that charges that the
bill was passed by bribery should be
prepared to prove it.
Did the governor sign the Allen bill
simply and solely because he did not
''know" that no members were heavily
bribed to vote for it? Technically his
allegation of a lack of personal know
ledge of bribery may be correct lie
cannot 90 into court and swear that ne
knows" of any Legislative bribery for
the passage OF the rascally Allen bill.
1t is not believed that any member of
the general assembly who exacted a
bride for his vote has been to the gov
ernor and has confessed his guilt and
squealed on himself. He has not proud
ly or tearfully told his "excellency'
that he was bribed by the traction
street car companies to perjure himself
and vote for the Allen bill to rob
Chicago of three millions year of her
rightful revenue. 1t is not likely that
any agent or gO-between of Yerkes &
co. has made the governor his contidant
and has told him the names Of the mem
bers he bribed, or when and whore he
did it, and how much he paid orpromised
TO pay each one of them.
And yet, using the word as men ordi
narily understand it, and not in the re-
stricted sense given it by lawyers ir
court, Governor Tanner "knOws" that
the bill he signed yesterday was boodled
through the legislature, and never could
have passed without the employment OF
bribery. He "knows" in that general
sense that other people know it that not
one of the thirty-one senators and eighty.
two representatives who voted for the
Allen bill was actuated by an honest
motive in betraying Chicago and her In
terests.
The governor is no legislative neOphitt
or unsophisticated spring chicken. He
! StINtu III lIlt stIldtt LOT sOlut YEARS. ut
learned there that members do not vote
for rich, grasping corporation bills fol
the lone love of them or because they
wanted to harm the people of a city
county, or section. He learned from
observation that, while members may
be influenced to vote for good measures
by party or other motives, the one
which chiefly actuates them when they
vote for bad bills is the love of unlawful
gain. In other words, they succumb t.
bribery; they are bought.
DELAWARE's NEW CONSTITUTION.
} WILMINGTON, Del, June (Specia) -
} The new constitution of Delaware, the
first since 1881, will not be submitted tC
the people of the state, but will b,
promulgated" by the convention anC
: -.LL