Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-12-15
Number 81,

conspiracy which has In view not his
conviction-fer conviction is out of the
ouestiop-but. TO quote the reasons o.
ficially set forth. the intimidation OF
the members of the leeislature.'
THE object Of the persecution ia tn
defeat Senator Quay for ra-election. n7t
to send him 10 Jail for he has commit
ted no crirae, and none know this better,
than the sneaking prosecutors who
have instigated the suit and who have
euch poor opinion of themselves and
of their hypocritical cause thai they
dare not face the public. the courts or
Senator Quay himself. and dare not
even permit their names to become
known.
"A more contemplate attempt to ruin
man for purely political reasons an:
to satisfy the demands of personal
spite and hatred is not on record The
men who have sought to make use Of
District Attorney Graham as their tool
and their shield from public scorn and
Gerision have been frustrated Mr.
Graham himself. with all his venom
against Quay, disappears from the case.
On the 7th or January the supreme
court Will assume jurisdiction, and this
means that there will be q fair trial
and with a fair trial Senator Quay has
nothing to fear-ahsolutely nothing.
What has Quay done?" he continues
Let us draw q comparison between
him and that great and pure and hon
orable man, John Wanamaker.
THE keystone National bank receiv-
ed deposits of public funds from the
state and the city. Mr.. Wanamaker
was Il depositor. as he had perfect
right to be. Mr.. Wanamaker was also
hnn ISNr, he, 1,nr
er, as u matter of fact, that the comp
troller OF the currency at Washington
wrote several letters demanding that
the loans be reduced. The capital of the
bank was $500. Geo, and under the law
Mr.. Wanamaker was entitled to borrow
one-tenth of the capital stock, and no
more-s5o 600. He very largely exceeded
this amount, and he was q public offi~
cial. member of the cabinet Of the
president of the United States, at the
time, and most certainly should have
been among the first to uphold the law.
But this was not all. Mr.. Wana-
maker entered into Il joint transaction
with the president of the bank. Mr.
Lucas. for a stock gambling specula-
ton. Later the bank failed, and 1t vas
a disastrous failure. Now, no one has
charged Mr. Wanamaker With crime.
He has not been hauled into court by
political enemies. He has been permit
ted to conduct his bargain counter ur-
nolested. He has posed as the great
eyemplar OF all that is pure and good,
and he has posed before the public as
an honorable man. We have no charges
to bring against MIR Wanamaker. He
did not rob the bank Let us take him
at his own estimate of himself. Let us
l.. t,Ir~
man.
Now for the comparison.
"tThe Peoples bank received deposits
of public funds. Senator Quay was a
depositor, as he had perfect right to
be. He may have borrowed at times,
but he was not a heavy borrower, and
the banking department was never
forced to write letters of complaint AS
a private citizen and public official he
respected the law. He bought stocks,
but not In joint arrangement with the
president. He simply made use of the
cashier, an old personal friend. as al
medium of communication with the
brokers. The bank failed but Senator
Quay does not owe it single red cent.
What is more, the bank paid in full
every dollar deposited by the state, and
not a single, solitary depositor has lost
dollar. Yet he has been charged with
crime. Political enemies have hauled
him into court. and he is denounced by
his prosecutors as the personification OF
all that Is evil. We say that 1t Is out
rageous. and we iool, to the trial to re-
veal to the public the whole story of a
6astardly political conspiracy.
Judge Gordon. who was reversed
time after time by the supreme court
aud who was n politician rather than q
Judge, Is mentioned in the petition to
the supreme court rs an instigator OF
the prosecution. The trial should show
the truth or falsity OF this statement
Judge Gordon was q candidate for the
nomination for governor. with the In
dorsement and backing of John Wan
amaker TIE Wanamaker bargain
counter craftsmanship was agreeable
to the attempt to deliver Pennsylva-
MIA over to the Democrats in this crit
ical year cf the nation. Judge Gordon
knew all about the affairs OF the Peo-
rle's bank. II is believed that he had
access to the papers and letters upon
which the prosecution is based. and
that this fact win be proved. The bank
failed in March. II Judge Gordon
really believed that crime had been
committed 1t was his hounden duty tn
call the attention of the district at
terney to the matter. He did no such
thing. Mr.. Graham was Kept in ignor
ance OF banl. matters. and 1t was not
until October, Just before the election.
that some persons who have not had
the courage to reveal their identity
communicated with the district attor-
ney. The latter apparently grasped at
the opportunity to further the scheme
to destroy Quay. and the warrants
were issued. The district attorney
went before the grand jury. So fiinsy
were the charges that. in spite of Mr..
| Graham's presence. but IL out Of 20
| jurors could be obtained to support
| them. The change of a single juror
| would have discarded the bills. 1t was
apparently the intention of Judge Cor
! don to sit upon the bench and rule upon
| the denlurrers Had he done SO he