Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-10-21


to Give Him Chance to Answer Before
the Election-The Flimsy Character Of
the Testimony-The Evidence That the
Whole Thing Is the Last Effort Of Con-
spiracy of Disappointed Office Seekers,
Similar to the MOrey Letter Forgery
Against Garfield.
Philadelphia, Oct. 15.-One Of the
most sensational political bombs since
the Morey forgery against Garfield was
exploded here this week with what
promises to be a very similar effect
allude to the charges made against
Senator Quay, his son, r. r. Quay, ex-
State Treasurer b. ]. Haywood, and
Attorney Charles H. Mckee.
People who are intelligent enough to
read have become so used to whole
sale and reckless charges against can
dldates in the last days of political
campaigns that when such allegations
are made too late to be tried out be-
fore the election they are discredited
at the outset, and voters demand
abundant proof before treating them
otherwise than with contempt 1t is
but an unbiased statement of fact to
say that these charges have fallen fiat.
This is the common talk among law
yers and business men who are famil-
lar with banking methods.
An examination of the columns Of
several Of the daily newspapers Of this
city and vicinity would indicate a diff
ferent state of feeling. but the relation
between some of these papers and all
matters of publicity in which Mr.. Wan
amaker is supposed to have an interest
are peculiar. If Catlline had run a
big department store in Philadelphia
az an annex to his conspiracy in Rome,
and spent literally for advertising,
Cicero's denunciation Of him would
never have been heard of by the read
ers of these journals, and instead Of
being banished from Rome Catiline
might have posed to the end of his days
as a royal purple patriot and a leading
business man.
Yet, as an example of how this boom
erang prosecution strikes an editor
who, although friendly to Mr.. Wanna
maker, and openly supporting Swallow,
has some regard for the truth and for
his own fame as one of the great po-
lltical editors of the country, read this
editorial utterance from the pen of
| Colonel A. x. Mcclure in the Philadel-
phla Times of yesterday morning. He
says:
Senator Quay has been helped rather
than hindered in his great battle by a
prosecution instituted too late to be
determined before the election, when
all the facts relied upon to incriminate
him were as we'll known to the as yet
hidden prosecutors months ago as they
are today. In this age of universal
schools and newspapers personal de-
famation and political prosecutions
which must be tried after the political
contest is over, carry no conviction to
the people of honesty of purpose or de-
votion to law and an honest public
policy"
When the first proclamation of the
charges was made, with the informa-
tlon that the whole police machinery
| of the city and county was thought to
be so unequal to serving the warrants
that they had been put in the hands
of the Pinkertons-a body of men so
obnoxious that a bill was introduced in
the legislature not long ago forbid
ding their employment in this state
public interest was worked up to a
high pitch. Nervous women who had
| relatives in the army might well trem-
BILE at the prospect that the district at
torney might yet call the troops back
into the field, i'm order to have the war
rants served upon these desperate mel
at the point of the bayonet. When II
was announced, apparently by author
ity, that the district attorney was about
to mount a guard, armed with a rifle
and two revolvers, at the vault con
taining the evidence, there was a nat
ural curiosity to hear some of thi:
precious evidence. When the first de-
PENDANTS were arraigned the magis-
trate's room was thronged almost tC
suffocation.
That was last week This week
when Mr. Haywood was arraigned
only a corporal's guard Of lounger'
about police headquarters retained
curiosity enough to attend. The peo
pie had digested the samples of wha
the district attorney calls evidence
and rated 1t at what II was worth. TIL,
great sensation didn't last long enough
to be even a nine days wonder. Tn,
tone of the state newspapers CORE
spends with this situation, and tn,
comments of hundreds of men wht
have been honestly opposed to Sena
! lOI NludNf Uul WAO ut6DlSG dhSdbElId
tion of character as a campaign
weapon, accords with It, The reason
of this is not hard to find. 1t is no
that the people Of Pennsylvania ar
willing to cloak guilt in any man, or t,
permit any station, however high, o.
any past services, however great, L
check the machinery of justice.
But the common sense Of fair mind
| Cd a aaf
of the courts turned over to any Do
litical faction to be used as an instru
ment of personal spite and disappointe,
ambition.
For justice. all place a temple, an,
all season summer"
But, the only temple in all this cit,
which suited the purpose of this prose
cution, into which to take a senate
of the United States, was the com
mon police court, where the odoriferou
drunk and the greasy Vagrant hav
their daily morning hearings. and in a.
this long summer. during which al
the books and papers were In the hand
OF the assistant district attorney. Their
was no seasonable date for beginning
this prosecution until just a few day
too late to be tried before the election
} It may be only coincidence that dur
ing all these months OF silence the dis
trict attorney, after is consecutiv
years In office, expected to be agaii
renominated, and that the suits wer
Instituted shortly after he was notifie
by Republican leaders Of all faction
that they would not challenge an up
rising Of the church and fireside vot