The Portland daily press., 1899-04-22
JOHN WANAMAKER Mad.
Philadelphia Issues
Statement,
Says Aequittal Of Quay Will Be
Disappointment.
Argues The Case Over
Again.
Calls Quay's Verdict A Techni.
cal One.

Philadelphia, April ai.-Johu wana.
IL aker tonig ht made the following state
ment:
The aoquittal Of Senator Quay will be a
disappointment to every lover of justice
and every friend of good government
throughout the United States. II records
with emphasis the difficulty of convicting
potent political defendants charged with
public crime, 20 matter how clear. con-
vincing and overwhelming the evidence
may be.
1.-THE story of the corrupt use and
speculation in public money in Pen nsyl-
vania Ia an old one, and has been nat
ter of notorious accusation against long
line OF state treasureIs and politioarbosses
for many years.
"Mr. Quay himself has been again and
again accused of participation In treasury
jobbing by the newspapers of this and
other states with circumstantial detail.
Heretofore, however. the basis for these
accusations largely consisted Of oral testi-
mony and of allegations by political op-
ponents. The case which terminated to-
day, however, unlike previous accusations
was founded exclusively upon document
ary proof In his own handwriting and
that of his friends aud confederates. The
evidence of his guilt did not depend upon
| the veraoity nf any man or men, but was
supported exclusively by his own letters
and by written entries and statements re-
corded by his trusted friends and sup
porters. From the day the prosecution
against him was instituted until the YER :
diet was recorded, he has sought by every
device to delay and obstruct he efforts of
the componwealth's officers to produce
| the written evidence of his misdoings and
| to bring him to trial for his ofienses. The
removal of the case from the lower court
on the eve of the day when IL was first set
| down for trial by an extraordinary Wit
| issued by the Supreme court which that
court subsequently dismissed. was sue
cessful in taking the prosecution away
| from the management of former district
attorney Graham. The same efforts to
prevent full exposition of his acts as a
| public official and his connection with
| the private use OF the public money,
marked every step In the extraordtn airy
line of defense which his skilful attorney
adopted during his trial in resisting the
/
torney Rothermel to Introduce all the in
culpating evidence in possession OF the
| com monwealth. By technical objection
he excluded the evidence offered to show
that during his term as state treasurer,
he was paid interest on state deposits and
also ths receipt OF interest by subsequent
| treasurers charged in the bill of indict-
ment as being co .conspirators with him
| in crime and finally failed 10 take the
| stand In his own defense and submit MIN
self to discrimination upon the
| charges made. The red book, Kept py
his trusted friend, MIR. Hopkins, was
over whelmingiy corroborated and Its
verify esta blished by the testimony and
admission of his friends nj. Z. kee and
| by the signature of his friend b. j. Hay
wood. Notwithstanding all this proof,
emanating exclusively from the lips and
the pens of himself and his closest friends
and in face of his own silence and failure
| to testify tu his innocence, he was &C
| quilted.
| This Is a new chapter of shame for
| Pennsy'vauia, a new record OF failure In
| the administration of justice that Will 90
much to encourage corrupt1onists sno
public plunderers generally throughout
the country. The hrst shout OF denant
exultation over his acquittal has pru'
ceeded from the governor of the common
wealth. who has promptly appointed him
| u United States Senator without authori.
| ty and in violation of law and in defiance
of the will of the people as expressed by
the votes of the legislature. Ii Is fitting
in every way that the capstone should
have bean thus put upon the edifice OF
boss rule and machine Jobbery by the
| Quay representative In the governor 4
chair. The people will thus see clear
| ly, 1t Is to be hoped, the reckless disre-
gard of right and decency of public
morality and political purity that ohatac.
| ipfyane had
In ofiica IN Pennsylvania.
"But friends of good government
| should not despair. There are other in
dictments undIsposei of still hanging
over Quay and Whatever may be their
fate, even though 1t should be technical
ncquittal, the contest against the degrad'
| ing forces, practices and principles which
Quay and his machine represent, will be
carried on until justice and right, morali'
| ty and honesty shall triumph. Inc
| friends of good government Will re.enlls'
| in this warfare today and must continue
unrenittingly.and untinchingly the strife
| against all wrong doing and wrong doers
in any party and in all parties, regardless.
of temporary set-backs or defeats unti
treasury jobbers shall be driven from
| official power in ths commonwealth. To
days verdict settles nothing but the fate
| Of the single bill of Indictment upon
which MIR. Qnay was tried. Ine facts o.
the treasury speculation and jobbery
-lioited in his trial, and wholly un
answered by him or any other witness,
cannot be effaced by the surprising yer.
dict of today. They must DO iterated ant
reiterated and laid bare in all theil
hideous detormity before the people 81
that a verdict In accordance with th,
truth may be reached by that larger jur'
before whom the special pleading of at
torneys and the stolid silence of the ac
oused will be unavailing Qnay has go'
his technical verdict, but the trial of cor
ruptionists and public piunderers vii
still go on