The record-union., 1899-04-22
ACCUSATION AND GUILT AGAIN

ACCUSATION AND GUILT AGAIN.
What the Record Union" predicted
has happened. The prosecution of Quay
collapsed. The defendant went to the
jury with his case without submitting
a scintilla of evidence in his own be-
half He trusted wholly to the facts
drawn from witnesses for the people,
and on them the jury has acquitted
him.
As we have said, we are neither an
admirer nor a champion of Mr. Quay.
His name has rarely been taken up by
US, we have deemed him one of the
sharpest and most practiced of ma
chine politicians, one who makes ends
justify means But when it came to
charging him with using money of the
State deposited in bank in which he
had large interests, we held that it must
be shown to be fact before judgment
could be formed, and that no judg-
ment should be based upon the sensa-
tional stories and lurid charges which
have filled the papers that are in po-
litical opposition to him.
These journals have so diligently Gull
tiyated the public mind that it had
really reached the conclusion that Quay
was guilty; that he had robbed right
without paying interest upon it; that
he had employed his place in the bank
ing concern to conspire with a bank
officer to defraud the State of Penn
sylvania, therefore he ought to be con-
vieted and compelled to wear stripes
and break stone for the remainder of
his natural life. But when these
charges came to trial they were unsup-
ported by proof upon which jury could
convict the veriest sneak thief
In fact, as we said the other day, the
testimony developed that Quay was
really victim of dishonest cashier,
that he had paid every loan advanced
to him, and that he had not used pub
lie money loaned to him without pay
sum and substance of the whole matter.
If Quay had been the veriest Coolle
petty larcenist, Jail bird and a felon,
he could not be convicted in any fair
mind of new crime upon such testi-
mony as was produced against him.
The matter has to US only this value,
namely that it serves to present in. the
strongest possible light the disposition
of which we treated recently to pre-
judge, to convict on charge alone, to
accept accusation as the equivalent of
suilt. This disposition, we averred, is
having such rapid growth under the
tonic influence of the lurid press, that
it has become matter of very serious
concern. Far better that many a guilty
man shall go unpunished, than that
public judgment shall be educated into
the belief that every man accused is
guilty. We must maintain the pre-
sumption of innocence if we are to dis
pense justice as a civilized community,
until indubitable proof establishes guilt.
The story comes from London that
the Filipino Junta in that city has split,
a majority of the members voting to
confer directly with the authorities at
Washington for settlement of matters
in the Philippines, and a minority in
sisting upon absolute independence and
recognition. The four constituting the
majority, it Is reported, have started for
Manila with the hope of bringing about
a personal meeting between AguinaIdo
and Admiral Dewey. There is probably
a good deal of truth in this report 1t
has been known for some time that the
Agoncillo Junta was not harmonious,
and it has been expected that at any
moment there might be a division lead
ing to disruption. If that has already
happened. as is now reported, it is most
significant. and justifies the belief that
the end of the war in the Philippines
may be much nearer than most people
expect
HELPING THE POOR.
| What the Houard Rauavo1ar+ as-o