The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-22
JOHN wANAMAKER Is SORE.
Acquittal a Disappointment to Every
Lover of Justice.

Philadelphia, April 21-John Wana-
maker made the following statement in
regard to the acquittal of ex-senator
/ Quay and the latter's appointment by
the governor as United States sena-
! tor:
The acquittal of Senator Quay viii
be a disappointment to every lover of
justice and every friend of good gov
eTnment throughout tho United States.
1t records with emphasis the difficulty
OF convicting potent political people
charged with crimes, no matter how
clear and cQnvincingly overwhelming
the evidence may be.
The story of the corrupt use and
speculation in public money in Penn
sylVania is an old one, and has been q
matter of notorious accusation against
a long line of SKATE treasurers and no
litical bosses for many years. Mr.
Quay himself has been again and again
accused of participation in treasury
iobbing by the newspapers of this and
ether states. Heretofore, however, the
basis of these accusations largely con-
sisted of oral testimony, and Of allie
cations by present opponents
The case which terminated today,
unlike previous accusations, was found
ed exclusively upon documentary proof
in his own handwriting. and that of
his friends and cOnfederates. The evil
dence of the guilt did not depend on
the Veracity of any man or men, but
was supported exclusively by his own
letters and by written entries and
statements. recorded by his trusted
friends and supporters,
From the day the prosecution
against him was instituted until the
verdict was recorded. he has sought by
every device to delay and obstruct the
way of the state officers TO produce
written evidence of his misdoing and
to bring him to trial for the offense.
The verdict of the lower court on the
eve of the day when it was first set
down for trial in an extraordinary writ
issued by the supreme court was sue
cessful in taking the prosecution away
from the management of former Dis
trict Attorney Graham, whose zeal and
effectiveness had been shown by eigh-
teen years continual service.
The same efforts 80 prevent a fun
exposition Of his acts as d public Off
cial and his connection with the pri-
vate use of public money, marked
every step in the extraordinary line of
defense which his skillful attorneys
adopted during his trial in resisting
the Jealous efforts of District Attrney
Rothermel to introduce all the incul-
paunS evidence IN POSSESSION OF the
commonwealth. By technical objec-
tion, he excluded the evidence offered
to snow that during his term as state
treasurer, he was paid interest on state
deposits, and also the receipt of inter-
est by subsequent treasurers, charged
in the bill of Indictment as being con-
spirators with him in crime, and fin
ally failed to take the stand in his own
defense and submit himself to cross
examination upon the charge made.
The red book kept by his trusted
friend Mr.. Hopkins, which set out the
history of the treasury corruption, was
overwhelmingly corrOborated. and its
veracity established ny testimony and
admission of his friend, Mckee, and by
the signature of his friend and code
fendant, 3. ]. Haywood.
Notwithstanding ali this proof
emanating exclusively from the lips
and pens of himself and his closest
friends and in the face of his own
silence and failure to testify to his
innocence he was acquitted.
This is a new chaper of shame for
Pennsylvania, a new record of failure
in the administration of justice that
viii do much to encourage corruption-