Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-04-27
For the People TO Judge.

The result Of the Quay trial has
good many aspects. The friends OF
Quay viii claim it a vindication' OF
course. and the opponents viii look at
it as a miscarriage Of justice, and be
tween the two the great mass Of public
opinion will be divided on these lines
With that fact in view it is an idle
task to argue on the point whether the
verdict is according to the evidence, IN
expectation Of changing any person
estimate Of the result
Viewed simply as a trial the most
unsatisfactory aspect of the case was
the haste with which the case on both
sides was closed after the election for
Senator had finally failed. There Is an
air about this as if both sides had been
dragging along to get the trial beyond
the adjournment and then were ready
to let it 20 to a jury in almost any
shape. Perhaps it Is merely coinci-
dence: but if it is more than that both
sides are about alike in that respect.
Leaving entirely to legal experts the
question whether the verdict was ac-
cording TO the evidence; even accepting
the prima facie aspect, that so much OF
the evidence az counsel for the defense
were unable 70 keep from the jury did
not warrant a verdict Of guilty, the
question remains, what is there in the
case for the people? Six months ago
the charges were published that large
deposits Of State funds were made IN
the Peoples Bank. TO be used by Senator
Quay; the documentary evidence was
produced: and the public view was that
unless those charges were refuted and
the documentary evidence shown 10 the
bogus the Senator would stand convict
ed before the people Of using State funds
for his private purposes We under
stand the declaration to be made on
his part that this was the way IN which
the charges would be met.
The actual line Of defense presents
striking contrast to that expected ref
utation One Of the principal bulwarks
of the defense was in excluding con
siderable number of transactions under
the statute of limitations This Is an
undoubted legal right; but does 1T
strengthen a public mans case before
the people, that he is able to shut out
the proof of what he has done in past
years? Another theory Of the defense
was that the money Of the State, de-
posted in bank. became bank funds,
which is a legal refinement not calcu-
lated to obfuscate the public perception
thai the State money was turned into
bank funds, in order that funds for the
operations Of the Quay family could be
furnished The fact remains that the
vital parts Of the charges Of last fall
were proved in court The deposit Of
State funds is undisputed; the large
loans to Senator Quay without interest
are not contradicted; the deposit of an
extra 800, 900 Of State money in order
that loan for r. r. Quay might be
carried was proved beyond question.
About the only impoi tant allegation
that was seriously met by the defense
was the one relating to the payment Of
interest by the bank to leading poll
ticians; and that was only met by dog
matte contradiction Of the authenticity
OF the entries in the red book.
The question for the people to answer
in regard to this case is whether the
facts that are demonstrated. that are
even uncontradicted. show an honest
careful administration Of the State
Treasury for the benefit Of the people
No honest and intelligent man will be
able to find more than one answer to
that question.-Dispatch.
OUR exports last year were valued at
over a billion and our imports at half
that