The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-01-17
The Boilers Assault on the Senate,
From the PhIIadeIphIa InauIrsr.

The Senators of the United states
are now getting a taste OF the methods
that have been employed In Pennsyl-
vania to overawe and browbeat the
people. The somewhat remarkable
speech of Senator Hoar on Thursday
unquestionably voiced the sentiments
Of many of his colleagues. Letters at
tacking the character and political
standing of Senator Quay have been
dumped by the cartload upon the desks
of the Senators until the thing has got
to be nuisance. Senator Hoar stood
Il as long as he could, aud then he very
wisely and in a public manner inform
ed those who are assailing Quay that
they are no better than ballot-box
suffers. They are asking him to vote
against the seating Of Quay because
they do not like him and because they
want some one else. some one wholly
agreeable to David Martin, the political
highwayman, "Bill'i Finn, the politi'
cal contractor, a millionaire aspirant
or so for political honors and a few de-
luded mortals, who think that all polit-
zeal virtue in Pennsylvania reyolves
around a combination OF ex-hallot- box
suffers. political contractors aud mill
lionaire aspirants for honors which the
people could not possibly be esjoled
into giving them.
In all political history there never
was such man-hunt, the flag ends Of
which the Senate is now eognizant of
officially. The contest against Quay
is one Of money, hypocrisy and inor-
dinate ambition, an ambition that
stops at nothing. For four years Quay
hss been fought because he would not
put his faith in political hypocrisy and
because he preferred to stand by friends
and to face corrupt political asssassins
and defy them. The fight against
Quay has brought into Pennsylvania
the most stupendous corruption that
could be imagined. 1t has been found
ed upon corruption and the attempted
purchase of men in office. PenrOse
was Obliged to contend against tens
and even hundreds of thousands of
dollars thrown into the field and ham
died by INSCRIPTIONS men. Debauch-
cry on the part Of the anti-Quay and
anti -Penrose 'reformers" ran riot.
Never in all history was there such at
tempted corruption as was brought to
bear against him, and it is to the INDY
ing credit of Pennsylvania Legislators
that they were proof against the cor
rupt methods of Quay haters.
Corruption has been the stock in
trade of the Quay opposition from the
very beginning, and has dared all to
win its way. 1t has pursued Quay as
no man ever was pursued Ii has
charged him with every crime. 1t has
called him an embezzer and thief,
and when he faced his enemies in open
court and twelve men gave verdict
declaring his opponents to be defamers
and triumphantly acquitting him, they
repeated their villainous charges and
hired men to scatter them broadcast.
Men who have grown rich in politics
can always command a certain support
and when millionaires with plenty of
money TO throw away ent,i politics
they can always find plenty Of con-
verts, who will take their money and
shout for anything under the sun as
long as the money holds out. II is not
therefore, that a handful Of
men are able TO food the desks of Sem
atOrs with letters directed against Quay.
Some OF these letters are undoubtedly
honest, for there are gudgeOns every
where who can be played up)n. There
are men who honestly believe that
wealthy but shady political bosses are
leaders 10 be looked up to, and that any
man who may teach Sunday school
one day in the week must Of necessity
be a perfect monument Of political vir-
tue for the other six days. But the
thing has been overdone. When a
man like Senator Hoar rebels, the
methods adopted must have become
exec eedingly obnoxious indeed. We
trust that out of the billingsgate that
has been poured upon the unofending
heads of the Senators of the United
States the suffering Senators will be
able to gain for themselves some faint
idea Of the kind of a campaign that
has been waged against Quay in Penn
sylvania.
When Senator'S are told tGat QIay
has appealed to them on the ground of
poverty, they know better. When they
are told that he has begged them TO
vote for him on the ground of friend
ship, they know that he has not asked
a single one of them to support him.
When they are told that his only hope
Of success is to bribe them outright,
they naturally resent the reflection upon
their own honor, and they just as nat
urally begin TO think that If such stuff
is made use Of to control votes in the
Senate, the falsehoods of a campaign
In Pennsylvania must be something
Naturally, too, they ask,
What does this Qlay opposition amount
to, anyway? Aud then they look at
the figures. When they do this they
find that Quay carried the Legislature
in a contest before the people, aud that
after he had carried it political treach-
cry organized a bolt against him and
kept him from reaping the reward of
his victory. Then, too, they find that
in the late November election Quay
was made the storm centre, aud that
gave not only a trenen-
dous plurality, but great majority,
and that she actually, on the Qlay is
sue, increased her Republican strength.
This being the case, it is but natural
that the cartloads of letters, the result
of organization backed by unlimited
cash, should be swept into the waste
baskets and that Senator Hoar, q man
who can not be bribed nor browbeaten,
should take the floer in angry protest.
Said Senator Hoar, referring to the
letters he has received from Pennsyl-
vania:
"Now, what these gentlemen ask me
to do is, in substance, this: The Senate
is the court or judge of the elections Of
am one of the sworn iudg-