The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-08-09

/ even II, after q long and expensive
! process, they are adopted and incorpor-
ated In the constitution, they do not. OF
themselves, effect q reform, but leave
the whole matter dependent upon the
will Of future legislatures which, as all
our experience shows, are little likely
to abate abuses that inure to the profit
Of powerful corporate or private inter-
ests.
Thus we have the Intellectual and
responsible chiefs Of the two divisions
OF the Republican party" remarked
Governor Black, after quoting Col.
Quay at length, "in unison upon this
most important Of all public questions
In our state. Mr.. Quay, after due con-
sideration, magnanimously and une-
quivocally accepts Mr.. Wanamaker's
proposition for an immediate and radi-
cal reform by the only means available.
He not only accepts It, but he pledges
himself and as far as he can, his party
to a fair, non-partsan constitutional
convention bill like that OF 1872. Here
we have the perfect model, the
Buckalew BILL under which as
sembled convention embody-
ing the very highest wisdom and
purest public morality Of the common
wealth, and in which not a partisan
word was uttered from beginning to
end.
CITY MACHINES REBUKED.
what right has any one to doubt
Mr.. Quays sincerity? He is the un-
questioned head of the ruling party In
this state. He cannot afford to palter
with the people, and, in this case it
would be an act of rank and gratuitous
folly. The Democrats OF the nation
have tested the value Of Mr.. Quay's
word on more than one critical occa-
sion when it cost him dearly to keep
1t, and they have never found reason
to regret their trust. Whatever else he
Is or aims to be- he is not faith break
er. He must intend only what he says,
since he voluntarily ties himself down
to an exact and open scheme for an
honest 'non-partisan constitutional
convention for immediate ballot re-
FORM. whereby he doubtless hopes his
party may be relieved from the shame
and scandal Of the present situation
Shall we doubt the sincerity OF great
and responsible leader of the domi-
nant party who has every personal and
party reason for effecting the reform at
the earliest possible moment and who
accepts and indorses the only pOssi-
BILE method Of effecting II as suggested
by his only formidable rival and join
ourselves in tender trust with petty
bosses Of city machines who have
= t,t Anf ha
and who, to that end, talk about ac-
compliShing 1t by acts OF the legisla-
ture, or by futile single amendments.
Mr.. Quays sincerity will probably be
shown in a manner which will put to
shame those who have so indecently
impugned it. Should the authorities OF
his party. its state committee and its
candidates for the legislature pledge
themselves, as he and other responsible
leaders have already done, there will
be no question left. The regular Re-
publican party has the power to pro-
duce the reform for which Mr.. Wana-
maker and Mr.. Quay stand and, mas
much as the 100000 Democrats in the
state are deeply interested IN It. | see
no reason why we should not make IL
unanimous and have at once this fair,
non-partisan constitutional convention
which all sensible people agree Is the
only way out"
At a meeting of the executive COM
mittee of the Democratic Society OF
Pennsylvania. held at Harrisburg last
week, resolutions were unanimously
adopted indOrsing the proposition for
the holding Of a non-partison conyen-
tion.
DEATH BLOW TO FUSION.
The Democratic advocates Of fusion
on legislative tickets in Pennsylvania
were evidently greatly disappointed
at the action of the sound money
Democrats at their national conference
held at Indianapolis last week. These
representative men of the Democratic
party resent Bryan's domination of
their party organization. They are,
of course, unai.erably opposed to the
16 to | declaration on the silver issue
and are determined to stamp out the
radical element in the national Democ-
racy at the coming election. They
wisely concluded not to fritter away
their strength on a third ticket, but
rpSOlVpu u uO ioi
president and vice president. This
leaves every sound money Democrat
free to support the whole Republican
ticket, as most of them will do. There
is to be no half way measures re-
sorted to this time. Every man must
take one position or the other. He
must be either for Bryan and Steven
son and free silver at l6 to | or for
Mckinley and Roosevelt and sound
money.
Thousands of Democrats in the Key !
stone state have determined that the |
only way to wipe out Organism from
their party is to vote the entire Re-
publican ticket this fall. They will
not be content TO vote simply for the
Republican presidential electors. They
know that the Democratic machine of
Pennsylvania is under the absolute
control of James M. Guffey, who Is
Bryan's personal representative in this
state. To vote simply for the Repub-
lican presidential electors and support |
the balance of the Democratic ticket, |
the gold Democrats say, would be
simnly nlaying into the hand of the