The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-20

The report Of the senate committee on
privileges and elections on the exclusion
of Senator Quay from the seat to which
a complaisant governor appointed him has
now slept a sleep like unto death for
many weeks. The majority of that COM
mittee decided against the right of Quay
to the seat he claims, but the majority
vote was secured only through the defee-
ton from his Republican brethren of Sem
ator Burroughs of Michigan, and it's
adoption has not been looked forward to
with anything like enthusiasm by those
who believe that the celebrated corrup-
zionist has no right to be admitted to
the body.
1t is quite time that some action was
taken on the matter. If Quay is to be
allowed his seat it should be made known.
The country is interested; and in this
respect the country differs somewhat
from Senator Quay, whose recent inter-
view represents him as not giving the
matter any thought whatever. This in
difference on his part, however. he has
been at pains to declare Is wholly the
result of his conviction that at is all
right
If the senatorial ma jority gives Quay
the seat in dispute there will be another
admirable Illustration given of the wis
dom of the aid adage as to the OK which
was gored The constitution will once
again he made to do the work of the i'm
perialist crowd. Corruption In Montana
will probably be effecuvely rebuked, while
In Pennsylvania 1t viii receive the recog-
milton which a long period Of sovereignty
would seem to warrant for it. Roberts
and Clark are Democrats; Quay a Re-
publican of the Republicans. The latter
is a political artist of high rank; the
other two mere novices. The constitution
was stretched to the farthest tension in
order to preserve the sanctity Of the house
against invasion by the wicked man from
Utah. The door was banged In his face,
and he was apprised, against all known
presidents, that, constitution or no con-
gtitution, he would never be permitted to
defie the sacred precincts of the popular
branch of the national legislature.
And now it comes to pass that in the
event of Mr.. Quay's admission the wicked
Mormons of Utah propose to eject Mr..
Roberts to the senate. This is no doubt
done On the assumption that a body which
admits to its membership ON so flimsy a
claim of right as that put forward by
the minority Of the committee on privi-
ieges and elections a man whose name is
the synonym of public immortality is none
too decent a body to exclude the much
married Roberts. But the Republican
majority in the senate is composed not
only mostly of aged statesmen, but Of
astute politicians, who are not wholly I'M
familiar with the gamblers phrase Of
playing both ends against the middle
the both ends in this case being Demo-
cratic, of course.
All obseryant citizens will watch with
interest the disposition made of the cases
of Clark and Quay. respectively They
are, SO far as the methods thought most
successful by their friends and themselves
in politics are concerned, birds of a
featner. In party politics they of course
stand at opposite ends of the feathered
creation; and when the senate is con-
fronted with the need OF preserving its
own dignity and the purity of senatorial
elections, 1t is just possible that it may
find considerable difference in the cases
or tho two men.