The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1900-01-31

/ publican organization responsible Tor
| the acts of a few men. There was no
occasion for the leaders of the Repub-
| lican organization to encourage or
countenance fraud at the last election
in the Quaker City. The result OF the
election was foregone conclusion.
There was practically no opposition OF
a serious character to the Republican
ticket. Not a single ward in the city
could be placed in the doubtful list.
| There was therefore no reason why
the party managers should seek TO
have false return made.
CONFINED TO THE SLUMS.
1t has been notorious for years, how
ever, that in a few election precincts,
in which the dives of the city are To-
Gated, an evil has existed, which exists
in every large city, where election
frauds were frequently committed.
TlAse frauds are not confined to any
party, but Republicans and Democrats
alike among the inhabitants of the
slums were guilty at various times
of fragrant violations of the election
laws Many times, for the mere mat
ter of supremacy in voting precinct,
without regard to the personality OF
the candidates on the ticket most
reprehensible practices have been re-
sorted to in cooking up" the election
returns. At the last election two
cases, one in the Fifth ward and the
other in the Seventh, resulted in ar
rests of alleged guilty parties. Then
the work of these ballot box suffers
was revealed in all its awful details.
Time and time again have arrests been
made in these localities, and the rec
ords of the courts will show how many
convictions have been made in cases
of violation of the election laws. In
these hotbeds of lawlessness election
frauds are but part of the record of
crime which makes these districts
Stunned by citizens who dare not ven
ture in such localities without po-
liceman as a guide after nightfall. The
question of protecting the sanctity of
the ballot in these districts is no more
important a problem than is the pro-
lection of the lives and the property OF
the law abiding residents. While there
| may be defects in the ballot law, yet
| the present act can be amended and
reamended, and if fearless, determined
men are not obtainable to go into these
precincts on election day there will
continue to be crimes against the bal
lot, as there have been against life and
property, as long as the slums shall
exist.
Because then of these recent election
| fraud cases the hue and cry has been
raised against the Republican party
and the Republican leaders of Philadel-
| phia by the Democrats and the insur-
gents. They might as well proclaim
the Republican party and the Republic
can leaders as responsible for every
| sandbagging incident, highway rob-
berry or murder that occurs among the
denizens of the dives.
REPUBLICANS WILL PROSECUTE.
The men who are decrying the Re-
publican party do not refer to the fact
that a district attorney. P. F. Rother-
mel, who was the unanimous choice OF
the Republican organization of Phils :
delphia and it's leaders, is now en-
gagged in fearlessly and untiringly
prosecuting the accused men in these
election cases and that the detective
department of the Republican admin
istration of Mayor Ashbridge, strict
Republican organization man, is hum
ing night and day for the men who
after they were arrested, fled from the
city Every Republican newspaper, re-
gardless of the factional interests, has
denounced these election crimes, and
they are all determined that these
election frauds shall cease even among
the depraved of the slums. There are
1,00S election precincts in Philadelphia
and even the most radical reformer
dare not say that the election frauds
are confined to more than certain
class of precincts where it is difficult
to get good men to guard the polls on
election day.
GOV. STONE AND THE FORESTS.
Under Governor Stones administra'
tion great strides are being made in
the movement to protect and develop
the forests of Pennsylvania in the in
terest primarily of the farmers, and
for the preservation of the water ways
of the commonwealth. DR.. J. T. Roth
rock, the state forestry commissioners,
has Just completed the purchase of co.
900 acres Of land, to become a great
reservation for the preservation of the
forests of the state. He says that the
forestry commission has 10000 addi-
tional acres in view, which he hopes
TO secure soon. A large tract of the
new purchase, he states, lies in Centre
and Clinton counties, adjoining the
GiIard and BoudinOt tracts, already
held by the city of Philadelphia, and
affording a continuous stretch of 49,
900 acres of land, 'pledging a perpet-
ual park to posterity and a new life
to the state" DR.. Rothrock, in COM
menting upon this subject, said:
ut is not often that a reformation as
large as this has been accomplished in
the lifetime Of the generation which
started the movement. The forestry
cause, however, is won in Pennsylva-
MIA. 1t is not a question now as to
whether the work of restoring our lum-
bering industries and the normal flow
of water in our streams shall be under
taken, for that is already decided upon.
What we have now to consider is by
what method this work shall be accom-
plished.
"The sole object of this whole work
has been to establish numbering in all
its forms, forever, and at the same
time to secure the influences which for
ests bring to climate, health and water
supply. This, then, is our platform,
using the gifts of God, but not abusing
them.
THE actual work of the Pennsylva-
| ,io forogtor fO1o,y IL, throof,ll Ir;..4