Gilpin observer., 1901-01-31

shocked by The suggestion except gentlemen VINO
profit by conduct like Washburn's But one
seriously proposed putting him to death. In some
ways we are surprisingly law abiding people.
Law abiding, indeed! Mr.. McEwen,
you knew when you wrote that para
graph that you We're melting people at
Harrisburg to lynch Washburn, and
you depended on the seductiveness of
your style to accomplish your purpose.
but the Republicans of Pennsylvania
are even meaner spirited set than
you thought; so Washburn still breathes
the free air of heaven, and, while it
will take good deal of the space of
this letter, propose to quote from Mr..
McEwen marvellous picture of the
degeneracy of Republican Pennsylva-
mia. 1t is worthy of place in every
scrapbooli in the land. AS an argu-
ment by indirection l have never seen
its equal anywhere.
Remedy For bribery.
Nobody questioned that Washburn had been
bIibed. The man who should have expressed doubt
on that point would have been laughed at or
fallen under suspicion of being a Quay worker,
with turn for ostentatious hypocrisy. How much
Washburn got for rafting to the side which he
fought at the last session debated with inter
est. Ten thousand dollars seemed to be generally
considered his price.
OF course | do not know that wastburn was
bribed. | do not know that he has slept since
coming to Harrisburg. l do not know that Mr.
Quay has taken a drinl; since The new century
was ushered in, or during the nineteenth century,
for that matter / never saw Mr. Quay take a
drink, or Mr.. Andrews bride anybody, or Mr.
Sllter stuf ballot box, or Mr. Ashbridge pocket
rake of from AAclt-McNichCl contract but |
tlaI f.,T ittrtal
men for murder On no stronger circumslantial
evidence OF guilt than exists i'll the case OF Wash
burn and Washhurn is in the same boat exactly
as Gre the other pledge breakers. WHO, since conf
ing TO Harrisburg, the air OF which IL laden with
the stencil OF corruption, have gone over to Quay
and on whom honest men turn scorniul backs
Assuming that WashbuTn bribcd, assuming
that this parson who before his election to the leg
islatuTe had salary of $500 year could not resist
the dazzling price of $4,000 for his virtue, his
self respect, his standing among man, who gave
him the money? 1t is asserted that during the
past two years Mr.. Quays efforts to regain his
seat in the senate have cost about three-qrarters
OF million. Cost whom2 Not Mr.. Quay GER
tsnly. Behind the Quay machine is another ma
chine of privilege seeking and privilege enjoying
wealth-the Standard Oil company, the railroad
companies, the sugar trust, the brewers, the oleo
uust This other machine has for the Quay
machine at Harrisburg and FOR Mr.. Quay in the
United States senate. 1t is not necessary to in
ouire further where the money came from to
blibe Washburn, il he bribed.
1t might easily happen that the election OF a
senator would depend upon vote, the
ganization Of the state senate did upon wash
burns The people would be expected to ac
quiesce in such election, though they knew it
to have been procured by bribe. None would
be more nsistent upon the peoples submission
than the men who gave the bribe, the opulent
and cmincntly respectable men of the corpora
submission in the of respect for the law,
which Lad been grossly violated by them when
they bought the deciding vote, and would
b. more startled and Mortified than they by the
hanging of Washburn.
Yet the hanging OF Washburn, though crime,
would be infinitely less dangerous TO civiliza
tion, to American institutions, than the crime of
bribing Washburn.
The hanging of Washburn would be In open de-
fnnce of the law, necessarily SO, since a man can
Eerdly be lynchsd in privacy, whereas a senator
ship can be purchased at Harrisburg without any
body knowing it who has interest in exposing
the legal proofs of the crime Bribery, the crime
most deadly in its effects upon government, can
be and habitually is practiced With impunity, and
the men who furnish the money to buy legislators
retain their sense OF respectablity unimpaired
a. 9, fancy that by deploring what they call the
= ity for their turptude and despising the
nee..y wrctches who sell themselves they make
moral atonement-
We are governed here by the criminal rich and
the criminal poor, and bosses like Andrews arr
the bridges over which the two pass TO meet AMI
do business. Out OF respect for the forms OF law
the rest Of US are required 10 yield obedience TO
purchased results embodied in elections to the
senate and in legislation which affects our lives,
our liberties and our p.operty.
So at the opening of the new century
we have this strange condition of af-
fairs: Governor McSweeney of South
Carolina proudly boasting that there
has not been lynching in that good
old Democratic state during the past
year, and Mr.. Arthur McEwen, the
brilliant editor aforesaid, openly advo-
Republican state of
Pennsylvania, for Parson Washburn
was not the only Republican statesman
whom he put in the pillory. And yet
the Republicans boast that they con-
stitute the party of purity and sweet
ness. Why do not such men as Mr.
McEwen and John Wanamaker come
out boldly and openly and join the
Democratic party? 1t is the only SEN
sible thing for them to do-the only
practicable plan for cleansing the pO-
ntlcal AuScan STAPLES at liarrisourS.
senator Dubois.
Democrats, Popullsts and Free Silver
ties everywhere will extend hearty
congratulations to Hon. Fred T. Dubois
of Idaho on his election to the senate
for the full term of six years. Also
great many people who are not Demo-
Gratis, Populists or Free Silverites will
congratulate him. for the average
American citizen admircs courage. ei-
ther moral or physical, and values hon
esty of purpose. Nobody personally
acquainted with him rejoices at the
political downfall Of Senator Shoup.
for he is one Of the most amlable OF
mortnls. but Dubois deliberately took
his political life In his hands when In
the senate before he pnrted company
with the Republicans as n matter OF