The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1901-02-20
Finn FIGHTS
FOR HIS LIFE
Reform Element in Allegheny
County Appeal to Repub-
lioanS in the State.
RIPPER" PASSED IN SENATE
New Charter Bu Designed TO over
throw the Pittsburg Ring Is Now
Before the Housc Mt Harrisburg
aud n Dig Struggle IL WaGing.

state politics continues 10 be rlNeteu
upon the plans Of the stalwart Repub-
lican leaders to aid the reform element
in Pittsburg to overthrow the iniqui-
tous Finn machine.
The board OF trade and the chamber
of commerce of PittsDurg have been
working for years to bring about re-
forms in the management of municipal
affairs in that city, and they are now
depending upon the regular Republi-
cans at Harrisburg to help them pass
what is known as the ripper" or new
charter bill. This measure, after a
most desperate fight, was passed final
ly in the state senate last week. Finn
led his forces in person, and up to the
very last minute hoped to be able TO
block the bill on third reading. He
and his insurgent and Democratic fol-
lowers resorted to the most desperate
filibustering tactics, and with the as
sistance of the Guffey Democratic or
ganization the Finn combiners be-
lieved they would be able to keep the
bill from getting a constitutional ma
jority in the senate and thus dispose OF
the issue without having to run the
gauntlet of the house.
FLINN SHOWS WHITE FEATHER.
Finn, in a speech made against the
bill. showed the white feather, He re-
ferred to the recent contest on the Uni
ted States senatorship, in which he and
his insurgent followers went outside
the lines of the Republican party, and
with the cooperation of the Democrats
sought to defeat the nominee of the
Republican caucus, the choice of a
large majority Of the Republicans Of
Pennsylvania, for senator, just as he
did two years before, when, by a fu-
sion deal with the Bryanite Democra-
cy, he prevented the election of Re
publican to the senate.
Now that the business men and man
ufacturers and in fact the entire re-
form element Of his home county are
up in arms against him and demanding
that he and his henchmen shall be
driven from their positions Of power,
Finn is pleading with the regular Re
publicans of the state to come to his
rescue and block the plans of the tax
payers Of Allegheny, who have been
obliged to bear the burdens which the
Finn ring have put upon them in their
extravagant and profigate administra-
ton Of public affairs in Pittsburg.
Finn made several speeches in the
fiilibustering movements against the
passage of the bill, in one of which he
referred TO the senatorial contest and
whimperingly declared that when the
vote was taken on that issue he had
supposed that the book was closed"
that the fight was ended and that
there was to be harmony.
Almost everybody In the chamber
smiled when Finn said this, for they
recalled the domineering and defiant
attitude which Finn assumed all
through the last session of the legis-
lature. when. with the insurgents and
the Democrats under his whip, he con-
trolled enough votes to prevent an
election TO the senatorship. They also
had vividly brought to mind the
damnable conspiracy by which the
Finn insurgents had Col. Quay arrest
ed in this city under a trumped up
charge, and how they had hoped to see
him convicted, although there was not
a scintilla Of evidence that he had
wronged a single individual or that in
any business transactions which he had
with the Peoples bank, the bank or
the state had lost a penny.
Finn, with his record of the past
fresh in the minds Of every stalwart
Republican of Pennsylvania, is now
upon his knees a supplicant for mercy,
beseeching the Republicans of the
state to save him from the wrath of
his neighbors.
BOSS RULE DENOUNCED.
A couple of Democrats and one or
two insurgents made weak arguments
in opposition to the passage of the
ripper" after Finn had spoken.
He was confronted, however. by
facts and figures from his fellow citi-
zens which showed the need of a radi-
cal change in the methods of municipal
management in Pittsburg. A letter
was read from r. L. Strawbridge. a
well known attorney of Pittsburg, Sc
verely arraigining the Finn regime
and demanding relief from the legisla.
ture.
Among other things Mr.. Straw.
bridge said:
"If there is a place this side of he'll
that needs reform II is Pittsburg. II
there Is modern stable on earth that
needs to be ripped open and dunged out
by some herculean hand it is the Pitts
burg city hall and the appurtenances
thereto. The stable bosses, hostlers
sponge holders, rubbers, CON men
and lackeys must go to the dump on
the first load in order to allow the
work Of cleaning TO begin.
ut Is the honest truth, there ia a
horde Of harpies, vampires, buzzards
and leeches that swarm around the city
hall and court house, prey upon the
vitals of the city, sap its life blood
and go;Le themselves out of its treas.
ury and franchises that beggars Dor.
trayal. However lurid the picture oil
1t may be, you may rest assured that
1t yet wants coloring, and however
pipe dreamy the story Of their graf
may seem, you can be sure that. like
the stories King Solomon Of ole
heard about the income of the queer
OF Sheba, the half has not been told.
Such men as Nero, CalIgula and 9th
ers who ran things pretty much theiI
own way in the old Rome were milC
and agreeable potentates IN compari
son to the Pittsburg bosses, and fellow.
Ike the rich Croesus and others who
farmed and manipulated the taxes O
that ancient city were simply not OF
TO their Jobs. The gang Of Pittshuri
manipulators comprising the so called
city ring and pay roll crowd are fear
less, unblushing ard relentless, and op-
crate in the open light of MONDAY as
vel as at midnight. They WELD a pow
er as absolute as that Of the czar of all
the Russias. They pull the string
on everything from the ward commit
teemen TO the mayors Pen. They pull
the string wherever q dollar is in sight
They say the dentists have a pull, but
tho tooth carpenters are not two-eleven
beside the bunch that run this town.