The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1901-02-13
TO OVERTHROW
Finn RULE
Business Men of Pittsburg Demand
Help From the Legislature.
THE REFORM SHAM EXPOSED
Leading Citizens Tell of the burdens
That Have Fallen Upon Them ns
the Result oC Machine Domination
and Ask Passage Of the "Rippcr"

the Result ot Mnchinc DOMINATION
and Ask Passage of the "Rippcr"
BuI.
Especial Correspondencel
Philadelphia, Feb. l2-Led by the
chamber of commerce and the board Of
trade OF the East Side, citizens Of
| Pittsburg are now engaged in deter
mined struggle to relieve the govern
ment OF that city Of control by the
| political machine Of which Senator
/ William Finn is the acknowledged
/ boss. Senator Finn, as leader of the
/ insurgent movement in state politics,
recently suffered defeat in the bitter
| struggle to prevent the reelection Of
/ Col. NJ. S. Quay to the United States
| senate. In his campaign against the
leaders Of the Republican organization
/ Finn made loud and frequent profess
sions of reform, and he and his agents
went about the state posing as repre-
sentatives of all that was good and
pure in politics.
/ CITIZENS ARE AROUSED.
Now that Films neighbors have un-
dertaken to deprive him of the polit-
| ical power which has been his main
source Of revenue for years Finn is
seen in new light by the people of
/ the state.
There has been introduced at Harris
| burg a bill granting new charters TO
| Pittsburg, Allegheny City and Scran-
| ton. To satisfy the demands of citi-
zens Of Pittsburg, who wish an oppor-
| tunity TO elect a mayor without inter-
ference or dictation from the 5000 Of
ficeholders and employees Of contractors
in the Finn combine. a provision has
been introduced in this new charter
bill which is known as the ripper
This bill provides that the governor
shall appoint the first mayor under the
new charter, who shall hold office for
about a year, before the mayor TO be
elected by the people shall be chosen.
This arrangement will prevent the
present Pittsburg ring from having
absolute control of the nomination and
election of the first charter mayor o.
for the full term
QUAY FOR REFORM.
Advocates of reform in Pittsburg
have appealed to Col. NJ S. Quay and
other Republican leaders in the state
| 10 help them secure the desired rip
| per" legislation. Last week Col. Quay
sent a telegram from Florida to AttOr-
ney General Elkin, in which he said:
II am much improved in health and
will go north within the next ten days.
"I want my friends TO stand by me
and pass the charter bill, because the
| people interested in good government
demand it. NJ. S. QUAY"
FLINN RULE EXPOSED.
There was an interesting session be-
fore the senate committee on munich
pal affairs at Harrisburg when busi-
ness men. manufacturers and others
| rom Pittsburg were heard in support
of the ripper" bill. The only oppo-
nents of the measure were officehold-
ers or other benefiCiaTies under the
Finn regime. One of the most nota-
BILE speeches before this committee was
made by Charles s. Crawford, a well
known citizen of Pittsburg and mem-
ber of the East Side board of trade,
who reviewed the delegation present
to protest against the ripper"
Among other things he said:
THE individual testimony of the
Pittsburg councilmanic committee, al
though relevant, should be given no
weight. A glance at the personnel Of
that committee will be sufficient to
show to you the probable biasness of
their arguments John A. Murphy Is
the law partner of Representative
George NJ Hosack, whose close af-
filiations with the insurgent leader is
known by every person present. w.
II. McCleary has for a long time been
oil hn
leader and is an ex-sheriff. John Up
perman presented to councils last June
the resolution which ousted the direc-
tor of public works. John Benz has
been closely connected with all legis-
lation proposed and instigated by the
insurgent boss. George S. Fleming is
widely known as a close adherent to
any principles advanced by the insur-
gent leader. w. A. Magee is a brother
of the Hon. c. A. Magee. And | might
here add that 1t has been the feeling
of great many people in Pittsburg
that, had it not been for the unfor-
tunate and severe bodily illness Of
Hon. c. A. Magee for the past three
years, the causes and complaints that
have given rise to the ripper bill
would not have had this elimination.
Kirk Q. Bingham is the member Of
common council VINO few years ago
attempted to saddle upon the city a
hillside in the Thirty-second ward for
park purposes, having been turned
down through the Intervention of Hon.
John ]. Sweeney and others. Mr.. Bing-
ham within the past year has endeav-
ored, after laying out part of the
property in lots and cutting a tier Of
lots from the whole, to saddle on the
city the remaining portion o. the prop
erty at the enormous price OF S32 900,
when in reality the property would
hardly sell for $4,000.
"0f Mr. Semmelrock and Mr. Splain
but little can be said, except that they
are known to be closely allied with in
surgent movements.
PITTSBURG'S BAD GOVERNMENT.
81 have no delicacy in telling you
that the government of Pittsburg is
needlessly expensive and generally
condemned 1t is inefficient and its
methods bring the worst voters to the
| polls and largely Tepel the most wor-
| thy. Our city government for the past
| ten years has been so administered as
to be generally regarded as discredit-
| able to an American citizen and
scandal to our republican system. Our
municipal affairs have been so largely
controlled by one man for his personal
| aggrandiZement that unselfsh devotion
to public interests is discouraged, and
very few men have the heart or cour-
age to oppose the selfish ruler.
Under our present form Of govern
ment official malfeasance is a common
offense, and our people are familiar
with official connivance in the matter
Of the purchase Of real estate for pub
lie improvements. The present admin
istration and the controlling power
back Of It have made and developed a
! Generalization and corruption in pol