The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-09-05

tature the convention was between
the devil and the deep sea, for to
condemn the Legislature would be,
i'll fact, to condemn itself and to
approve it would be to stand sponsor
for the most outrageously corrupt
legislative body that ever assembled
ON this continent. 1t was a serious
problem whether it would be best
to ignore the last legislature, or to
condemn it as the public has already
done, or to stand up and brazenly
declare that it was good. After
discussing the mater it was decided
to stand responsible for its acts,
corrupt as they were, for how could
Harris go before the people as a
candidate for State Treasurer if the
convention should condemn the
Legislature in which he was one of
the most subservient tools and
whose vote was always cast as the
machine dictated.
To endorse or not to endorse was
indeed a serious problem. The en-
dorsement was a brazen attempt to
fool the people into believing that
the work of the last session was
good while every intelligent man
in the State knows better. Not to
have endorsed would have been a
hypocritical play of pretending to
condemn its own corruption. The
convention chose to endorse and
thereby practically says: II the
people ofthe state will consider they
will cordially endorse treachery,
bribery and perjury when they are
committed in the Legislative halls Of
Pennsylvania and done to aid the
personal interests Of machine lead
erS.
So anxious was the convention to
endorse the machine Governor that
it went SO far as to admit wrong
doing on the part OF the machine
Legislature in order to justify his
vetoes. 1t praises him for reducing
eXtravagant appropriations.
1t is indeed a most wonderful
platform and it is not surprising
that it has been the subject of rid
icule and contempt not only in
Democratic papers but Republican
organs as well from the Atlantic to
the Pacific. One Republican paper
refers to it as an example of inspired
idiocy, while another declares that
"a community armed with ballot
that should endorse such platform
by electing the ticket of the con-
vention guilty of it would deserve
to be ruled III perpetuity by its
dullest rogues.
The clause which congratulates
the people Of Pennsylvania that
there is no longer any division in
the Republican party; that harmony
has been restored, ETC., would be
amusing if it were not so stupid.
The convention that can point
with pride to perjury, bribery and
treachery, could not be expected
to acknowledge that the ablest
papers of the State, many of the
ablest leaders and large following
OF the most intelligent voters of the
party are in open revolt against the
gang that dominates its party policy
and more determined than ever be-
fore to drive it from power.
The question now before the peo.
pie and if they believe in honesty,
truth and fairness in the affairs of
government and condemn fraud,
treachery, bribery, perjury and
robbery there can be no doubt as to
the result. The last Legislature
was admittedly one of the most cor.
rupt legislative bodies that ever
cursed the earth, and to elect the
Republican ticket this fall is to ell.
dorse this Legislature because the
Republican platform upholds it.
The people of this Commonwealth
certainly have to much sense to EN-
dorse SO corrupt body.