Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-09-29
GUTHRIE TURNS
DOWN PENNYPACKER
The Quay Candidates Pittsburg
Speech Reviewed.
FACTS ABOUT THE "RIPPER"
How an Honest Reform Measure
Was Scuttled and the
,fIIi People Betrayed.
RING RULE NOW RESTORED

for governor was speaking under the
auspices of the old ring and tried to
make capital for himself by express
ing sympathy with them In the war
made upon them. At the same time
he condemned the efforts at reform
of the original movement for a new
city charter. A systematic plan has
been pursued to mislead the people
of the state with regard to this matter
In his speech at Connellsville Hon.
George w. Guthrie, Democratic candi
date for lieutenant governor, turned
on the light as follows:
At the last session of the legislature
there was a bill passed which has be-
come known throughout the whole ma
ton as the Ripper bill. l want to tell
you about that bill and what has been
done under, It. The first suggestion of
any such bill came from Harrisburg
in 1897. 1t was dangled before the peo-
pie of Pittsburg as a bait and a prom
1se OF relief from one of the most cor
rupt, arbitrary and brutal rings that
a municipality ever suffered from.
In 1901 it was made the condition of
q
ernment of the city of Pittsburg. From
1898, when the people of Pittsburg had
been made ready, by promises of the
machine, to believe that good laws
would be passed for them, they had
been in session after session, sup
that were necessary for the government
of their city, and session after session
they were sent back disappointed; but
In 1901 they were Informed that they
could have law which would give
them charter satisfactory to them,
but the, sole condition upon which it
was to be passed was that it should be
accompanied with a ripper. The good
citizens of Pittsburg had been suf-
fering under the rule of this ring, and
knew there was no help for them until
they could get charter for their city.
Many of them submitted to the terms,
and bill was taken up for the govern
to them Literally as it was drafted.
All. the Good Cut Out.
When that bill went to Harrisburg
the men in control of the state ma
chine in one night struck out of it
every provision intended for good gov
ernment, which they had intelligence
enough to recognize In that emaScu-
lated form the bill was passed with the
ripper attached to it, and the people
of Pittsburg, who had submitted to the
threat of this ripper as the price which
must be paid for good government,
were given the ripper, and the only
good features in that law left after
they got through with 1t were the pro-
visions which the emasculators did not
have intelligence enough to recognize.
The machine was to control and gov
ern the city until the first election day
under the law The governor put a
man there as recorder of the city, and
the first step which he made to give
the citizens of Pittsburg good, honest
government was answered by an Or
der from Harrisburg removing him.
ernor, reinstated in the city of Pitts
burg with greater power than it had
held under the law which the people
had struggled against so long and
which was so bitter to them; and so,
instead of getting a good charter as
promised, and an honest administra-
ton, they had the ring put back again
in control with greater power than it
ever held.
Governor Stones Postscript.
The governor, when he did that, is
sued proclamation attempting to ex-
plain his act, and he added a post
script in which he said: Il was not
bribed to do this!" Think of it, The
governor of this commonwealth was
obliged by the very act which he was
doing and the circumstances which sur
rounded it to proclaim to the people
that he was not felon, and he is
known today in the city of Pittsburg
as the "P. S. Governor In the whole
political history of this country | do
not believe such another ignominious
act has ever been perpetrated
Now the. distinguished jurist to
whom referred says that the re-
suit of the ripper bill was unfortunate,
that such bin should never have been
passed. In the latter part of his re-
marks | heartily agree with him, but
l go further. | do not say that it was
unfortunate; | say that 1t was criminal
to seize the liberties of the people and
for political support, was treason
against the institutions of our coun-
try l am glad to say that this crime
aroused the hearts of the people of
Pittsburg as nothing else ever has. The
betrayal of their rights, the failure to
a consideration of their submission to
the ripper, the corrupt bargain made
by which their liberties were traded
off aroused them to bitter Indignation
and determination to visit punish
ment upon all concerned In it.
Pennypacker's Dangerous Doctrine.
The Philadelphia Record thus edi-
torially refers to this matter:
From this speech in half-condemna-
tion of the ripper" and in whole con-
demnation of the constitutional provi-
sion in restraint of special legislation
as "monarchical device" the people
of Pennsylvania are justified in making
the inference that the candidate of the
machine If elected governor would not
interfere with the legislative wisdom.
But his Is dangerous doctrine to pro-
claim in these times, much as it is cal
culated to flatter the popular mind. In
recognition of the fact that the major
ity of one day may become a minority
on the next under a government like
ours, the people have imposed constitu-
tional restraints upon the exercise of
their own will. They have thus pro-
tected themselves, their municipal
rights and their institutions against the
caprice or corruption of changing ma
joritfes in the legislature. But such is
the admiration of the machine candi-
date for the wisdom and virtue of the
legislature that he treats as "monar-
chical devices" the provisions of the
constitution of Pennsylvania for con-
fining it's powers within reasonable
and just limits. The citizens Of this