Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-10-08

"A DANGEROUS CANDIDATE"
A Leading Independent Journals Final
View Of Judge Pennypacker.
h How He Has Offended the
Public Conscience.

Public Conscience.
The Philadelphia Ledger, last June,
welcomed the nomination of Judge
Pennypacker, expressing the utmost
confidence in him. 1t has since closely
observed his extraordinary course,
with increasing evidences of surprise,
pain and disgust. 1t has finally come
10 the reluctant conclusion that his
position is utterly indefensible. and it
pronounces him "A Dangerous Candi-
date" Under that heading. in lead
ing editorial, the Ledger says:
Mr.. Pennypacker has fully justified
his selection as the candidate of the
Quay machine for governor. If there
are disinterested citizens who honestly
believed this his nomination was a
step in the direction of better govern
ment, they must be disillusioned by his
speeches. He not only has proclaimed
that Pennsylvania has no ills;" he
has gone on to maintain that what
considerate public opinion has de-
nounced as crimes were really vir-
tues, and that the reform sentiment
which was supposed to be respected in
his nomination is entitled to no con-
sideration.
In his defense of the last legislative
session, foolish as it is, he shows him
self incapable of recognizing political
crimes that are not denied even by
their perpetrators. Such man in the
office of governor would be far more
serviceable to the schemers whom he
defends and far more dangerous to the
public than a politician with no veneer
ing of respectability We know what
to expect from professional bandit
and can keep watch upon him, but
f.N11 I1 ..,t,1 4 ~
respectable apologist of crime.
Mr.. Pennypackers attitude Is such
that its sincerity can be assumed only
at the expense of his intelligence. If
he is right in his view of the franchise
loot, of the non-existence of legisla-
tive bribery and corruption OF. of bal
lot frauds, then not only most of the
Democrats of the state, but all of that
large body of Republicans who have
been denouncing and striving against
corruption in their party were alto
gether wrong. their criticism of the
state and city administration and of
the conduct OF the party organization
was groundless, and every effort for
political reform stands condemned.
The most insolent and reckless party
politician would not go as far as he
has gone to insult the intelligence and
conscience of the voters to whom he
was expected particularly to appeal.
If Mr.. Pennypacker's attempt to con-
ceal, explain, or minimize what intelli-
gent persons generally have recognized
as fragrant wrongs could be accounted
for by mere innocence, he would still
remain a dangerous person to trust
with official power He would not
know a political crime if he saw it..
But his treatment of state topics in his
campaign speeches has been too in
geniously wrong-headed to be thus ac-
counted for He obscured and evaded
the question of the Pittsburg Ripper"
and, as Mr.. Guthrie has shown, mis-
represented those who opposed it. His
apology for the franchise robbery was
false in statement, as well as false in
logic and in morals. He appears to
have set himself deliberately to the
pettifogger's task of shielding from
Just condemnation that which is in
capable of direct defense
What Quay could not ask asubservient
convention to do, his candidate has un-
dertaken, to his own humiliation and
the grief and shame of those who
trusted his sense of political integrity.
1t is no longer possible for any intelli-
gent person to separate Mr. Penny
packer as candidate from the evil
power of whose crimes against the
commonwealth he has made himself
the willing apologist and defender.