Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-09-10
It repeatedly promised municipal re-

638 people, and traded them off as the
consideration of q corrupt political
deal, seized the whole traction system
OF the state, giving part OF IT worth
millions of dollars to some of Its sup
porters as a reward for their services
and placing the rest under the uncon-
trolled power of the governor, his at
torney general and secretary of the
commonwealth. and attempted to IS seize
the board OF revision OF taxes in Phila-
delphia, but was only thwarted in this
by the supreme court.
1t promised civil service reform, and
not only has done nothing to that end,
but has used, and is still using the civil
service to coerce and corrupt citizens.
Subservience the Machine Test.
1t promised to support the amend
ment to the constitution of the United
States to provide for the election of the
United States senators by popular vote
and neither of the senators selected
and elected by 1t made any effort to
that end, and one aided it's defeat by
offering an amendment which could not
be adopted without unanimous consent
of the states, which it was well known
could not be obtained.
Under its corrupt and corrupting rule
jobbing in public deposits, traffic in
legislation and blackmail on appropria-
tions even to charities, have developed
to an extent never before known. Sub
otl leilCt Ieto DtCOLlC tilt ttSt VI Il1too
for public office, and private greed the
inspiration of public action.
The whole history of machine mis-
rule either in this or in any other state
does not disclose greater outrages on
liberty and good government than the
election of a speaker of the house of
representatives and United States
senator by purchased votes, the seizure
and the sale of the government of three
large cities, and the appropriation to
private profit of the traction railway
system of the whole state, the franchis-
es for which belonged of right to the
various municipalities and could and
should have been made the source of
revenue to them and advantage to their
citizens.
Evils That Threaten Liberty.
These are the evils from which Penn
sylvania suffers. They are incompati-
BILE with liberty the very spirit of
which is that the people shall have the
right and power to govern themselves
ficers freely and legally chosen by
them for that purpose; and they are
destructive of good government, the
very essence of which is that all public
powers and resources should be used
exclusively for those great purposes
for which all just governments exist
the promotion of the general welfare
and the protection of the people in the
enjoyment of life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness"
These evils are Of the same charac-
ter, and as serious in their conse-
quences, as those which lead to the
Declaration of Independence and ap-
peal for correction to the same love of
liberty and the same sense of right
and justice as animated the men of that
day.
The colonies complained that they
80,
that we are not only taxed, but gov
erned by laws made, by body in
which we do not have fair equal and
constitutional representations; they of
the refusal to pass laws wholesome
and necessary for the public good"
we of the refusal to pass laws neces-
sary for the preservation OF the right
to self-government of our cities they
of the erection of multitude of new
offices, the salaries of which harassed
the people and eat up their substance
we not only of the unnecessary in
crease of the number and salaries of
public officers, but that they are used
as rewards for partisan and corrupt
services; and they complained of the
taking away of charters and the abol-
ishing of the free system of English
laws" in neighboring province, and
we of the taking away the charters of
three cities, affecting thereby the lib
of the colonies, and establishing there
in an arbitrary government absolutely
contrary to the free system of our in
stitutions."
Must Look to the Democracy.
No intelligent man who loves liberty
and values good government can fail
to appreciate the magnitude of these
evils or to see that continuance of
this organization in power (no matter
howfair its promises-they could not be
fairer now than they have been in the
paSO means continuance of its
methods, which are incompatible with
liberty and its practices, which are de-
structive of good government.
Promises of reform by the machine
itself-deals for reform, first with one
and then with another section of it,
have all failed and will fail. 1t is to
the Democratic organization and those
acting with it that the people must
look for the redemption of their state,
and the enactment of the laws neces-
sary for the preservation of our liberty
and good government.
The Democratic state convention of
1901 laid aside all partisan questions
and offered to unite with honest citi-
zens of all other parties and organiza-
tions in the struggle for liberty and
nounced all fraud and dishonesty in
public office, by whoever committed, it
particularly denounced those false
Democratic legislators, who, in viola
ton of honesty, party honor and pub
lie duty, participated and assisted in
the wrongs and evil deeds of the ma
chine, and called upon their constitu-
ents to repudiate them and punish them
with the political death which they de-
served; the convention which you rep
resent repeated and reaffirmed this ac-
tion and further pledged the party to
tho upitp1 gInDnrt nf Ia for Al