The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-09-11

OF the state, giving part OF IT worth
millions of dollars to some of its sup"
porters as g. reward for their services
and placing The rest under the uncon-
trolled p.wcr of the governor, his at
torney general and secretary OF the
commonwealth, and attempted to seize
the board of revision of taxes in Phila-
delphia, but was only thwarted in this
by the supreme court
It 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.
SubserVienes the Machine Teet
IL promised to support the amend
ment to the constitution of the United
States to provide for the election OF the
United Stat9s senators by popular vCt
and neither of the senator's select d
and elected by IL made any effort to
that end, and one aided It's defeat by
offering an amendment which could Ho'
be adopted without unanimous cun9eu
of the states. which IL was well kno"
could not be obtained.
Under its corrupt and corruptinr rllH
jobbing in public deposits, traffic in
legislation and blackmail on approptia-
tions even to charities. have developed
to an extent never before known. Sub
servience has become the test of fitness
for public Office, and private greed tAa
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 tho
| election of speaker OF the house OF
| representatives and a 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 tho
| 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 arc 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
| by laws made and administered by OF.
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
We're taxed without representation; we
that we are not only taxed but gov
erned by laws made. by body in
| vfIfg 4 At "a t,1
constitutional representations; they o.
the refusal TO pass laws "whole5oun
and necessary for the public good;
we of the refusal to pass laws neces-
sary for the preservation oil the rlg't
| to self-goyernment of our cities; they
of the erection of a 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 o.
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 n neighboring province, and
we of the taking away the charters oi
three cities, affecting thereby the lib
critics of more people than lived in any
of the colonies, and establishing thero-
in an arbitrary government absolute :
contrary to the free system of cur in
stitutions."
Must Look to the Democracy.
No intelligent man who loves liberty
and values good government can fell
to appreciate the magnitude of these
evils or to see that a continuance Of
this organization in power (no matter
how fair its promises-they could nos be
fairer now than they have been in the
pasD means continuance of it,
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 on
and then with another section of i,
have all failed and will fail. 1t is &c
the Democratic organization and those
acting with it that the people mus,
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 oi
1901 laid aside all partisan questions
and offered to unite with honest citi'
/ ZenS of all other parties and OrganizG-
tions in the struggle for liberty and
good government; and while it de-
nounced all fraud and dishonesty In
public Office, by whoever committed, II
particularly denounced those false
Democratic legislators, who, in viola
tion of honesty, party honor and pub
lie duty, participated and assisted ir
the wrongs and evil deeds of the ma
chine, and called upon their constitu
ents to repudiate them and punish then
with the political death which they de-
served; the convention which you rep
resent repeated and reafiirmed this aC'
tion and further pledged the party tr
the united support of laws for persona
registration, uniform primaries, free
equal and secret ballot and correction
of frauds at election and an admins
tration in which all public power;
should be used solely for public good.
Pledged to Work For Reform.
There is no human right as precious
as liberty there is no private intereS
as important as good government, To
the defense of these great objects every
true citizen is bound to freely Civ,
every faculty of mind or body whic-
he may possess.
In order that we may fully enjoy Chi
liberty, our most precious right an,
preserve for ourselves and those whi
} come after us the blessing of good gov
ernment, we must free our state iron
sham primaries, corrupt conventions
an unfair and unequal ballot, an un
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