Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-03-12


committee barring of course, the most
industrious and astute chairman, has
read even part of what on that side Is
deemed material" He has been told by
the gentleman from Pennsylvania, pre-
sumo, what his conclusion upon the ina
teriaP' part is
Dead.
The Fifty-seventh congress is dead
dead as a doornail, dead as a smelt.
dead as Hector-and the people should
rejoice, for, while its days were not
fewer than those of any other congress,
they were full of evil. That old, de-
funct congress is perhaps the worst on
record. 1t has trifled with the public
interests; it has played hide and seek
with the trusts; it has enacted into law
many bad bills and left buried inpigeon-
holes many good and meritorious meas
ures; it has raised the character of the
public service and increased the honor
and prestige of the republic not at all,
not even in the estimation of a hair
1t is we'll that its course is run. Its
treatment of Oklahoma, New Mexico
and Arizona is one of the most shame
less violations of platform pledges
known to American politics.
The closing days in both house and
senate were turbulent to an extraordi-
nary degree, the turbulency being pro-
duced by the high handed proceedings
of Republicans in both bodies. Per-
haps the most spectacular scene was
the swearing In of Hon. ''Gas" Addicks'
two Republican senators from Della
ware The Hon. Gas realizes, no
doubt, the force of the old saying,
"Hope deferred maketh the heart sick"
He didn't get in himself, but he elect
ed two senators of the United States,
one for two years, the other for four,
and it is stated on what appears to be
most excellent authority that the Hon.
Gas" entry into the most august leg
islative body on earth is postponed only
two years. When the Hon. Gas" does
enter, those who prate of purity, sweet
ness and light among Republicans
should be compelled to precede him,
bearing flowers and shouting: 10 tri-
umphe 10 triumpher He is fine
specimen of hitter day Republicans
His whole theory and plan of CAM
paign are to buy somebody.
The Exception.
Some wiseacre once said, ''It is the
exception that proves the rule" Wheth-
er that is the truth this deponent saith
not. At any rate, Thomas Jefferson
once laid down this rule: Federal Of
ficeholders seldom die and never re-
sign" Here Is the exception which
proves Jefferson's rule: Thomas e.
Drake, superintendent of insurance in
the District of Columbia. has resignedl
Oh, no! He only threatens to resign.
and. after all, he may decide to recall
his threat and hang on to his job. Most
probably that is precisely what he will
do. The thing Mr.. Drake Is kicking
about Is that he cannot secure raise
in his salary which would enable him
to enjoy a few more of the luxuries OF
life and which would wiring few
more drops of sweat out of the toilers
of the land. Suppose Drake should re-
sign-actually let loose of the public
teat. Would the wheels of the gov
ernment stop stock still? By no man
ner of means. A thousand palpitating
patriots would jump at the chance to
get the position at the present salary,
but Whatsoever of them got it would
begin instanter to yell and whoop it up
for an increase.
Unprecedented Gall.
Certainly the greatest exhibition Of
gall ever seen on earth was when Mr..
Olmsted of Pennsylvania stood up in
the house and prated about purity in
politics. 1t would have been ridiculous
If it had not been tragic. The rotten
ness of Pennsylvania politics under
Republican management has become
proverbial Nobody doubts that the
ballot boxes in Philadelphia are stuffed
to the extent of from $4,000 to 100000
at every election, owing to the exigen-
cies of the case, and that corruption
permeates the elections in every con-
siderable town in the state, yet so
much has hypocrisy become part of
the nature of Republicans that Penn
sylvania Republican has the effrontery
to crate about the corruption of others.