Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-02-26
= II It Il Il Il IT'D II & # II II II
- ~ II sTwoc seahI 49,
- 80 1NI Philadelphia ~
shahon Ffaudr
!. Clark Letter * !,
= II It II + 4 t{1tt II II II II It s.

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resentatives. John II. Sharroth OF Col.
orado, Democrat, arose in his place
and stated that in the examination of
the ballots which purported to have
been cast for himself in Arapahoe
! county (Denver) for congress and
against Mr.. Bonynge, Republican, who
was contrasting his seat, he had
come to the conclusion that enough
i, fraudulent ballots had been cast to
vitiate his election, and therefore he
asked the house to Immediately seat
the Republican, Bonynge, which it did
amid universal and tumultuous ap-
|plause-applause from the very men
who had foully robbed Howell of his
seat. They crowded around Shafroth
and wrung his hand and patted him on
the back for doing a noble thing-a
thing which they could not screw
themselves up to doing. Did any Of
them offer or move to put Connell out
and give Howell back his seat? Not
on your life! That was what they
ought to have done then and there in
view of Shafroth's unexpected, un-
precedented and magnanimous action.
But they did no such thing. They did
after their kind. They held on to the
stolen goods. Shafroth is out, hut In
his faraway mountain home he can
look back on his nine years service
IN congress with pride and upon the
way he quit 1t with pleasure. After
al, Pope was right when he said. "An
honest mans the noblest work of God. y
1t is really a pity that some fairer
and more satisfactory way Of settling
contested elections cannot be found
than that now in vogue. Outrage
after outrage is committed by Re
publican majority in the name of pa
triotism and fair elections.
Registration Frauds In Philadelphia.
The G. o. p. always arrogates to
itself oil virtue, all intelligence, all
patriotism and oil purity in election
matters. Once in awhile this sort
OF talk becomes SO rank that more
or less decent Republican paper grows
sick of 1t and takes fall out Of the
Grand Old Hypocrite. Under the above
caption the Washington Star, bright
Republican organ, says:
Philadelphia's latest demonstration of
the evils of corrupt city management by
political machines is of decidedly In
teresting character apart from the spec
tacle afforded Of the machine made mayor
conducting an apparently rigorous inves-
tigation into the charge that the city po-
lice are the agents OF wholesale false reg
/ istration. Such fraud rebounds. Of
course, to the benefit of the bosses who
selected the mayor, and his activity In the
premises suggests several possibilities
| ~ that he has revolted, which is unlike
": ~ that the machine believes the pub
lie must be placated by show of reform
and that It can easily spare few thou
sand fraudulent votes, or 81 that 1t IL
tired OF the tribute demands Of the crea-
lures whom It uses to pad the election re-
turns. Whatever the motive or inspira-5
tion, the fact 10 that Mayor Weaver 10
nov probing into certain fragrant In
stances OF padded registration rolls, - y
It has been demonstrated beyond de-.
NAL that from the residences OF one police
lieutenant and Aftesh patrolmen no fewer
than al voters are now registered. From
the two story home Of one policeman sew
enteen men are recorded az voters. This
10 only starter. Other policemen who
have acted az the hosts Of scores Of other
alleged voters are on the list for exam.
ination. These sixteen have Just been
vigorously questioned-in privately tho
mayor, and upon emergence from the aw-
full presence they almost uniformly de-
elared that henceforth they. were tout Of
| politics.
It Is Significant that, according to the
Philadeiphia papers, the policemen who
have already gone through tine mill Seem
| relieved because OF the prospect that
hsncefcrth they will not be engaged in the
business OF allowing their own residences
to figure on the registration books for the
Fspeaters and hoaters. There is a direct
charge that these city underiings ara
merely the creatures Of the bosses. who
compel them. through the fear Of dis.
missal, thus to serve the machine and, on
occasions. to come forward and swear ta
the residence of the registered yoters
The total depravity of the Philadelphia
machine has long been a subject Of wide.
spread comment 1t has been often com-
pared to the Tammany machine with the
difference that Tammany has had its
bard bumps. while the Philadelphia ring
has not Of late years been broken, de-
spite many efforts by citizens to do SO. II
through spasm OF machine conscience
or q ut OF machine fear of prosecution OF
sudden display OF nerve by the mayor
the voting lists can be purged Of fraudu-
lent names there may even yet be hope
Of Fe&la8 1QF Phlladelphla.
Let readers remember that that edi.
torial is not from a dannel mouthed
Democratic paper, but from simon
pure Republican journal.
Divers suggestions are being made
as to what our attitude should be to-
ward the Russians and Japs while
they are scrapping. That's dead easy.
II should be one Of strictest neutrality,
holding ourselves in readiness to sch
both everything they want to con-
: sumo, whether it is barrel Of beef OF
Q sixteen inch gun, Any other posi-
ton is idiotic.
The Russians claim that the Japs
violated the rules of military etiquette
BY torpedoing her battleships before
declaring war. Likewise John s. Wise
complains that Jonathan p. Dolliyer
violated postprandial etiquette by first
inducing him to read his speech OH the
negro question privately and then an
swerinS It publicly without warming.
But in both cases the world will be
1 disposed to laugh at the kicking and
squealing. The Russians ought to
have been watching, and the son 81
Henry 8. Wise was in bad political
company ~ the Grand Rapids ban:
auet. = - Is
Governor La Toilette Of wisconsin