The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-16
DECLARES DEPEW
DlSCRACES STATE
Continued From First Page.

Bracket, Hthat until more righteous
conception Of public duty shall prevail
we are without hope for the future;
that until the great virile manhood of
the state shall stand to the proposition
that he who offends in the performance
of his public duty, must suffer the pun
little Of respect for law, little of regard
for public honor and virtue, and have
taken the first long steps toward con-
doning crimes of whatever kind.'
Senator Bracket declared that altho
he had voted for Senator Depew he had
been opposed to his reelection to the
senate because he had believed him un-
fit for the office and represented un-
wholesome forces. - ..
F.. '.' Blush for Shame. 4
Any senator present, he said, ought to
blush for shame at the representa- of
either Of the present senator's. He dis
claimed the slightest responsibility for
Senator Platt's reelection and said he
would support any other senator's fesO-
luton requesting him to resign.
Senator Bracket insisted that no
service performed by Senator Depew
for the Equitable Life assurance 80
ciety during the twenty years Of his
100000 retainer" had been other than
what he owed as "a director Of ithe $50
ciety. The claim that this enormous sum
was paid for legal services excited only
| laughter and contempt. = -
Honor Of the Nation
Referring to the so-called "yellow
! dog' funds Of certain insurance com.
! panies, he said:
"Out of this fund there were paid
thousand of dollars In one campaign
toward the expenses Of one Of the politi.
cal parties, as one says, ito save the
honor of the nation The honor of the
natlon-the honor Of the nation-of
which honor these men were SO soIici.
tous that they forget their own. So so.
llcitous of he national honor that they
were ready to and did, give away. thous.
of the money Of poor men, Of widows
OF orphans, but not cent Of their own
Let us have done with this shame
and pretence of having used the stolen
funds for honorable or necessary pur-
poses. 1t is no answer to the stealing
that the money stolen was well spent.
But there is not even this excuse here.
1t was spent in way that it was
thought would greatly aggrandize the
man who directed the spending and it
did: 1t was spent to keep the Depews
the. United States for selfish purposes
and it did. = -"
Reason for Election.
"Again charge the truth to be that
the chief argument a year ago, adj
vanced for the reelection Of this very
senator we are now discussing, is that
h4 IoI ,,,4,. H.
large sums Of money from these very in
surance corporations, for use in thu
election then just over, and it was
broadly intimated in more than ont
conference on the subject, if, indeed
not actually stated and argued thai
such contributions were made upon tn,
express understanding that he was t,
be returned to the senate where h,
could continue to protect in thei
places these men who thus gave ava,
your money and mine. ..-... =
elf there is here ON the floor an,
timid soul among the majority VIII
thinks that this recital will hurt hi
party, [ want to say to him and t.
everyone of my party associates, to sa,
\ it kindly, but firmly, that if we do no
J expose and rid ourselves, and our party
of transactions Of that kind, there wi
presently be no party to be injured.
No Worthy Deed.
eve turn in vain the pages of tn
history of the body in which he has
seat, to find single thing that he ha
done worthy of the state. His concel
ton Of public duty has been confined t
society functions and never risen to tn
l level of even ordinary statesmenship.
Senator Bracket bitterly arraigne
Senator Depew as having been know
). ingly prominent figure in and tole,
= ator of system of loot and public d,
;, bauchery, perhaps even to the court
: themselves, which tended to undermin
g the very life of the nation.