Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1907-04-03
THE BURTON EPISODE

Senator Burton, In his assault upon the
president and other high officials who
were responsible for his downfall, is ac-
tuated by feelings of enlightenment and
hatdred, it is nevertheless patent to an
unbiased mind that along with his invec-
tives there is a comminghng Of truth
worthy Of consideration. That he was
in disrepute with the administration long
before his prosecution, on account OF his
attitude on public questions then before
the senate for solution, is admitted; that
he was at the same time being assailed
by the Kansas dominant political ma
chine is equally true; that the president
had refused to shake hands with him
when hesscalled on him to invite him to
Kansas on certain occasion, at the tune
he was opposing the administration ideas
in legislative matters, was given wide cir-
culahon at the time and not denied; that
he was bounded by the Kansas machine
and his prosecution abetted by it because
he was held responsible tor Gov. Bailey
defeat for denomination, when as mat
ter of fact he tried to stem the tide that
had arisen against Bailey, is fact that all
who have kept any sort Of tab on Kan
sas politics must concede; that it was un-
just for his trial to have been enforced at
St. Louis where public sentiment against
anyone accused Of crime, at that time,
was at its highest pitch, can not be COM
batted, for if he committed a crime at all
he committed it in Washington where it
was alleged that he represented the
Rialto Company before the government
departments and therefore should have
been the there; that nearly all those
connected with his prosecution have been
subsequently rewarded by promotion is a
matter Of record; that he was the only
government official against whom
the old statute prohibiting government Of
hcials from representing clients before the
Departments was invoked, while others
guilty Of the same offence have before
and since been favored by appointments,
is not denied by the executive authorities.
These facts are not cont7oUeyted. OH
er charges which he makes are largely
controversies between him and high off,
Gals at Washington and the public can
do nothing else but guess at long range,
but it is apparent that Burton has been
the victim Of discrimination, hatred and
gross injustice.
We believe he was guilty Of pracdcing
before the departments and receiving
fee therefor while he was drawing sal
airy as United States Senator. There is
statute prohibiting it and making it a
crime. That statute should be enforced.
But it should not have been enforced as
against Burton and no one else. The
fact that it has been permitted to lie dor
mant over quarter Of century and on
ly dug up on this occasion to satisfy the
spleen Of political enemies locks badly,
and the fact that four out of nine justices
Of the United States supreme court took
the view that Burton's ofense did not
come under this statute is circumstance
IN his favor; but the most astounding
feature Of the entire wrangle is the fact
that the president and all his supemumer-
aries. smartng under the singing rebuke
that the ex-senator has brought down up
on them, remain silent. In their silence,
the people have no recourse but to accept
all the charges as true, and. if true, there
must be an air Of despoism around the
seat of government that is to be deplored.
The president and his appointees, af-
ter all. are servants Of the people-just
men-and they were not elevated to
their present high positions to condemn
one wrong doer, to turn their eyes
away from others and to elevate others.
But after all, the people who worship
at the shrine of partisan idolatry and
think that their party or their party's officials
can do no wrong, are to blame. Good
public sentiment begets good public ser
vice and vice versa.