The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-10-21
BERRY AND NILES FOR
CIVIC RIGHTEOUSNESS
Militant RGfOrTlerS Address a
HOn-PaTiiSan Meeting in
PottSvIlI0 Friday Night.
SUMMON CONSCIENCE TO DUTY


Machine Men and Methods and Ask
Support Fer the Admirable Demo.
cratic Candidates.
The non.partisan meeting held in
, Pottsville last Friday night in the in.
terest of the Democratic state ticket,
! z. LaRue Munson for justice of the SUI
preme court, }. Wood Clark for auditor
general and George w. Kipp for state
treasurer. was a political event Of
great significance. 1t was conceived
among the Republicans of that ma.
chine-cursed county, Schuylkill. and or.
ganized and conducted by the better
element of that party in that county.
That II will have a marked influence
on public sentiment throughout the
state there can be no doubt. The ex
ample of such men cannot be lost to a
conscientious people. Unfortunately
the time between now and the election
is too short to organize similar meet
ings in other sections. but the report
OF this meeting will be read in all sec
tons Of the state and the proceedings
will be pondered over wherever con
science guides intelligence.
! The principal speakers at the meet.
Ing were Hon. Henry C. Niles. chair.
man of the Lincoln party. and William
! II. Berry. the courageous and capable
former state treasurer, who exposed
the capitol grating and saved the pub.
lie millions of dollars which would
have been stolen II he had not reveal
ed the facts. The entire speeches OF
these gentlemen ought to be read by
every voter in the state but We have
+ only space for brief summaries Of
them.
| MT Niles said in part:
The greatest improvement in the po.
litical condition of Pennsylvana has
been the result of the defeat of bad
Republican candidates by Independent
Republican votes.
More than 100000 Republicans in the
last four years have shown again and
again their readiness to vote against
the candidates of their party when
the bosses have been cmboldened to
nominate men too outrageously unfit.
or by methods too glaringly improper.
These true Republicans are ready at
any time when the candidates of their
own party are unworthy, to vote for
high-class Democrats for administra-
tive or judicial state Offices who are
absolutely honest and competent, in
order that thereby the usurpers of the
power OF their own party may be pun
ished and the states administration
may be reformed.
No political event has been more
manifestly for the benefit of the com.
mOnwpalth than the lnfpot fnnr
ago of Plummer, the Republican can
didate for state treasurer, by indie
pendent Republican votes, and the
election of the Democratic candidate.
William II. Berry.
The situation of four years ago is
The manipulators of the Republican
organization have had enough of such
men as Stuart. Young and Sheatz
They are tired of even the small ap.
pearance of being honest. They believe
the people have again gone to sleep
and that it will be safe to renew their
usual tactics and follow their natural
, instincts.
! In their nomination of S;obsr and
Sisson they have returned to the oil
Plummer and Snyder type, and have
turned from an experienced jurist like
Judge Rice, to put upon the bench OF
the supreme court the selection of the
contractor bosses of Philadelphia.
BY happy providence, the Demo
cratic candidates, Munson, for the SUI
preme court; Kipp, for state treasurer.
and Clark, for auditor general. are of
the highest type of public men. and
are unhampered by any personal or
party obligations inconsistent with
their duties TO the whole people
They should be supported by the
same independent Republican senti-
ment and vote that supported John
Stewart for the supreme court and
Berry for the treasury in 1905.
Following is a brief outline of Mr..
Berrys speech:
1t argues well for the future of Penn.
sylvania politics that representatives
of opposing political parties are found
upon the same platform urging the
election OF the same candidates for
state Offices. The independent habit"
seems to be growing upon our citizens.
Party harness, however comfortable
and well fitting it may ordinarily be.
SITS very lightly upon an increasing
number OF our citizens and may be
instantly removed by a touch of the
Independent button.
The candidates on the Democratic
ticket are men of exceptional charac-
ter and fitness for the Offices for which
they have been named, and no posi-.
Bile question can arise as to their en-
tire freedom from obligation to any
coteries of bosses. When elected they
will be free to serve the whole people
who are alone their masters.
! have long believed that one of the
greatest evils in Pennsylvania politics
Is the enormous preponderance of the
Republican party strength over its
strongest opponent. The practical GER
tainty of Republican success has
caused an INSCRIPTIONS horde of office
and spoils-seekers of every, but of no
political faith whatever, to gravitate
to it, and of this material the Repub-
lican organization or Machine" Is
largely formed.
So bold and daring had this o.iar.
chy grown that in 1905 the Indepen-
dent Republican voters joined with
the Democrats and elected a Demo
crat to state Office The mere pres
ence of this officer at Harrisburg for
the brief term of two years resulted
In the exposure of system of bare.
faced robbery unparalleled in history
and specific instance, involving the