Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-22
That Poverty Plea.

In his confession in avoidance to
the charge made by Edgar Howard of
sharing in the BARLEY state treasury
shortage Congressman Hitchcock sets
up a poverty plea barking back to the
hard times that then threw a pail over
the land and compelled him in his ex-
tremity of holding up his tottering
newspaper to sacrifice a large part OF
his patrimony and become a heavy
borrower. For this he thinks he is
entitled to the sympathy of everyone
who remembers those dark days or
ever had to struggle under the burden
Of grinding financial obligations.
But the parallel is not good. 1t
overlooks the vital point that Mr..
Hitchcock's borrowing from BARLEY
was not in the nature of an ordinary
business transaction, but was the con-
sideration for an offensive and defen-
sive alliance between crooked demo-
cratic newspaper and a crooked repub-
lican state treasurer.
If Mr. Hitchcock when financially
embarrassed had been running q gTo-
Gerry store OF a dry goods establish
ment, would he have applied to Bart
ley for a loan? If he had, would
BARLEY have considered such an appli-
cation with no other security or in
ducement?
Did not Hitchcock seek money of
BARLEY because BARLEY was state
Ntreasurer and had state funds at his
disposal? And, Furthermore, as edi-
tor of a democratic newspaper, did he
not feel that he had club over Bart
ley that would make him come across?
Did not BARLEY look with favor on
Hitchcock's demand only because
Hitchcock was running a newspaper
whose bought silence and champion
ship would help him execute his al
ready well-laid plan for farming out
the public funds?
Other business men we're in distress
during the panic of the sos besides
Mr.. Hitchcock, yet got no help from
y
even were enduring hard times and
borrowing money to keep a-going and
foot the pay rolls, but they accepted
no aid from the state treasury. other
newspapers likewise suffering from
the blight of business disaster could
doubtless have had money from Bart
ley without applying, but those that
were published by honest and con-
scientious men would not barter away
their convictions or prostitute their
columns for price to shield or apollo
gize for the greatest crook who ever
held public ONCE in Nebraska.
1t is not because Congressman
Hitchcock had to borrow money that
he has forfeited public confidence and
should be consigned to public obloquy,
1t is because as editor of a newspaper
vested with a sacred trust to protect
the public against Official thievery he
betrayed that trust and sold his news
paper for a mess OF pottage to re-
. publican embezzler In the state treas
Wy DeA ivy AgeAAVh INC uQuGy lQ
Hitchcock and, in return. Hitchcock's
democratic World-Herald kept mum
about Bartley's rascality, defended
him when his crime was exposed, went
to the front for him when he was
paroled and helped him secure his
pardon with three-fourths of his sen.
tence unserVed.
No, poverty is not a sin, but poverty
never excuses faithlessness nor palli.
{ ates dishonesty.
= II BARLEY yielded to Hitchcock and
: loaned him stolen state money be.
cause he was afraid of Hitchcock
{ newspaper, It was holdup.
If the loan was a voluntary, mutua
business transaction, it was a DELHI
crate sell-out of a crooked democratic
paper to a crooked republican oficial