The Columbian. (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, September 30, 1909, Page 2, Image 2

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    THE COLUMBIAN. BLOOMSBURQ, HA.
THINGS ALL !i!0HT
FOR W: MACHINE
LeglsIatiM Session cl 1903 an
0ri3 cl Corruption.
SISSON AS3 STOBER TOOLS
r --b'ican Nc'-e5$ Supirtjd All
i-.-e Iniquitous Le;t:at'cn Irt-etluced
li the Interest cf tie Party Bosjes.
TI.e s?ion cf 'I." legisla'tre ot
' t .', ijj ; : v : . t;i.' n.a
i iiiiH' iiianat TI. insur-' nt f:;ree
v.-fcloh prt-vi-r.te-J t'.i. .'. ti. :; of Quay
In ISI'i arn! a rer.'.nan: of which raus'.J
son;-- aniioyari'-e during th" s-?s'..n "I
11 Karl been entirely o rat-.d in
the r-i'Tti'in of wh-n P r.r.yri.T k
t f o ;1 thorn all; the Democratic
minority ha! ben reduced almost to
a nesligdhle q".ariv and th outlook
for "s"Of st'-alir.i:" a e' "ptionar.y
brigl.t. The mai hir.e traders wort:
nt in full Inri", rvreovr. and the
pron-.i'; '.vas that rvriything would gj
their way.
Probably no rr.'av.re r-nsidcTcd
during th? session a'tra' t"! as much
public not Ire as t lie Salus-Grady libel
bill, commonly l.nnn as th" "press
Tn"Z7'.f-r." r al ir, place !n h" s-T.a'
by Mr. Cra 1... of Philad'd; !.i;i. on A; Ml
7. The echo o; Q;a'.- voice pleading
ihe statute of limitations in a I'hila 1
i;J; h!i T''".."' l.a i scare...
d out. All ti;.- ma-hine l.-ail'T
asrri'ed Ouays tro-ible to th nev.rpa
1t an'! they were rr-sr.fil. l;ut .
th"ir plans to sti:!? the fr.-.l -nt of the'
pros tr.rt o'irac'-r.'5 jind -ncis?--nt .
opposition S' every staee, an'l toe bill ;
had to be amended twice, p- stponel ;
once and r-foraiE:t-'l once before it
got through the sf-r.a'e finally. On !
April 9. however, this sinister result
was achieved, both Sisson an 1 Stobet '
voting lor it In every form and at ,
every stage. The fnal vote is recorded ',
on pace It'll i the Journal of the Sen j
ate. though falsely indexed, for the!
purpose cf confusing Inquirers, no '
doubt, as on page 1S28.
The session of l 3 was conspicu
ous for its raids on the treasury in
the ? hape of multiplying offices and in- J
creasing the salaries of public officials.
Among the incursions along thos-? j
line? were the bill to increase the sal- '
' i s of Judg"? in ct ntempt of the con-
t;lon. Pis sc r. and Stob'-r both vot i
in the af.rmative. Senate Journal. '
3. page KC7. The biil to increase!
number of clerics and other em-
y---s and the salaries in the office of
t . attorney general. Sisson and Stober i
both voting for the measure. Senate
Journal. '' ?. ;;:ge i-Zi. The bill to
create a bureau cf elevator inspec-',
tors, which was simply a device to
create a number oi new and expensive ,
offices to be filled by party pension-:
ers. Sisson and Stober voted together j
for this measure. Senate Journal, 19u3, ;
raee (162. i
The bill appropriating J25.000 to j
erect a monument on the capitol :
grounds to perpetuate the memory of
the late Simon Can:eron excl'ed more j
contempt than indignation, because the i
public was ronfldent that it would fail.
It passed the senate on Jan. 22, how
ever, with the votes of Sisson and '
Stober in favor of it. Senate Journal, I
1303, paee 343.
The act of IIK'1 having served its I
purpose of permitting the machine !
politicians to acquire such electric
railway frar.'l.i?es as they desired or
could handb-. for the time be'ng. a
bill was introduced during the session
of 1903. modifying that measure. The
new bill provided that before a char
ter for an electric or trolley railroad
should issue from the state department
the governor, secretary of Hate and
attorney general FhoulJ certify that
it was necessary. That absurd propo
sition passed the senate finally on
April 9. Sisson and Stober voting for
it. Senate Journal. 1903. page 1&27.
The Pennsylvania railroad had been
carrying a white elephant for a num
ber ot years which was increasingly
troublesome. When it acquired the
control of the i anals of the state, con
ditions were Imposed under which it
might have b-eu required to maintain
these waterways, and it had tried in
various ways to relieve itself of this
burden and menace.
During the session of 1903 two or
three expedients were Invoked. One
was an act to authorize corporations
to sell and tiansier franchises and
property to other corporations. Sisson
and Stober voted for the bill. Senate
Journal, 19'3, page i). It was subse
quently vetoed hy Governor Penny
packer, who liked tn keep fresh in the
corporate mind the fact that he had
power.
The result, was achieved sussequent
ly In another bill, entitled "A further
supplement to an act to authorize the
formation and regulation of railroads."
which passed the senate finally on
March 31, Sisson and Stober voting in
the affirmative. Senate Journal. 1903.
page 1305.
One of the pet Iniquities of the ses
sion of 1903 was Senator Grady's re
frigerator hill. The purpose of that
measure was to enable a syndicate of
machine politicians to acquire a mo
nopoly of the refrigerating business In
the cities. No man can estimate the
ll of such a condition. Butchers,
dealers In vegetables and in fact men
In every line of business would be at
the .mercy of such a corporation and
pestilence and death would be Inevit
able. Vet tinder the spur of the partv
com that Infamous bill passed the
senate finally, Siss n aad Stober vot
ing for it. Senate Journal. pag
01.
Several attempts wr re ma le during
thr session of I'.'",", to create a mo
cnprily with control of the wator pow
ers of the ptate. Such an iniquity would
he scarcely In evil consequences
than th Grady rntrrprise. Two ol
thi-se were in the form of senate bills
nn 1 another in the shape of a house
bill which came over to the senate for
concurrene. Pjgon and Stober sup
porte l all these sinister schemes.
There were a number of insurance
I urns introduced during me session in
pursuance of the plans of the Insur
aii'-c lobby operating In New York ar.d
Pennsylvania, which subsequently led
to Inve sticati jns in both states. Sisson
an 1 Stoher voted for all of them.
The judicial salary bill, which In
creased the exprnses of the courts
more than half a million dollars a year
was enacted during the session of
15'i3. Sisson and Stober voting for It.
though It clearly violated the consti
tution of the state, and they were
sworn to "support, obey and defend"
that instrument. Senate Journal. Kei3.
pas" K27.
Another attempt was made to raid
the treasury through the courts by a
law retiring judges at a certain ago on
full pay. Tl.is would have cost the
people a quarter of a million dollars a
year if It had passed. On final passage
In the senate Sisson and Stober voted
for It. Senate Journal. 19"3,-pago 1"75.
There were also three bills creating
new judges ronsidered during the ses
sion of 1T'i3. and Sisson and Stober
voted for two of them. Senate Journal,
19 '3. pageg nn and 1712. Tne other
didn't reach a roll call or, it Is safe to
say. they would have voted for it.
During the session of 19"3 there
were Introduced into the senate a num
ber of labor bills or measures In the
interest of organizec labor. The coal
recfr-ns were especially concerned in
legislation of this sort. These bilN
were referred to the committee on
mines and mining, of which Senatoi
Heidelhaugh. of Lancaster. Senatoi
Stober's oollengue. wa chairman. Ho.
delbaugh consigned the bills to his
"Inside pocket" and couldn't be pre
vailed on to present them for consid
eration until the session had nearly
come to an end.
During the period that the bills were
kept in concealment efforts were made
to pass a resolution to "discharge the
committee from consideration ot
them." but witho'it avail. Among the
senators who gave moral and material
support to the practlve of Heidelbaugh
were Sisson and Stober. It was the
policy of the Republican legislativa
machine and that was paramount to
justice and duty to them.
There was no trick too trifling far
the machine during the session of 19o3.
Any expedient which worked to the
advantage of the gang and made trou
ble for the opposition was adopted. In
Philadelphia and some other cities-the
mn.rhine had been having trouble with
men who. resenting frauds at the prl
mary elections, would file objections
to nomination papers. In most cases
that, was all that It amounted to. That
is to say. in Philadelphia, for exam
ple. In most cases the court being in
sympathy with the crooks, would dis
miss the petition. Like the late Mr.
Tweed, however, these leisurely gen
tlemen don't like to be annoyed, and
they conceived thi? notion that if theli
obliging friends, the judges, were au
thorized to put the costs on the peti
tioner in such case, the annoyance
would be minimized, if not discontin
ued entirely.
Accordingly a bill was introduced
into the senate during the session of
1903 putting the costs of all such ob
jections upon the petitioner. The pur
pose to foster fraud was so apparent
in this measure that it is surprising 1
that any one would be willing to intro-!
duce it But such a person was found, '
and among those who voted for the j
bill were Sisson and Stober. Senate :
Journal. 1903, page 1813.
The bill to increase the salary of the :
state treasurer, enacted during the
session of 1903, was another party ne
cessity. While the building and fur
nishing of the state capitol was in
progress a man of the-lr own kidney
was wanted In the office of state treas
urer. They are not found in every
nook and corner, but William L. Math-i
ues. of Chester, filled the bill to per-
m U'JIJ.
Pj'.it Mathues was a high-priced man
and he wouldn't take, the office unless
the salary was Increased from $5000
to $000 a year. Accordingly the ma- j
chine managers agreed to his terms,
and a bill for the lncre-ase was intro- ;
duced. There were objections, of :
course, and it was shown that the
compensation for other services to the
state, equally onerous and exacting, i
were no more generous. Put the looters I
had to have Mathues, and the rabble
were driven to consent. The bill
passed the senate finally April 7, Sis
son and Stober voting la the affirma
tive. Senate Journal, 19"3, page- 1673.
Citizens of Pennsylvania should be
proud to vote for such men as have
bpen nominated by the Democratic
party for the several offices to be- filled
this year. For Justice of the suuremo
court C. I-a Hue Munson is presented.
He is a lawyer of great ability and ex
perience and of the highest character
Jor integrity and learning. The candi
date for auditor general. J. Wood
Clarke, Esq., is as capable as be is
courageous, and the candidate for state
treasurer is not only an experienced
banker, but a progressive and success
ful business man. Neither of these gen
tlemen has been the slave of machine
politicians or the servile instrument of
partisan knaves. If they are elected the
Interests of the people will be con
served at every turn.
SISSON AND STOBER
ARE SEBViLE SLAVES
Voted UntaCsssOrdsfsonEverj
0::esi:;:i cl Legation.
NOT AN EXCEPTION IH RECORDS
Throughout the Entire Session of 1901
There Is Not a Single Sign cf Inde
pendence of Thought or Action.
The legislative record cf A. E. Sis
son and J. A. Stober might be briefly
expressed in the statement that they
voted for every vicious measure which
was considered during the periods of
their service and against every bill
which made (or civic improvement and
political morality.
Stober came to the scna'e with the
beginning of the session of iv'i;i inv
ing previously ftvc 1 n- term in the
legislature covering the sessions o!
1&T5-!. Sisson's service in the senate
began with the session of 19 -1. Both
participated in the eleetion of Mat
thew Stanley Quay for his last term as
enator in congress. During the ses
sion of 1S99 Stober attended most of
the Joint sessions and Invariably voted
for Quay, who failed of election. In
the session of 19"1 both Stober and
Siscn voted for Quay and contrib
uted to his election notwithstanding
the protest against that result Implied
In the prolonged contest waged by
members of their own party during
the session of 1S99.
There were times when Sisson may
have suffered from remorse of eon
science because of his servility to the
machine and recreancy to his public
obligations. At least In private con
versation he has been known to la
ment the degeneracy of the body ol
which he was a member and the ab
sence of that conscience and courage
which would resist. If not resent, the
mandates of the machine. Hut Stobet
never experienced any trouble of that
kind. He accepted smilingly the sin
ister orders of the bosses and obeyed
them willingly. It may be doubted it
he understood whether they were right
or wrong.
Among the first machine bills which
were presented for the consideration
of the legislature of 1901 was that
knftwn as the Pittsburg ripper. It waa
the Quay reprisal against the late C.
I,. Magee for permitting certain
friends to join the insurgents. Magee's
friends controlled the municipal gov
eminent of that city, and the purpose
of the bill was to legislate them out
of office anil put the friends of Quay
into their places. It was referred to a
special committee, packed for the pur
pose of promptly approving It, on Mon
day evening. Jan. 21, 19fl. On the
same day it was re ported out by J. A.
Stober and reached the stage of final
passage Feb. 13, Sisson and Stober
voting in the affirmative. Senate Jour
nal. 19o 1. page 437.
Both Sisson and Stober voted for
the bill known as the Ph'ladi Iphia tax
"ripper," S-nate Jov.rnal. 19'1, pag3
S12. They are also recorded as voting
for the fifth court biil for Philadelphia,
Senate Journal. K"1. pare :;c 7. On the
bill Increasing the numbi r of fac tory
inspectors, they voted in t!v afilrma
tive. Senate Journal. 19 1, page 13S7.
The purpose of this bill was to create
a lot of soft places for po'.lti-.al work
ers. There were three Insurance bills
considered during the Fession of 1901.
That was the period during which
"the House of Mirth" flourished in Al
bany and Insurance Commissioner Dur
ham and his associates in the machine
were overlooking no opportunities to
get a share of the "yellow dog" funds
maintained by the big Insurance com
panies of New York. Both Sisson anj
Stober voted for the final passage of
all these measures. Senate Journal,
1901, pages 5n0, 727 and 810.
The session of 19'i was made In
famous by the many attempts to ral 1
the state treasury by increasing the
number of Judges. There were bills
providing for additional lav; judges In
the Eighth and Hl'-veiith Judicial dis
tricts ami i'cr orphr.na' court judges in
Allegheny. Lew-aster, Wcstmorc land
and Montgomery counties. Sisson and
Stober invariably voted lor thos
measures. The vote on the Eighth
district bill is recorded In the Senuta
Journal, pai-'e 1"H7. that for the Elev
enth district on page 2120 of the Sen
ate Journal. The vote on the bill for
an associate orphans' court Judge In
Allegheny county is found on page
2u27 of the Journal of the Senate.
One of the most colossal Jobs of the
recent legislation was what is known
as the Presque Isle bill. That measure
was intended to cede to the city of
Erie a vast and valuable trac t of lake
front land. It was Introduced into the
senate during the session of 1901 by
Senator Sisson. It got no farther than
the committee during that session, hav
ing been defeated in the house after
an attempt to correct it had failed.
Probably, however, the crowniiu
itrocity of the session of 1901 was th.)
trolley railway grab. That iniquity was
sprung late In the session, and S' -into
r Wentworth, of Montgomery coun
ty, tried to prevent Its passage by in
troducing a resolution for ilnal ad
l.iurnment before it could be culmi
nated. But the machine was equal to
Hie occasion and defeated the Wentz
resolution. Both Sisson and Stober
oted against the adjournment resolu
tion and for tho fiual pa-ssage of the In
famous measure. Senate Jourtai
page, 1172.
MR. MUNSON ENDORSED
Wllliamsport Board of Trade Recom
mends Democratic Candidate
For Election.
The character of a man is invari
ably expressed by his reputation at
home. One who enjoys the confidence
of his neighbors to the full meaure
is certain to be a man In whom others
may confide. People are gimged acu-,
rately by those who are In daily asso-
elation with them, and in the action of i
bis social and business associates
there Is guarantee of the merit of C.
La Rue Munwin. the Democratic nomi
nee for justice of the supreme court
At a meeting of the board of trade
of Wllliamsport the other evening the
following resolution was unanimously
adopted:
Resolved, That the Wllliams
port board of trade, acting solely
In a non-partisan way, and Irre
spective of H)litics, recommend
the election of C. La Rue Munson
as a justice of tlte supreme court,
knowing him to have every quali
fication for that position, and par
ticularly calling the attenti"n of
the bu.-incss men of Pennsi h
to his long and active conr.i , .m
w ith a number of Important manu
facturing concerns and his practi
cal knowledge and wlile experi
ence In commercial affairs, making
him p'Tiillarly well fitted to pass
upon the many important ques
tions which concern the interests
of the business men of Pennsyl
vania. The Quay Monument.
The board of public grounds and
buildings at Harrisburg has declined ,
to take action In the matter of the '
Quay Ftatue. and by resolution adopted
at its re cut meeting referred the sub
ject to and sh'fted responsibility upon
the Quay monument commission. This
was neither courageous nor consistent.
The act of assembly provides that the
board of public grounds and buildings
and the statue commission shall se.
lect the site on the capitol grounds for
the monument. As there is not and
never has been a monument commis
sion, the board of public grounds and
buildings has simply dodged its own
obligations by referring them to a
body which has no existence. That is
not creditable.
The constitution requires that all
such appointments by the governor
shall be confirmed by the state senate,
and in the absence of such ratification
there can be no valid appointment.
The senate never confirmed the nomi
nation of David II. I,ane, J. Donald
Cameron and Samuel Moody as com
missioners to procure a statue of Quay
or anybody else, and those gentlemen
had no authority of law to contract
for such an effigy. Having clone so.
however, in the absence of authority,
the fiscal officers of the state ought to
have refused payment. As this was
not done, the only right course left for
the board of public buildings and
grounds was to emphatically refuse to
desecrate the caritol or park with it.
Senator Quay never performed any
valuable service for the people of
Pennsylvania. He looted the treasury,
debauched the politics and corrupted
the public life of the commonwealth,
and if he hadn't pleaded the statute
of limitations to secure immunity from
punishment for his crimes he probably
would have died In jail or as a fugitive
from justice. To hold the effigy of sue h
a moral degenerate up to future gen
erations as a type of the citizenship
of Pennsylvania Is an insult to the in
telligence and an outrage upon the
consciences of the people. But in is
cowardly evasion of an obvious duty
the board of public grounds and build
ings has paved the way to this dis
graceful result.
A Call Upon Frick and Carnegie.
The statue of Matthew Stanlev Quay
remains unplaced by the ungrateful
Pennsylvanians. Will not Mr. Fric'.j
and Mr. Carnegie combine to buy a
site for it in some pleasaut corner cf
Pittsburg, if such there be. where l i
springtime the blossoms of the phi l
trees may fall upon it as, wattei bv
the gentle winds, the rose-leaves flu -ter
over the tomb of Omar the Ten.
maker in Naishapur? New York
World.
Study the proposed constitutional
amendments. The proposition to dv.
the Pennsylvania legislature the right
to fix the manner of "appointing elec
tion officers." The constitution now
provides for their election by the peo
ple. The proposed amendment would
confer upon the legislature the author
ity to require that they be "appoint
ed." Suppose the legislature would r e
quire that they be appointed by th-
Republican state cominltti-e of by a
commission headed by Sam Salter.
The people of Philadelphia can eu. -ily
elect Clarence Gibbony to the o!!'. 2
of district attorney If they only in;'.
cate an Inclination to favor the same
sort of men for otln-r offices. It is as
Important that honest nun be in the
offices of auditor general and state
treasurer as that the district attorney
of Philadelphia be honest. This is
time for holiest mm to pull together
for honesty In all branches of the pub
lic service.
Speaker Cannon represents his
party, and if he Is lax in moralB it is
because his party prefers people o
that sort. No stream is purer thai,
Its fountain or more Impure. Cannoi
Is foul-mouthed, but he Is the Ideal o'
his party, and there Is no reason why
ha should change his methods of li.e
or forms of expression.
The settlement of the Pressed Steel
Car strike didn't last even until tit.
lection. Th tariff-pampered hogs who
Control that enterprise couldn't be fair
labor even for political purposes.
r A' mv an'. Tmmr jmv. sniiis'
Tlic Kind You Have Always
in tiso for over CO years,
and has been mad o under his per
8ona snpcrrlslon since its Infancy,
'ttvvfr? Atlnnr tin nno tn ilnnnlrn t-nn In 1,1..
All Counterfeits, Imitations and " Just-as-srood" are hut
Experiment that trifle with nnd endanger tlio health of
Infants and Children Experience ngaint Experiment
What is CASTORIA
Castoria Is a harmless substitute for Castor Oil, Pare
goric, JJrops nnd Soothing Syrups. It Is Pleasant. It
contains neither Opium, Morphine nor other Nnreotlo.
substance. Its age is Its guarantee. It destroys Worms
nnd allays Fevcrishness. It cures Diarrhtua and Wind
Colic. It relieves Teething Troubles, cures Constipation
and Flatulency. It assimilates the Food, regulates the
Stomach nnd Uowcls, giving healthy nnd natural bleep
The Children's Panacea The Mother's Friend.
GENUINE CASTORIA ALWAYS
Bears the
Tie Kind You Have Always Bought
In Use For Over 30 Years.
' TMI CENTAUR COMPANY. TT MUMUY TATT, NtW OH CrTY.
BIG OFFER
To All Our Subscribers
The Great
AMERICAN FARSVSER
Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Leadint? Agricultural Journal ot the
Nation. Edited by an Able Corps
of Writers.
The American Farmer is the only Literary Farm Journal pub
lished. It fills a position of its own and has taken the leading
place in the homes of rural people in everv section of the United
States. It gives t..e farmer and his family something to think
about aside from the humdrum of routine duties.
Every Issue Contains an Original Poem by SOLON G00DE
WE MAKE THE EXCEPTIONAL OFFER OF
Two for the Price of One: THE COLUMBIAN
The Oldest County Paper and THE American Farmer
BOTH ONE YEAR FOR $I.OO
This unparalleled offer is made to all new subscribers, and
all old ones who pay all arrears and renew within thirty days,
bample copies free. Address :
THE COLUMBIAN,
TlIK "I'l Ki: food law" i-i designed
by the fiovertiliient to .rutect the lillb
lic .from injurious iiiL'iv.lieuN in doth
food mid drug. It is 1 u-n.-ti.-ial both
to the public tind to the concieinioin
liiHiliil'iii-tiirer. Ely's 'rmu Cnliii, 11
KW'M.ful remedy for cold in the he.nl.
ninitl catarrh, lu'ty fever etc , contain
ing 110 injurious drugs ineeti fully the
reiUirelneiits of the new lav , and that
fact in prominently stated on every
l'iickiige. It contains none of th Inji r
iHH drugs which are required bv the
law to lie mentioned on the jahel.
Hence you cull Use It safely.
Visiting cards and Wedding invi
tations at the Columbian office.
"William Wood" says an ex
change, "was sentenced ac Cham
bersburg to serve twenty years
imprisonment for the murder of
Lewis Brown".
That particular Wood seems to
be Brown-stained.
CASTORIA
For Infants and Children,
Ilia Kind You Have Always Bought
Bears tLe
Signature of
7
mm
Bought, and which lias lccn
lias borne llio FUrnaturo of
Signature of
Blooinsburpr, Pa.
A Helpless Child.
A weak and punv child is bally
liiindic!iipt'd in the battle of life. It is
isolated from the healthy enjoyments
of its little fellow-beings It 'cannot
partake either of their pla.v or their
sturdy work and prnmv-. iii'tle' world;
its whole life is embittered bv Incapac
ity and weaklier.
.Any woman who expects to become
a mother ought to know what Ir.
Pierce's Favorite Piv-criptioii will do
both for her own heslth nnd safety
during her time of trial and also to in
Kire her 111 bc.jiieathiiig a luir measure
oflieulth u id htrength to the prospec
tive little one.
- -
Travelling Libraries.
Thers are now 600 traveling
libraries at the State's disposal for
use throu gh Pennsylvania. A
traveling library comprises 50
books, and at present the demand
is for fiction, in proportion ten to
one of history or biography.
"In time", says the William
sport Gazette and Bulletin "the cit
izens of Pennsylvania will recognize
the propriety of the Quay statue."
Not unless their memory goes to
the bad, and posterity neglects
ancient history.