A most disgraceful story comes this week from Pennsyl- vania.
The sufferers by the Pittsburgh Railway riots, two years ago, claim £800,000 damages from Alleghany County, in which the riots occurred. The claim is allowed, but the county is too poor to pay, and the claimants accordingly brought in a Bill saddling the whole State with the debt. The Bill was defeated, but in consequence of some complaints an investiga- tion was ordered, which ended in a Report, stating that bribery had been freely employed to pass the Bill, and that three named Members of the State Legislature and several " lobbyists " had been guilty of "corruptly soliciting votes." In accordance with the report, a resolution of expulsion was brought in ; but a two- thirds vote being necessary, it was defeated, and the incriminated Members will not be punished. About 90 Members voted for them, against about 100—the precise numbers differing in each case—who voted for expulsion. On the other hand, a simple majority is enough to institute a criminal proceeding against an outsider, and the " lobbyists," therefore, are to be prose- cuted with all the rigour of the law. The public of Pennsyl- vania are reported to be indignant, but it remains to be seen
whether any of the 90 Members who voted against the expul- sion will be rejected at the polls. The great probability is that they will not, and therein lies the puzzle. That poor and un- scrupulous Members should take bribes, is intelligible ; but that constituents, who get none of the money, should pardon such representatives, is inexplicable.
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