The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-01-13
y%YLLEAM II. CONWAY.

-OLD TINE ROCKs.-Conw9y was q youi4s
an of great promise, and. had he lived, would
nrtainIv have made a big mark III the WorId.
lie was for several years the cdltOr OF q De9lo-
rorfc no 1qprr called TEC FujlsV Spirit printed at
GSgmbersburg. Franklin county, In TINS STATE.
~ vas the editor OF that journal during the
Tbernatorial campaign OF 1885 just after the
-',II-I,IJ suspension Of the banks, and helped
aa,Trb TO aid the election OF Governor Porter
it..4In stirring songs that emanatcd from his
=! ."gr,J ."g which we're rcpubliShed in almost all
5.rbc Democratic papers throughout the State.
Terecuect that the chorus OF one OF them ran
IL this wise:
rTben to the polls yc noble souls,
Bat hear their doom, they shall resume,
Or forfeit all their charters.
The abeve paragraph appeared in a recent
rumbcr Of the Philadelphia SUNDAY MERCURY,
IN its usually accurate column of "Answers of
rc~rs.7oudents" Although it is evidently in
t,r,td to refer to William b. Conway, so well
rcmembered by many of the citizens of this
-rcre il docs not contain single accurate
s..teraut In reference to him. Willis IN b.
conway nsver Was the editor Of The VALLEY
Srlalr. nor was no connected with any journal
IN this State during the memorable political
cfmraign Of 1888 between Joseph Rtner and
David H. Porter, which resulted in the election
Of The latter MS Governor. For come years
-rfer 10 S36, Nm. B. Conway, who was born
/, Delaware, and Thomas Phillips published
THE AMEEiCAN MANUFACrUREB, democratic
rsrer in Pittsburgh. About the beginning OF
hat YEAR 1885 he came to JohRstown and
eomuieuced publishing The MoUNTAINEER and
r:mOyed 20 EheUsburg with his printing office
some time during the early part OF the summer,
vhsro the paper continued 10 be published uEtil
tie latter part Of 1887 No newspaper in the
State acquired such 4 wide spread and go de-
served a reputation as did The MUUTTAISEER
under L;s editorial management. J. not only
circulated largely in Pennsylvania, but had
fer subscribers many OF the leading democrats
in every State IN the Union. What his early
educational opportunities were VIC DO not know,
BIZ; lie was what is called well-read man, and
possessed u refined and highly cultivated liter
ar .s8te. His FORTE political writer con-
sisted Of whitening iuvectiye and uusparing
lilcu.c although he could reason cogontiY
when the occasion required it. He was Z born
nost, and the perfect case and rapidity with
which he could throw off dOggeral verse WAS
simply astonishing. He possessed all ungoy-
enable propensity to lampoon lis prominent
political opponents in that kind of rhyme, not
because lie bore them any special iil-will, but
merely because he COULD dot and because it
afforded him an opportunity of gratifying a
strong natural love of fun. The result of this
indulgence was that lie almost constantly
IN the Court Of Quarter Sessions ss the defend
ant in 4 prosecution for libel, and when he was
convicted aud sentenced TO pay q fine, tho bill
was promptly liquidated by his ad drliring demo-
cratic friends His numerous political songs
published in 1887 added vastly to the reputation
Of lis paper, and some of them were familiar
10 the deck hands of Mississippi steamboat
as ihey were to the democracy of PenusY Ylvania
His best known production in that style was
The Bribed Legislator" and il much more
applicable row TO the legislative halls at Har-
IisUurg and Washington than it was thirty four
years ago. Portions OF il are frequently quoted
at the present day "tO point moral or adorn
ata!e." lie was the ardent and devoted friend
Of David r. Porter, and during the summer Of
v,LF. Nd aIl -s,1a
urging his nomnstion by the Democratic State
Convention, 70 assemble the 4th of harch,
le5c IS its candidate for GovaInor. His wish
vas gratIied, but ne was not hero to take any
part in the excitement of the bitterly contested
campaign that followed. In the fall cf 1897
he became en- applicant to Martin Van Buren,
then President, for appointment to the Office of
Secretary Of the newly organized Territory of
iowa. AT that time so well established was
L.s reputation as an accomplished and vigorous
IoluCal writer, that the author of this article
vel, remembers TO have been shown a letter
addressed to him by numbor of prominent
and Influential democrats of Philadelphia, in
which they offered to present him with first
class printing press, together with all necessary
material and fixtures, nnd to pay him a hand
some salary, if he would abandon his Iowa
PROJECT and take charge of new democratic
paper which it was proposed to establish in that
city. After mature deliberation ne very reluc-
afterwards appointed Secretary of Iowa. He
lett This place for his future western homo in
The Spring of 1898, and died there in about
eglteeu months after. His age we suppose to
have been about IS years. At the same timo
lGat no was appoint cd Secretary of the T erri-
Tory, Joseph Williams, Of Somerset county.
vas commissioned one of the Judges of the
ieriiorial Courts. Williams was man of
l4Lnlte Jest and was gifted with remarkable
powers as a vocalist. The mark ed pecuiarities
ot the two men caused Thoophilus Fem, then
e!tor oil the Harrisburg T ELrGRAPu, to express
I's high appreciation of both appointments, for
Ie Te'son, ss he said, ''that while not officially
'lgageI, Conway, with his back against the
st'uhg sun, could amuse h!mself by writing
them"
"A bound volume Of the MoUNTAIXEER whilo
=" m Is. Conway was its editor would afford
H'sres;ing and amusing reading now for those
VINO knew him and also the persons, now all
Ce2d with but two Exceptions, against whom
tao unerring shafts OF his wit and ridieule were
uHecied. So far as we can learn, no such
To!ume exists in this county, and the genius of
IN. Is. COnway-bis wonderful facility as n
"H:ar-hs inexhaustible fund of humor-his
love for the ridiculous and his withering sar-
casm-cln only be fully appreciated by those
VINO were familiar with the rich, racy, sparkling
HIu well edited columns of The MoUSrAINEER
nAen 1t was in the full tide of successful exper-
4meut and was political power in the State
HE RIGHT SPIRIT-All who know Ebens-
uurg as 1t now is, are " ell aware that the Con
gregational church in this place is one Of the
most substantial, elegant and commodous re.
ligious edifices in the county the total cost OF
Its erection having netted some Sl3 600. On
Sunday morning last the debt remaining on
This church amounted TO $2,l70-now it is ONLY
1910, or at least was only that amount a day
or two ago. the remaining S. 600 having beer
Aquidated by the voluntary contributions of the
members at the morning and evening service:
On Sunday last. This is indeed the right spirit
70 manifest in such matters, and we record tbt
isct as highly honorable to the congregation
N question. and as an evidence eff the energy
1aa zeal Of The worthy pastor in charge. Rev
l; X. Jones. Others of our citizens will be
called upon by Mr.. Jones to contribute towards
Ae liquidation of the small amount still re
naming unpaid, and we hope he will not cal
:, IL you have neighbor who don't take the