The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-10-15


WILKES BARRE, Pa Oct -, 1874.
FRIEND JEFF.-On Wednesday the 9TH
inst the Conterees of the Ilth Congressional
district assembled in this Capitol of the 18th
District for the purpose of making nomln-
ton of such candidate for Congress as
would meet the requirements OF the unterrl-
fed Democracy. One would have supposed
that the Ilth district was large enough, and
crooked enough, and had hiding places e.
nough within its borders in which TO Go all
the cahogling and dirty work that was neces-
sary to meet the great need of the party
But it appears not, and lamentabe indeed
is it to all of US here that this grand center
of political purity had to be afflicted with the
presence of the Conference, and to run the
risk of having its political morals corrupted
bv such acts and deeds as are only to be found
in body of Democrats to dole out mess Of
political pottage to the hungry asplrants.
AS | said before the Conference met on
Wednesday last, and yet Monday finds 1t
without having completed its labOrs, ,-labors
which, but for personal ambition could have
been settled as satisfactorily within half an
hour after meeting, as after days spent in
the work. But circumlocution appeared to
be the order Of the day and chow not to do 1t
the burden of all the efforts of the Conierees
But the fact is, the delegates and the confer
ence are quartered at the Wyoming Valley
House, and rs the beds and rooms of that
house are all first class, and the feed in guam
tity and quality such as is not often met, and
as the Conference looked as though a season
of good living would not be productive Of
much harm, aud as somebody else has to foot
the bill. do not know that they are much to
blame for adjourning from morn until after
noon, and from afternoon till night and from
night till morning, and SO on Gd tJitant IT not
ad aauseum. BY this course three square
meals per day and a good nights lodging
were secured from day to day, even If nc
other result flowed from their labors, My
word for it. your Conferees will be found to
have improved amazingly in corpus, on their
return home. And so will all the rest except
possibly Bob Packer of Carbon, who looks as
though he fed luxuriously all the time.
The Conferces assembled, at o'clock, p.
m. on Wednesday, and proceeded to organ
ze. This was temporarily done by the elec-
ton of Thomas j. Ridgway, of Pike, chair
man. and Frank A. Beamish, Of Luzerne,
and Robert 4. Packer. Of Carbon, Secreta-
rics. who. after the credentials of Conterees
were presented, were made permanent off
GERS Of the Conference. The Conferees from
your County were James Place, Judge Cru
yer and Robt. W. Swink, Swank or Suounk,
| cannot tell which, as our papers here spell
it ali three ways. About this this time trou-
bic began to brew over something which did
not suit the Columbia delegation. They
however maintained presence IN the Confer
ence until the presentation OF candidates was
about through with, when they withdrew IN
a huff. The status OF the COntcrees may be
Judged somewhat from little incident which
occurred just previous to the presentation OF
the names of fcandidates Denomination. Vic
tor t. Poilette, of Bradford county, known
to many of your readers from his connection
with the building Of the Manunka Chunk
tunnel. was stepping around bIiskiy acting as
Big Iniun" on the occasion, and had as his
shadows Il. S. Staples, Charley Palmer and
one Ed. J. Wolf, all [ believe lobby repre-
sentativcs of Monroe. Carbon was particu-
larly sensitive as to outside influence, though
she had the formidable presence Of Judge
Huston and several others to see talr play
all around. Her delegates evidently knew
there was money around, or else wanted to
cover up their own tracks IN that direction
for just at this point in the proceeding Bob
Packer offered resolution that If any can
didate bribed or attempted to brlbe dele
gate he should forfeit nomination or his
name should be dropped from the roll of can
didates, and if any Conferee brIbed or at
tempted to bribe a brother conterec he
should be expelled from the Conference. -
Now this, | submit was ungenerous IN view
of the fact that the big lujun' once had
trouble on the score of bribing during his le-
gislative career, and Bob's brother Secretary,
was still suffering from the sting of a little
onpleasantncss" growing out of a steamer
purchase for Scranton. 1t was unjust, too,
because every body present thought the Of
fering Of the resolution was an unwarranted
interference with Democratic usage coeval
with the party itself The resolution, for
show sake was adopted unanimnusI y. This
move got along WITH the presentation OF the
names Of candidates was proceeded with ana
concluded, resulting in bringing up tor the
action Of the Conference the names OF Ch2rl-
ton Burnett of Monroe, Robert klotz, OF
Carbon, T. p. Rhodes Of Montour, George IL.
Rowland Of Pike, Frank Collins of Luzerne,
and c. Ii. Brockaway, Of Columbia
On Thursday morning the first balloting
began. At first it was three all around, with
the exception of Brockaway, whose delegates
having Withdrawn his hame followed suit -
Then the Conferees began playing foxy
tickling first one Of the candidates and then
another until nearly all of them in some stage
of the voting had come within one vote Of
the nomination | have noticed that this,
as well as bribery, is numbered as among the
usages Of Democracy, but the sense Of it was
never apparent to my understanding. 1t
looks vastly more like childsplay than any
thing else, unless it be put in the shape of
an assurance that the Conferees were in the
market and at the command Of the highest
bidder. ] think, from observation and in
quiry that Mr. Burnett, of your County, was
the favorite from the start, but his prospects
were considerably clouded by the assurance
of some of his not over wise friends that he