Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-10-21
Gov. Curtin for Congress.

From the Elk Democrat.
In our last issue we made mere
mention of the nomination, on We'd
nesday of last week, of Gov. Curtin for
Congress in this district, and promised
more extended remarks this week
We had hoped ere this to receive a copy
of the proceedings of the conference,
but in this we have been disappointed
consequently we have been compelled
to pick up what we could, here and
there, bearing upon the subject.
The conference met on Tuesday, in
Lock Haven. The candidates were A.
&. Curtin, o. Centre; }. X. =. Hall, of
Elk, and Andrew Reed, OF Mitflin. Bal.
loting was soon commenced, which con.
tnued throughout the day and into the
night, Curtin receiving the vote OF Cen
tire, Clearfeld ard Clinton, 9; Reed that
of Mifflin and Union, G; Hall that of Elk,
3. On Wednesday morning, after sew
eral more Intellectual ballots, the name
of Mr.. Hall was Withdrawn at his re-
quest, when Messrs. Luhr and Messen.
ger voted with the conferees of Centre,
Clearfield and Clinton for Curtin, while
| Mr.. Kaul voted with the conferees of
MifIiin and Union for Reed, the vote
standing-Curtin IL, Reed I. On mo.
ton, the nomination of Curtin was
made unanimous. Messrs. Curtin, Reed
and Hall then appeared before the
conference and made speeches, the
| former accepting the nomination and
giving his reasons for desiring it, and
the two latter pledgng the nominee
their hearty support.
Ttun (tnV ('nTtin
readers will remember, was the Demo
cratic nominee, and, owing to combi.
nation of circumstances, chief of which
was the fusion of the Republicans aud
Greenbackers upon Mr.. Iocum, he was,
to the surprise OF everybody, defeated
by n majority of IS in total vote of
| 26,S3j. This year such fusion will
not be made, and even if it were, Gov.
Curtin would not be defeated, as the
Greenbackers this year will do well il
they poll 1000 votes in the district.
whereas in 1878 their poll reached
| 1920, four fifths Of which, we may safely
say, was drawn from the Democratic
party, as the majority for Tilden in 1876
was 4.l73, while that of Dill over Hoyt
and Mason in 1878 was but !, liza, and
that, too, in the face of the fact that
Dill ran ahead of the ticket in the dis
tr:ct. In the 1878 contest the ma jority
Of Dill over Hoyt and Mason in Centre
county tGov. Curtin's home) was 32j;
while Curtin's majority was but 81.
/ This disastrous result was largely trace.
able TO the fact that the Belleionte
Wdtchmdn, the Democratic organ OF Cen
tire county, declined to support the War
Governor because its editor questioned
his Democracy. This year it is cordial
in his support, as the appended extract,
clipped from the issue of the WatchH,dH
OF the lst, abundantly testiiies:
''In the contest now upon US the Watch
man will give n cordial and earnest sup
port TO Gov. Curtin for the reasons that
the objections it had to his election two
years ago have been removed. lie has se-
cured the party nomination fairly and
honorably he has cast aside the foolish
and suicidal idea of standing outside of
party organizations and proclniming him
self "a Liberal Republican : he has become
member of the Democratic club of this
place, and has openly and distinctly in
every speech he has made during the pres
ent campaign, announced himself Demo-
crat-a believer in Democratic principles,
an advocate of Democratic doctrines and
"A supporter Of Democratic men and Dem
ocratic measures. He has proclaimed, Just
rs the WntchmdH did two years ago. that
there is no haltng place between right and
wrong-that to be anything in politics n
representative must belong to one or the
other of the great party organizations, and
that for himself, believing the Democracy
10 he right, he has cast his lot with 1t.
"Under the circumstances there is but
one thing for us, ms well as for all other
Democrats of the district, TO do, and that Is
TO give him the same hearty and undivided
support that would have been given TO any
other nominee had the choice of the con.
ference fallen to some other aspirant.
'In the knowledge of the wants and
needs of the different interests of our dis.
trict and State; in the influence he will
WELD in taking care of those interests,
and in the qualifications to perform the
general duties pertaining TO the Office of
representative in Congress, Gov. Curtin
will be so far superior to any candidate the
Radical party can put up against him, that
there will be no comparison between the
two and no room for any question a. TO
how the intelligent voters of the district
should cast their ballotss''
The majority in the district this year
for Hancock will not fall below $500,
and may reach 5000. AS we can see no
good reason why any man who votes
for Hancock can consistently refuse TO
vote for Curtin, We predict the election
of the great War Governor by majority
larger than that ever received by any
man for the same Office, excepting only
the majority of 5,036 for Mackey over
Lincoln in 1876, when there was virtu.
ally no contest, Mackey's majority in
Elk alone being 1908.
An Able and Desirable Representative.