The Portland daily press., 1882-06-08
John Stewart.
Pen Picture of Political Reformer
Boston Traveller

boston Traveller
Hon. John Stewart is the candidate OF the
so-called Independents of Pennsylvania IL
that portion of the Republican press OF this
neighborhood which represents the we-thank-
eaven-that-we-are-not-as- -people-are sem
timent is to be relieved, Mr.. John Stewart is
at the head of one of these great moral move
ments which come, once in while, to purify
the air of public life. 1t is of general interest
to know, at this juncture, just what manner OF
man this is who who comes crying in the will
derness of our too lrofigate politics, exhorting
an abandoned party to repent and renonnce
the vicious Boss system, with all its attend
ant niquities of office brokerage and place
hunting.
Mr.. John Stewart has record of varied and
miscellaneous beauty. He began life in Cham
bersburg, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, as
lawyer 1t was not long before he turned from
Blackstone and Coke and cast wistful eye on
"a Federal office. There is nothing singular
in young reformer beginning his career as a
place seeker. '"Twas ever thus" Schurz,
Curtis, Bristow and all 'the best element"
began that way 1t is not a thing for the I'M
regenerate to scott 1T, because when our best
people seek Office it is not in any proper sense
of the term "spoi-hnnting." That is a term
that only applies to the other kind OF people.
We merely mention it as fact, q touching in
cident in good mans life, that Mr.. Stewart,
candidate of the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
party in Pennsylvania, thus early hankered af-
| ter 'the feshpots of Egypt" He thought he
| would like to serve the country as assessor OF
| internal revenue for the Sixteenth Congestion
| al District of his State. He wrote to Simon
| Cameron asking his influence to that end
| Simon Cameron, like the unfeeling and cruel
| Boss that he always was, failed to respond.
| Another man became assessor of internal reve-
| nue., and the first seeds of reform were planted
| in the breast of the patriotic Stew art
1t did not spring up at once into the fun
| fruitage of chest sentiment, which now stands
| out to rebuke selfish and sordid party. The
| next step in the growth of this champion of
| the enslaved and Boss trodden masses was an
| application for another Office. This time the
ruptcy for his district. Again he besought the
bold, bad Cameron for his aid. He did not, OF
| course seek the Office but he desired the wick
ed Cameron should see that the Office sought
| him. But Cameron, riding roughshod as usual
over the dearest aspirations of the people. fall
| ed to recon- mend him. From that time it be-
| came clear to Mr.. Stewart that the party would
| rever be really free and happy until the Cam
| eron dictatorship was destroyed. He ask ed
| the s'Boss" for no more favors. and determined
| ucQCelOftu budt ub WOhlu uoN6I SAFO w w
| party what was meant for mankind"
Time however which runs the smcothing-iron
of forgetfulness ove- our sharpest sorrows, nit
| igated his noble rage, and in 1874 Mr.. Stewart
/ was once more candidate-this time for Con-
gress Again, sad to tell, he was defeated. No
| doubt it was all on account of Simon; no doubt
| the Republicans of his district wanted him; the
| very women and children cried for him, but
the Juggernaut car of Cameron rolled over him
and pulverized him as it rolled. We still trace
| -, aud Gx,Ah ,ovto
candidate for the nomination, in 1876, for State
Senator. Again, terrible to relate, he was left
at home Thus did 'horrors on horrors head
/ accumulate" The end was not yet. A vacancy
on the bench of the United States District
/ Court next caught the eye of the standard
| bearer of the anti-spoils movement in Pennsyl-
vania Once more the wicked Cameron was
| entreated to pity the SORROWS OF a poor young
man. His hard heart remained untouched,
and Mr. Stew art was rejected once more.
At length CLEAN of success lghtened the
horizon of his life, and he was elected, after
| persistently importuning the office, to the
State Senate. The contest over the United
| States Senatorship came up, and his first step
was to bolt the regular Republican caucus NOM
ination. In the deadlock that ensued it occur
red to him-as it naturally would to man who
hates office-seeking-that he might be made
Senator himself. But another on-office-seeker
| had the same idea, to wit, Mr. Wolfe, the lead
or of the revolt of last year. One patriotic nom
accidental Mitchell was the net result.
| The next act in this entertaining play OF
"The Patriots Revenge or Office-Hunting Re-
buked," discloses Mr.. Stewart as candidate
| for Governor, and again "the machine"-that
is, the majority of the Republican party
| crushed his fond hopes And now once again,
| foot-sore and detected in the long search for
| office, this noble non-office-seeker made over
| lures to the heartless Cameron family. He ac-
| tually made speech in the State Senate en-
/ doeeiuo ar( action in the natlOn-
| al Senate. Having thus fairly preferred the
olive-branch he iniimated to the Boss that
| he would like to be Minister to Mexico. He
did not seek it, of course, but he would like the
| Senator to have seen to it that this desirable
place sought him; chased him, as it were, all
/ around the State, and literally run him down.
| And the Senator acquiesced in the suggestion.
| The fates were against him, however. Presi-
| dent Garfield would not make the appoint
ment, and at last he was all ripe and ready to
| blossom out as an unadulterated patriot, whose
| hand was against the patronage system, the
| party, and the party's chiefs.
| That is the record, briefly rehearsed, OF the
| self-sacrifcing man to vindicate whose outrag-
! ed feelings, and those of other disinterested
| men like unto himself the Republicans OF
| Pennsylvania are asked, next November, TO
| give the Democrats control of their State next
| year, and mortgage on the national govern
ment to be forecosed in 1884, The protective
tariff which is the bedrock of their prosperity
| the maintenance of the currency and banking
| system, which is the very lfe-blood of our ma
| tional commerce and credit; the defence of a
| free and honest suffrage in the South; these,
and every other great interest that is staked
upon the nasiona ascendancy of the Republic
can party, must be sacrificed, in order that
handful of non-office-seekers and antl-spolls-
men, of whom Mr.. Stewart is bright and
shining example,-men who have one griev-
ance, and one only, that they have sought
office and failed to get it,-may apply the salve
of retaliation, and ruin the party that they
have failed to rule.
the body. Dead cats were embalmed and bu-
ried in the city of Bubastis, the sacred city OF