Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-29
The Pennsylvania CamerOns.
Neao York Herald.

1t is close to twenty years since the
PENNSYLVANIA Republicans began to
groan under the political tyranny of old
Mr.. Simon Cameron as dismally as ever
the Israelites groaned in Egypt and to
pray for genuine Moses to deliver them
from their taskmaster Many sham
Moseses undertook the job, but most of
them wound up by taking service under
the Pharaoh against whom they set out
to head a rebellion. There were times
when old Mr.. Cameron had as many as
half a dozen of these former pretenders
turning spits at once in his political
kitchen-the occupation to which Henry
VII. CONTEMPORARY put Lambert SIM
mel We used to have great deal OF
sympathy with the Pennsylvania Ike
publicans in those days, for their task
master was a man of unusual ability
one of the most efficient combinations OF
shrewdness and strength in his tyranny
American politics ever have developed
But when he grew very old and the
political grasshOpper became such bur-
den to him that he abdicated in favor OF
his son Donald this sympathy mostly
evaporated, for there was concurrence
of testimony that tue new Pharaoh was
so much inferior as ruler that subject
race who could not free themselves from
his dominion without waiting any longer
for a genuine Moses were not worthy of
liberty. 1t is needless to cite this testi
mony at length. We will content our
selves with quoting an estimate OF Mr.
Donald Cameron which was pronounced
by so competent an authority as Mr.
BENJAMIN Fl. Brewster, President Ar
thurs Attorney General. In September,
1877, Mr.. Brewster was reported as say
ing:
Last winter our people were shocked
with the election OF J. Donald Cameron,
the irresponsible son of a Senator of
whom will not speak, because he and
his acts have become part of public
history and must be measured with more
deliberation than can be given in casual
conversation like this-a son that has
neither mind, attainments, dignity OF
character, knowledge of public affairs,
party services or personal worth to war
rant his advancement, and who has no
record but a bad one as an intrlguer and
manager Of bad men. He was first forced
into the War Department as the price of
his offer to betray his State and renomi-
nate General Grant, and. after being there
he was so base born in his notions OF de-
cencv and gentlehood as to solicit and
urge, by all the mean arts OF political
continuance, that he should be retained
as the companion of Cabinet officers and
gentlemen who did not want him. Fail
ing in tbat by the coarse brute force OF
organized power he jOstled his old father
out of his place and thrust himself into
a Senate where he will be an object of
derision aud disgust The public are
sick of these odiOus men, and the public
will do away with them. We have de-
stroyed human bondage in the South; we
will next break down political bondage
in the North and South.
This was five years ago. and neverthe-
less the Pennsylvania Republicans have
done little but grOan pitifully ever since,
and MIR. Brewster himself has gone into
something very like the Cameron turn
sDit business. The nearest approach
they have made to a respectable effort to
emancipate themselves was this summer,
through what is called in Pennsylvania
the Independent Republican movement;
but scarcely had the Independents
''bolted" before they began to dicker for
compromise, "a proceeding very
much as if the Israelites had halted on
the west bank of the Red Sea and pro
posed a political trade" with Pharaoh
pursuing them.
1t is manifest, we think, that the main
trouble is with the corruption Of the
party not with the weakness of the man.
If the party really wants to shake off
Donald Cameronism it can. The man
has not grown into really formidable
ruler such as his father was His own
candidate for Governor, Mr.. Beaver,
stood UP before Republican audience
at Bristol on Tuesday night and called
him "a small man, declared his own
independence of him and asked the
nartv why they did not drive him out
| of it, if they are discontinued. Imagine
a Republican candidate for Governor
saving this of Simon Cameron in his
primel How soon would he have been
put publicly to the spit
We know it may be said that Mr.
Beavers remarks were made on pre-
concerted understanding with MI. Don
| aid Cameron, and were an artiflce in
which bride was cloaked with humility.
| That NAV be, but on that construction
| of Mr. Beavers speech, 1t is even more
| significant token of the feebleness of the
| meJnO0S Oh OOudlQ NOhh7
nared with Simon Cameronism than if it
| had been made sincerely. For what
strikes the common sense of the public
| in the speech is its truth-nOt its artitlce.
Not one man in a thousand, outside of
Pennsylvania certainly, who reads the
description of Senator Cameron by Mr..
Beaver can perceive that it requires any
Interpretation deeper than the surface
meaning of the language, or can fail to
infer that the quality of the party must
be "small" which cannot rid itself OF
''small" tyrant If the Independent Re
publican movement is honest and earnest
why has it hesitated and trimmed and
bartered2 If it really wants to overthrow
Mr.. Donald Cameron all 1t has TO 90 is
to go straight ahead to the polls Win
out variableness or the shadow OF turn
ing"