Telegram-herald., 1888-07-16
MATHEW 5. QUAY
fhs Interesting Career ~ the ch.trass 81
ths ksPablle@. NstiSa4t Cssamattes.

Two practical politicians. from the
most corrupt state. politically IN
the Uni0n. will lead the hosts OF TIE
no great psrstis during the Presi-
dental year. Astthes stanley Quay. dub
bed MAJ by bis ward frisnds. Is the Psnn-
syiyani&n elected Chairman Of the Natlonsl
Republican COMMITTEES and OF the National
Republican Executive Committse: William
L. scott. fsmiliarly known ss ''Biil' Scott.
IS the Psnnsyivsnian chosen oy the Dsnoe-
raey ss chairman of their National Cam
p4iza COMMITTEES. When Pennsylyania
meets Pennsylvania then comes the tug Of
politics
Quay is probably the sblest man Who
took bis seat in the United States Senate on
the 4th OF March, 1857. Scott is the richest
msa in the Lower house. and keen - .
Damascus blade in party management.
Scott IL man Of business. Quay q student
OF books. Scott Is hunter-sfter success.
wealth fame, Quay is . mighty fisherman.
Scott Is sixty years old. Quay Is hfty-three.
SIX years ago Mat Quay vas the queen
bee of the hive Of Pennsylvanias little
bosses. He didn't run IN the Cameron
class. Was known personally only 10 the
politicians and fishermen, and was counted
by the hugwumpss Independents aud non
partisan citizens corrupt, rum-loylng
ward politician who wanted TO be known
as q State boss, and who knew ond worked
the ropes Of Fennsylysnias machinery and
amused himself fishing at Atlantic City or
schening with the Barneys and Mixes OF
his party In the back room or a saloon. No
greater mistake was ever made about any
man in public life.
Quay is a preachers son. he was born
at Dillsburg. York county, fifty-three years
| ago. lie is poor man. comparatively, al
though ne has been an ardent Republican
politician and worker for twenty five years,
and was in with the machine al Harrisburg
when it was charged by responsible jour-
mails and men of his own party with using
the peoples money in the State Treasury
to buy votes, TO give dinners, to bolster up
banks, and even To start and equip the
Union Passenger Railway Company of
| Philsdeiphia. The State Treasury mas been
| the most important office in Pennsylvanis
| Tor quarter of a century. Robert w.
| Mackey, Quay's political trainer. was State
| Treasurer He was the Cameron organizer
| and manager, and the sbrewdest politician
| OF his time. There was constant scandal
about the Treasury in those days
| Quay was u bohemian in his youth,
taught school and fought Indians in Texas,
showed q magic lantern and tried to start n
| newspaper in Louisiana and roamed about
| until he studied aw and in 1856 was aD-
pointed Prothonolary of Beaver County.
| He has been in politics every since, and in
| stead OF fortune has accumulated a
| library.
He was elected Prothonotary TO succeed
| himself. He resigned in 1861 and went
into the army. He resigned the First
Lieutenancy of the Eleventh Psnnsylvania
Regiment, became Assistant COnmissary.
General on the staff of his friend, Governor
Curtin, became Curtin's private secretary
and again went TO the froRt ~ Colonel OF
| the One Hundred and Thirty fourth Penn
sylvania Infantry. In Dece nber. 1852, he
resigned bis command At the surgeons
| orders, but stayed at the front to have ''one
| more shy" At the rebels in the battle OF
\ Gettysburg. He declared he'd rather die
| like a fool than live like q coward" when
| the surgeon called him fool for staying.
His Senatorial career-which Is only
| budding-is not his first experience in
| Washington. He represented his state
there as Fiscal Agent from 1868 to 1865. lu
1864 he was r.ected TO the Legislature OF
Pennsylvania, and he has been q moulder
Of opinion in every Legislature at Harris
| burg since. He was a candidate for speaker
in 1866 and could have had Simon Cam
| eron's iDfuence-which would haue in
sured his election-had he consented to
work ior Cameron for Senator. He
wouldn't do il and was defeated. He was
then identified with the Curtin or anti
Cameron wing OF the Republican party.
Today, after twenty years. during many OF
which he worked with and for the Cam
erons, he is once more the leader of the
ti-Cameron faction and himself already
as big boss If not bigger than Don"
Quay was Governor Hartranft's Secre-
tary of State in 1873 and resigned to be
elected Recorder of Philadelphia. a fat
Office which was created by the IL gislature
for him and has since been abolished. The
handsome residence be lived in as Recorder
is pointed out st Eleventh and Spruce-sts.
in Philadelphis as a monument OF political
| corruption, or, rather, of the era OF greatest
political corruption in Pennsy lvania. Yet
nobody has ever charged Quay with profit
ing by it except politically. Don Cameron
made Chris. Magee, Quay's junior and rival
IN politics. bis proxy representative In the
National Republican Committee in 1888.
Eyeryb body said Quay was dead"
They who thought so little knew him.
In 1855 Quay did one of the boldest thing,
ever done in American politics. He sp-
pealed directly to the people of Pennsylva-
| MA TO say whether he was as bad rs his en-
emies declared him. He announced him
self a candidate for State Treasurer. 10
every oodY's intense surprise. He didn't
cous1lt aoy of the politicians but wrote
letters 10 his friends and let the popular
feeling assert itself Such audacity was
magnificent 1t soon got to be understood
that be proposed to run for the United
States Senate to succeed John /. Mitchell II
he vas elected state Treasurer. He received
for the Treasury a plurality Of 43.5l6. an
almost unprecedented majority even m
Pennsylvania
| Against this brilliant and intensely az
gressive campaign OF the Lone Fisherman
o: Beaver County" the Philadelphia Presf
the Blaine organ Of the party in the state
aud the most considerable Republican
journal ia Pennsylvania, wsged bitter
war Of innuendo and suggestion. A bolt
was threatened. AL the pgrty scandals and
State Treasury shortcomings we're dug "
and their corpses prepared for a street pa
rsds which never took place The indepen
dents and Mugvumps fought Quay bitterly
| The famous Pardon Board Transaction "a
brought up against him. This vas in sub
stsnce e follows William II. Ksmble
Rumberzer Szlter snd Crawford plesdsS
guilty March 2 1870. 70 having bribed th'
Legislsture Of Pennsyivsnis 70 pass the bil
appropristing 100000 70 pay The losses
caused By the Pittsburk riots Of 1877. Tbsy
sess sentenced 70 g. .0o0 fne and yesr 10
Ehe psniteatiary The state Board Of Par
| 60ns IF Which Qusv uas a. scsive mem
Der. psrdoned them before they we're put in
| tss stripes.
In spite # sll this hls triumph. personal
ana political. vss the most distinct and
| complete IN Penns7lFsnfs : history. From
tae counting Of the votes on the Irszsury
siection his election % TIE Senate Vas con
| coded. and hs ~ss accordingly CLOSES nth
/ ont ths sormaiifT Of . caucus the foil0rinl
| Winter.
His rsr-e~ n TIE Serafe has been a aBie