The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-06-29

there was no more chance OF his election
than OF his making successful voyage to
the moon, and few days after the nomi'
nation, In a very grateful letter. he de-
clined the nomination so Unexpectedly
rendered him!
The method by which Cameron obtained
his great political power in Pennsylvania
was peculiar" He never was popular
with the masses-never could have been
elected a constable by the popular vote,
and never, In all his long career, ventured
to be candidate before the people. His
method was, In every town In his own and
neighboring counties, and every county In
the state, to pick out few men, not too
scrupulously honest, but Of pronounced
grit and local Influence, and by liberal
loans TO these men, on easy terms of mo
Interest and pay me when you can"
bound them to him as his obedient bonds.
men and slaves. There was no Legislature
but had from half score to q score of
these willing tools Of Simon Cameron In
II, belonging to all parties, and very con.
siderable proportion of the congressman
elected from the state were made up of
the same servile stuff.
1t is by knowledge of this method Of
Cameron that we can account for his I'M
expected election In 1915 to the U. S.
senate, when Buchanan retired to accept
the Office of Folks secretary of state. AT
the election the Know Nothings held the
balance of power In the legislature, and
the Wing candidate naturally ought to
have been chosen, but Cameron bought
out the Know Nothings and secured his
own election by the Wing and X. N.
votes, with few scattering democrats.
At the second senatorial election the
democratic majority In the legislature was
so large that Gov. Blgler defeated Cam
erons reelection, but not without pro-
longed and desperate struggle.
The fight was renewed In 1857, when
the democrats had bat three majority In
the legislature, and though the party
unanimously desired the election of John
w. Forney, and Cameron. ran as the repub-
lican candidate, Forney was beaten by
three votes, enough democrats having
been bought outright by Cameron to bring
about the result. The proof of the pur-
chase OF votes by Cameron was undenlable
and the whole business unspeakably
scandalous. Yet Cameron had address
enough to prevent any formal investigation
of the outrage In either in the Legislature
or U. s. senate.
OF the career of Cameron, the next four
years In the senate, and Of his appoint
ment by Lincoln as secretary Of war, and
of his mysterious removal from that posi-
ton by Lincoln and transfer to Russia, 1t Is
unnecessary to speak, as these things have
been made familiar enough by the current
war histories. 1t Is enough to say that as
senator be never cut any figure: he was a
man of but moderate education, never
made speeches and never originated any
important measure, while as war secretary
he was confessedly failure.
We know there Is maxim, "De NOR
tuis nihll nisi bonum," but 1t would be an
unjust stretching of the maxim to laud the
career, the methods and successes Of
Simon Cameron as such as ought to be
held up to the youth Of the country for
admiration or imitation. As an illustra-
ton of the possibilities of unbounded
wealth. backed by great cunning OF
shrewdness, as a political power, the Ca
reer of Simon Cameron has no parallel In
the country's history; but as pattern for
imitation 1t is deserving of everything but
commentator.