The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-05-28
From a nrothsravalley Republican,

BERLIN, PESSA., May -, 1880.
EDrroR HERALD: heard Mr.. Scull, in
speech be was making some years ago, say
''The man only wastes his time who stops 10
kick every dog that barks at him.as he pass
es along life's highway" | suppose he is
acting upon this principle when he treats
with silent contempt the little and spiteful
attacks made upon him, by proiessed Re
publican paper published in Somerset Mr.
Scull is at Washington in discharge OF
his public duties. If he were at home he
could well take care of himself, and il is be-
cause he is rot here, that | want to say a
few words to my brother Republicans. No
one has ever challenged his fidelity to party.
nor has one word been said against his
course in Congress What then, is the
matter? Why, as Abraham Lincoln said
under similar circumstances, he has more
pins than holes to drive them in" In other
words, all the applicants for Office could not
be provided for, and some of the disappoint-
ed ones are kicking. Added TO these are few
self-styled Republicans who Joined forces
with the Democrats and voted for Mr.. Tate
in 1856, and who have never forgiven Mr..
Scull for beating the combination this is
the whole matter in nutshell.
Now what is the purpose of the opposition
to Mr. ScuIl at the coming primary election,
when it is as plain as the nose on your face
to every intelligent voter in the party that
no other candidate from this county can
hope for the district nomination? Never in
my recollection have l known or read OF
two men from the same county receiving a
Congressional nomination in succession.
The only expectation of these half-and-half
Republicans is to defeat Mr. Scull at the
primary and prevent the nomination coming
TO Somerset County. 1t is well known all
over the county that General Koontz and
his little band of followers in your borough
tried to induce Hon. John Cessna, of Bed
ford. to permit the use of his name in this
county for the Congressional nomination at
the approaching primary, but Mr.. Cessna
seems to have remembered his experience
in 1872 when he was candidate for Con-
gress in this district At that time he came
to Somerset and inquired as to the proba-
bility of this county having an aspirant for
the nomination and was aaJured by Mr..
Koontz among Others, that he was not a
candidate. Feeling confident that this coun-
| ty would not present candidate Mr.. Cessna
decided TO ask for its endorsement at the
primary election, and accordingly he had
tickets printed and circulated with the be
! lief that their being no other candidate he
would meet with no opposition. His con
sternation and modification may be imagin-
ed when the result showed that tickets for
Koontz had been sneakingly distributed on
the eve of the eelection, an appeal made to
local pride, and that he was shamefnlly
beaten. Three of Mr. Koonizs friends were
appointed conferees he went with them to
the conference and finding that he could not
be nominated, induced them to cast theiI
votes against Mr. Cessna. Hon. S. S. Blair
was made the candidate, and owing tC
trouble in his own county was defeated and
the district lost.
The next political episode in which thes'
| gentlemen figured prominently ana IN
which Koontz again betrayed Cessna was in
1881 when the latter was the Republican
nominee for President Judge. 1t is an open
secret that Koontz worked and voted agains
him, and helped to procure his defeat il
this strong Republican district.
The Republican voters of this county srt
familiar with other equally "offcolor' trans
actions in the political career of Mr.. koontl
that are unerring danger signals" to thu
wary engineer.
1t is reported here, and l want to tell my
fellow Republicans that the information
comes from a trustworthy source, that afte
Mr.. Cessna had positively refused to permi
his name to be used in this county Genera
Koontz and his little band of "kickers' hel'
caucus and decided it would never do t.
let the congressional nomination come t
Somerset cosnty again, and persuaded MI
Daniel J. Horner TO let them run him will
that object in view.
RpoTurpevArIFy REPrHIICAY