Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-09
TAGGART'S BIG TASK.
Figuring On Hopeless Schemes to
Encompass Cameron'S Defeat.
SECRETARY THOMAS CALLED on
To Lend His Assistance, but He Thinks It Is
Too Late.
COUNTING ON A DEMOCRATIC SPLIT


lFROM A STAFF CORRESPONDENCE
HARRISBURG, Jan. S.-Mr. Taggart, the
Granger member of the House of Repre-
sentatives of Montgomery county, went
down to Mechanicsburg to-day to confer
with Colonel r. II. Thomas, Secretary of
! the State Grange, about the expediency of
renewing the fight against Senator Cameron
at the formal election in the Legislature on
the Goth instant. He thinks he can secure
the aid of Secretary Thomas in influencing
the Granger constituents of Assemblymen of
various counties to disregard the decision of
Wednesdays caucus, and vote against
Cameron. Friends of Thomas in this city
say he will not 60 into the movement, be-
cause he believes it too late to be effective.
Probably eight OF the Senators and Repre-
sentatives who were absent from the caucus
will vote for Cameron. These added to the
134 which he got, will give him 142 votes on
the Doth instant. To reduce that below a
majority and thus prevent an election, Mr..
Taggart would have to make it 126.
A Big Task for Taggart.
This would be an enormous undertaking
for any man, when he has arrayed against
him such leaders as Cooper, Leeds, Martin,
Quay, Magee. Finn, George Handy Smith
and even Jack Robinson and Jesse NJ. Baker
since the caucus. Taggart is fighting on all
sorts of wild possibilities. One is that he can
make use of an alleged dsgruntled Democratic
element in the Legislature.
Some time before the Legislature assembled
it was currently reported that Chauncey F.
Black was to be made the Democratic candi-
date for United States Senator. Perhaps this
was generally believed outside of legislative
circles Senator Ross, of Bucks county, how
ever. is anxious for the nomination. As the
story goes. he was to have had the caucus nomi-
nation for President pro tenn of the Senate
from the Democrats Senator HenInger got
that. and now Ross proposes to knock Black off
the Senatorial track for revenge.
1t is probable that this story rs about as non-
sensical as Is the spectacle of such a quarrel
over empty honors as Is either nomination
for the minority party.
Following Out a Precedent
The real reason why some people are anxious
to make Ross the Senatorial candidate is
because the custom has been to give the honor
to one of the State Senators. 1t thus went to
William A. Wallace when Cameron was a can
that to depart from thar practice now would be
to amount to a snub of the Democratic men,
bers OF the present Senate.
1t is said that Taggart's hope is that this
alleged ill-feeling will increase so that he can
promise anti-Cameron Republicans that they
will have Democratic support IN a combined
effort TO defeat Cameron. But Democrats are
yet to hear from on that subject On joint
ballot of the Legislature the Democrats have
IS votes. 1t would take about all that number,
voting with the discontinued Republicans to
defeat Cameron.
Taggart simply poses as a candidate so that
the dscontented Republicans may have
second Republican candidate to vote for if
they with. He does nos. for a moment say
they will vote with the Democrats for Demo-
cratic candidate. For similar reason the
Democrats may refuse to vote for him.
LE.STOFIEL