Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-12
DON'S FIRST VICTORY.
How Democratic Leaders, Headed by
Dill, Who Died Yesterday,
SAVED CAMERON FROM DEFEAT.
Enough Republicans Had Pledged Their
Votes for Curtin, but
HIS CONVERSION WAS TOO RECENT
IrRox STAFF coRREsroNprxr.I

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE report thai
Senator German has issued a mandate tC
the Democratic Legislators of Pennsylvania
to stand by Senator Cameron, and elect him
in case of Republican bolt, is probably g
full-sized canard, but 1t recalls bit of his
tory which may be forgotten even by the
few who knew of all the details.
Senator Cameron was first elected to the
Senate in the spring of 1877. The Office
was literally a gift from father to son.
There had not even been runor OF the res.
ignstion Of Simon Cameron. The intention
of the old veteran was known to but a hall
dozen politicians of the State. The news
reached Harrisburg after the Legislature
had adjourned Saturday evening to Mon
day morning. Every Pennsylvania knows
what Saturday adjournment of the Penn
sylvanis Legislature means The quorum
is transferred to Philadelphia.
l remember we'll that cold, clear Sunday
morning when on going into the Senate
chamber of the old Capitol to write some
letters found there small squad of Sena-
tors and members of the House discussing
some matter with evident excitement. Tele-
grams had been received late the night be-
lore announcing the resignation of Simon
Cameron, and the order had gone forth for
caucus on Monday, and the immediate
election Of theson as his successor.
Group of Vigorous Kickers.
There were a few kickers against Cameron
rule then as now, and it happened that most
Of the kickers were there and very mad.
They denounced in vigorous phrase the
snap judgment taken upon them; the evil
dent intention to deprive the people of the
State from any opportunity to express an
opinion, or any who did not like
the Camerons from putting their
protest in the shape of an opposing
candidate. The resignation was known
only to a few newspapers of the State and
then not in time Tor their Sunday morning
issues. The news could only be got to the
people of the cities on Monday morning
the morning of the day of the caucus-and
it reached only a handful of the country
population before the election.
There were a number of granger mem bers
among the kickers-old farmers who had
been brought up' in very rigid ways, anG
who represented counties in which an "anti-
boss" sentiment had spung up. These be-
came nucleus for movement to defeat
the will of the old Senator bequeathing his
Office to his son and heir. They conferred
together, telegraphe their leading constit-
uents where that was possible, drummed up
all the fellows who criticised the action of
the willy old Senator, and before the sun set
upon that Sunday evening Republicans
had pledged themselves TO vote for an inde-
pendent Democrat In sufficient numbers to
surely defeat the purpose of the Camerons,
father and son, with the solid assistance of
the Democrats.
Where the Opposition Broke.
But it WAS stipulated that the candidate
who should receive this protesting Repub-
lican vote should be an independent man.
They could not support a Bourbon Demo-
crat. Of the two evils of Bourbon Demo-
crat and boss Republican, Cameron was
the least. To find such candidate was
very difficult. Ex-Governor Curtin seemed
to be the only one who filled the bill. To
man the Republican kickers pledged them
selves to vote for Curtin, or any one of his
liberal type, provided the Democratic lead
ers would pledge the solid support of their
party in the Legislature.
The little movement which promised such
startling results was conducted with great
secrecy. Every actor in it knew that if he
were discovered he would suffer the loss of
all his influence, no matter whether the
scheme succeeded or not They were will
ing to take their chances if they succeeded,
but wanted to save their prestige if it failed.
When a sufficient number of pledges had
been secured an envoy (not member) was
sent to the Democratic leaders with the
proposition. Hon. A. II. Dill, whose death
is announced to-day, Z. S. Marshal at
Philadelphia, was the acknowledged leader
of the Democratic forces. He had gone
home Saturday evening and could not be
communicated with until his return Mon
day. Yerkes, Peale, Allen and Others the
ableSt Democrats of PENNSYLVANIA in that
i'll L. II
subject 1t was noticed at once that the
proposition aroused no enthusiasm.
"Who is your MANI" they demanded.
"Oh, any Liberal Democrat"
but name somebody"
Andrew Gregg Curtin, for instance"
Too Much of Republican.
''Oh, Curtin is too much of a Repub-
1ican.'
''But he has been received by your party
with open arms
Yes, but he is too young in his Democ-
racy to be presented with such an office as
that of United States SENATOR
THAT means that you would rather have
Cameron, a straight-out Republican, than
Curtin, who has abandoned Cameron's
party for yours
till we confer with Dill. Come around to-
morrow morning."
This is a specimen of the conversation be-
tween the envoy and the Democratic lead
ers, who, that evening, were o.tener seen iu
company with Cameron men than with
members of their own party. Early on
Monday Dill made his appearance in
the Senate Chamber, and the prop
osition was again laid before the
Democratic leaders, and the Republican
kickers were astounded at the prompt in
formation that Dill himself would oe a can
didate Tor the Senatorial nomination. To
the independents no candidate could be pro-
posed who would be more Objectionable than
a Bourbon like Dill, and the word went
around at once that the Democratic leaders
had taken their stand for the purpose of
assisting the election of Cameron. 1t was
said that Dill desired the nomination to aid
his nomination as the Democratic candidate
for Governor the following wear, but the
TACT that there was little opposition to his
nomination, and that it was sure to be but
an empty honor at best, made the refusal of
the Democrats to nominate an independent
seem extraordinary and significant
The Movement a Flat Failure.
OF course, the independent movement
was fat failure. The Republican kickers
settled back into their seats into a sigh.
The caucus nominated j. Donald Cameron
without e dissenting voice, and the only
demonstration against him publicly was the
silence of one or two Republicans when the
roll was called on joint ballot.
Dill was nominated for Governor and de-
feated. He was appointed Marshal by
Cleveland, and notwithstanding his Bour-
bon Democracy was retained in the Office
until his death to-day.
There is no doubt whatever that Cameron
was saved from defeat in 1877 by the action