The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-28
CHATS BY THE WAY.

The "reminiscences of congressional cam
paigns in the Fifteenth district call to
mind vividly one of the instances of the
visitations of political lightning as illus
trated in the case of Congressman George
A. Post, who represented the district in
the Forty-eighth congress Young Post,
who had previously been employed as
clerk in the Eric offices at Susquehanna,
had been admitted to the county bar, and
had decided to so west and practice law.
In order to get an advertisement for
himself in the far west he sought the
complimentary nomination for congress
on the Democratic ticket As there was
apparently not a ray of hope for the cleo
tion of any Democrat at that time the
party good-naturedly allowed the boy to
carry off the empty honor of Il nomina-
tion. Post entered the campaign pre-
pared to immortalize himself as u stump
speaker in any event
Suddenly there was disturbance in the
Republican camp. Colonel Overton was
nominated by the regular conferrees. c.
C. Jadwin bolted, and as an Independent
candidate carried the solid Republican
vote of Wayne, while Overton held the
Bradford vote. Susquehanna and Wy
oming scattered and as a result Mr.. Post
of the Fifteenth district who allowed the
plum to slip through their fingers by
this relaxation of vigilance have been
kicking themselves since for the lost op-
portunity that is not liable to come again
during the present century. Mr.. Post was
the youngest member of congress, and
was quite popular with the members of
the Forty-eighth body. But he was
promptly turned down at the next election
when the warning Republican leaders had
regained their senses and a Republican
was sent to represent the district. Mr.
Post entered journalism; was for q time
editor of the Montrose Democrat and was
afterward connected with the New York
World. At present he is secretary and
treasurer of a mining company, and, like
Democracy in general, has nothing TO eX-
pect from the Fifteenth district.
The good government leagues appear
to be making rapid strides in this as well
as in other sections of the country. Mem
bers of the organizations are straining ev-
cry nerve to promote spirit of interest
in politics that will call the best citizens
to caucusses and invoke the aid of the
class of citizens who usually shun vot-
ing places at all times.
The explosion of the peanut roaSter en-
gine at the corner of Lackawanna and
Wyoming avenues yesterday afternoon
will probably have an effect in assisting
toward abating the sidewalk mercantile
nuisance. The corner fruit stand has
long been an eye-sore in Scranton and
when it is loaded with explosives, it
would seem about time that some steps
We're taken to curb the dangerous enter
prise. Even in case there is no ordinance
by which the curb-stone merchant can be
reached, there is no question that the
steam engine peanut features will be-
come unpopular with the people who rent
ten-foot reservation privileges to the
street vendors. The presence Of the little
machine which is liable to perform the
dynamite bomb act almost any time is
not likely to attract many customers to
the vicinity in which II Is situated.
Wilkes Barrels board of trade Is boom
ing these days under the direction of Sec
tary Ed A. Niven, the well known jour-
nalist. Mr.. Niven has recently been doing
lively hustling in the interest Of the board,
and his familiarity with newspaper work
enables him to attend to the most essen
tial details with ease and dispatch. 1t is
undoubtedly true that practical newspa-
per man has the advantage In work of this
kind. The Scranton board of trade made
'ts first rapid progress during the years
that the Office of secretary was filed by j..
Harry Fisher who graduated to the po-
sition from the city editors chair on the
Republican. Previous to Mr.. Fishers ad-
ministration the board had been an eX-
ceedingly quiet and conservative organiz-
alton, but under his active management
the membership was doubled and u spirit
of interest was worked up that has borne
good fruit in the establishment of many
substantial enterprises. While good work
has been accomplished by the secretaries
who have followed Mr.. Fisher, 1t must I've
admitted that 1t was newspaper man
that first started the ball.