The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-11-01
HON. 7. ]. HIGGINS FOR SHERIFF.
A Workingman's Plain Straightforward
Reasons why He Should be Elected.

UItu III particular 10 "a lew A"NN' 'A ]
Importance which should not be over.
looked in the campaign upon which we
are now entering The workingmeu are
now interested in politics TO some extent |
though they sometimes have interests |
which they permit to pass unheeded |
They ought to be, and, doubtless are, inter
ested in the campaign this year, and as
the time has now arrived when they |
should be comparing the merits and re-
cords of the candidates a suggestion or
two may not be out of place.
First let me suggest that in voting for
candidates for executive offices it is not
only the privilege, but the duty of the
voter to support the candidate who is best
qualified for the discharge Of the duties
of the office regardless of what party he |
may belong to OF by whom he was nomi- |
mated The first consideration should al
ways be a faithful and efficient perform
ance of public duty This being decided,
! it is the duty of the voter to make some
| investigation of the record of the candi-
dates and to accord them credit for
whatever they may have accomplished in
the past.
In reviewing the list of candidates this
year the voter will find no nominee better
qualified for the faithful and efficient dis
charge of the duties of the office to which
he aspires than is Hon. T, J. Higgins, the
Democratic candidate for Sheriff Nor
will the workingmen find in the list OF
aspirants for Office a man who is more
deserving of their support than he. Mr..
Higgins is in every sense Of the word a
self-made man. He is deservedly popular
with all classes of people and enjoys the
confid ence of the community in which he
lives to degree that most of us might
envy.
But what desire especially to impress
upon the minds of my fellow working
men, Democratics and Republican is the
fact that Mr.. Higgins has a record as a
public official of which any man might
be proud. want to remind my fellow
workiugmen of the fact that fourteen
years ago he was elected to represent this
district in the Legislature and that dur
ing the two sessions he was in that body
he was one of the the most active and use
full members of the House. Having grad
uated from the mines, Mr. Higgins knew
the wants of his constituents, and with
out ostentation or presumption he secured
, more in the way of favorable legislation
for the anthracite coal miners than ever
was secured before or since by one man in
the same length of time.
During the first session which he served
, he originated, drafted and introduced an
8 act to provide for the selection of a site
. and the erection of an institution for the
r education and maintenance of children OF
; workmen who lost their lives while fol
t. lowing their occupation in and around
/ 1.-THE mines. This institution was to have
been known as the Anthracite Miners
Orphan School," The bill encountered Sc
much prejudice and opposition when il
/ was first introduced that a less determined
person than Mr.. Higgins would have
abandoned the hope of ever securing it,
/ passage. The opposition, however, only
seemed to arouse him to action and hI
fought every inch of the ground from itl
introduction to the day of its passage
when with a $4,000 appropriation for tn,
r er ection of the building, he had thu
pleasure of seeing it pass the House by
d vote of 1O7 to -. No better bill was eve
@ introd uced in the Legislature. That i
+ did not pass the Senate and become a Law
+ was no fault of Mr.. Higgins. He did hi
; share OF the work manfully and well, ant
If we had others like him in the Senat
: the state would now be supporting an In
n stitutiou for the care and education o
j. the orphans of miners who lose thei
n lives in the mines.
u Mr.. Higgins was also one of the strong
Il est supporters of the bill passed in 1856
q to provide for the safety of persons en-
% ployed in and around coal mines, an
n generally known now as the Mine Timbe
e bill He was the last member of th
is House to speak on the bill before it's fins
IT passage and is entitled to a large share {
II the credit for the benefits of that piece
~ legislation.
Mr.. higgins usefulness, tact and ell
terprise were shown again in 1882, whe
he secured an appropriation of $4,000 fC
the first two years maintenance of ii
Miners Hospital. This was the large
and most liberal appropriation ever 8
cured for sthat institution. There al
!. also u number of other things in NJ
Higgins career as a legislator, whic
show that be had the interest of IL
workinRmen of the county at heart wht
they elected him to office before. ~
workingmen of Schuylkin county a
not ungratefll, but sometimes they a
forgetful am convinced, however, tn
he when they are reminded of the servic
Ir. rendered by Mr. Higgins in tn past, tn,
IT. will give expression to their gratitude
lis supporting him at the polls in Novembe
ne, WOREINGAiAN.
IN Mahanoy City, Sept. %, 1894.
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he K1gUs I'u15ss-Fzassssa-ll uT1Ts Fasss,s9ssa w