St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-04

York state, and with it the presidency,
to Gen. Harrison.
About the time McKane married,
and that was soon after his coming of
age, he made his first entrance into
politics by running for constable of the
town Of Gravesend. He was elected, and
from that time on he seems to have led a
double life. In the little church. which his
father helped to found. he continued to
be worshiper and an officer; and no
member of the congregation was so lib
erai as he when the plate was passed, or
subscription had to be headed. Why,
at thevery time when l knew his polit-
zeal associates TO be of the lowest kind.
and that he was planning with them 10
make the ballot box sham and de-
fusion. l have seen him leading in
prayer meeting and eXhorting sin
ners to righteousness with an en-
ergy of manner that there was
no need 10 assume. and which,
If assumed. simply made him the most
perfect actor ever saw on or of the
stage. But. as l said, this was one phase
or the mans dual life. From early
childhood the fervor OF Methodist wor-
ship. if not the tenets OF the church, at
tracted his strong, administrative nature.
And then there is | think, something in
the fact that at the PRAYER meetings as in
the political caucus, he liked 10 lead,
he wanted 10 be boss. and he was boss.
The Sunday school of which he was
superintendent was to him a sort of
religious primary, and while he was,
no doubt, eager TO save the soul of
every boy present, the possibility of
that boys shortly becoming a voter did
not lessen his interest.
Early in his political career McKahe
became the friend Of an older and ADLER
boss than himself: this was a man of
the same race, and who. though a Cath
Ole. had much the same habits-the
notorious Hugh Mclaughlin. of Brook
lyn. Up to his meeting with this man,
McAane seems to have been moderate
in his aspirations, and certain 1t is that
his connection with the politics of the
towD was an expense rather than gain.
In 1888 he Quarreled with Mclaughlin.
and, as a consequence, was fred out of
the board of supervisors TOR Kings
county. How well he avenged himself
all know who understand how New
York state went for Harrison.
After this McKane ceased to be a
local politician. Hts>voice became po-
tent in Washington, and men who at
heart despised him. like Gen. Tracy,
then secretary of the navy, and who
was chief counsel against him, were
glad to see him in private and to respect
his wishes as to the distribution OF the
federal patronage in New York.
"Maddened at what they regarded as
the perfdy and treason of John Y.
McKane in the presidential election, the
Democratic legislature at Albany, in
the winter Of 1890, determined to clip
his wings by curtailing his power. A
bill was passed amending the election
law as applied to country towns, by
providing that there should be no cleo
ton district with more than 200 votes.
The purpose of this law was to weaken
the power of Mckane, who up to this
time had voted all his followers at the
town hall.
"Ahy man but John Y. McKane
would have been puzzled TO defeat the
purposes of this bill, but he had two
great requisites for success-audacity
and cunning. He discovered, or his
lawyers did for him, that the bill was
not mandatory. but contained the word
smay' Instead of SHALL and SO he paid
no heed to it, but continued in his own
sweet way.
1.-The next year the ballot reform law,
for which McKane's opponents worked
so hard, came into operation. and it re-
CURED separate polling place for every