The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-26
The Tactics Of Thievery.


ing in declining to sanction the pre-
paration Of the convention roll call
by the chairman Of the Republican
state committee. as has been the un-
broken custom In this state since the
founding of the party. is that the pres
ent chairman Is candidate for re-
election. and cannot therefore fairly
enter the names of delegates whose
claims to admission are contested. 1t
Is monstrous. "he says. that Mr. Gilke-
son should seek to sit as Judge and jury
in the adjudication of his own case"
Therefore. Senator Quay announces
his intention OF constituting himself
the judge and Of packing the jury
with men who are under his thumb
Is this any improvement upon the
Gilkeson example, assuming that Mr.
Gilkeson would act unfairly?
But the truth is that state chair
man has no option in the enrolment
of delegates. He must put on the list.
in contested cases, the names Of those
who have regular credentials; and the
regularity Of credentials Is established
by the signatures upon them. leaving
TO the chairman no chance to attempt
any jugglery. His Office. in short, is
clerical so far as the preparation of
the roll Is concerned and In proof that.
he is not disposed to go beyond his
clearly defined duties in the premises.
Chairman Gilkeson today publishes
the list of the 2Ss delegates who have
prima facie titles to seats in Wednes-
days convention. Is there anything
unfair about that:
Why. then. all this fuss about an
extra meeting Of the state committee.
and this aalk Of rival conventions? We
have before us dispatch from Harris
burg to the New York Herald, evil
IDENTIFY written after consultation with
the Quay managers. 1t says, very un-
fortunately for the Quay leaders, who
have hitherto succeeded in keeping
their real purpose In the background:
There is a possibility of eighteen
seats being contested-three In the
Fourth district of Schuylkill, one In
Elk county, three in Bradford county,
where the procedure was irregular;
three in Northumberland county, five
in Philadelphia. First and Fifth dis
tricts. the seats held by Robertson and
Philip Finn, of Allegheny county, and
one in Wyoming county. where new
primaries were held. Much depends
on the decisions in these cases. as the
eighteen contested seats would more
than wipe out Chris Magee's latest
estimate of the combines majority
should the combine men be unseated."
The meaning of this Is clear Con-
tests are to be trumped up in North
umberland, whose delegates, after be-
ing classed as possible Quay men, have
at last fatty decided to support Hast
ings and Gilkeson; in Bradford, where
ex-Lieutenant Governor Davies re-
fusal to receive insolent orders from
Senator Quay has incensed the sena-
tors desperate following; and in two
districts in Allegheny. not to mention
the Wyoming outrage. Here we have
total change Of eighteen votes.
which, added to the spurious contests
In Philadelphia. would give Quay a
fraudulent gain over CIilkeson equal to
twenty-eight votes. That is. II would
swing fourteen votes from GIlkeson to
Quay, and probably decide the con-
test. Under such a programme, no
delegation would be safe. Lackawan-
ma county, having incurred Quay's dis
pleasure, might be as easily unseated
as Northumberland: and Luzerne. as
easily as Bradford. There are no
limits to such q highwayman's game
as that.
But this thing will rot come to pass,
for the simple reason that there are
other men than Senator Quay In the
Republican party in Pennsylvania
men who can be neither bullied. cheat
ed nor bought. A safe majority OF
such men will. on Wednesday next, re.
elect Judge GIlkeson state chairman
and put an end to Mr.. Quay's at
tempted proprietorshlp Of the COM
monwealth. Just jot that down.
II Senator Quay fancies that his boz
gus cries OF fraud can blind the Hast.
ings managers TO his own desperate
attempts to purchase a victory. he is
nightly mistaken. They have wit
messed his tricks before.