The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-07-19
Quay and Hastings

The literary bureaus which supply |
the campaign literature for the bel
ligerent Republican factions of I..r.
sylvania each complaiu Of ,ne Ira. T,
coming attitude Of the lea Ter Against |
whom it is arrayed. II IS complained
on the one side that it uuoc.-mug
for the Governor to announce himself |
as candidate for President # the
State Convention, and on the a,her
side that is unbecoming for United
States Senator to announce himself !
candidate for chairman OF the State |
committee.
In this regard the Senator and Gov
ernor stand upon precisely ,he same
footing. There is nothing in the
dignity Of the Office held by either to
hinder him from accepting any repre-.
sentative position within his party.
Both have triumphed by party organi-
zation and party methods; both are
interested in maintaining party as
tendency, and it is entirely proper
that either should aspire to preside
over convention or over a State
committee to attain desired political
results.
So far as surface indications present
the attitude of the chief belligerents.
the conflict began when Senator Quay
publicly announced himself as a candi.
date for chairman of the Republican
State committee. There was nothing
in that announcement TO arouse the
aggressive opposition of the Governor
unless he felt that the movement was
aimed at the destruction of his pollti-
cal power in the State.
Whether Quay, Gllkesor, Hastings
or any other intelligent member OF
the party should be chairman of the
State committee could be of little con-
sequence unless the organization of
the party was to be actively used to
advance one factonal interest and
destroy another. The fact that Quay's
announcement of his candidacy for
chairman of the State committee was
followed by a formal announcement
from Hastings that he was a candl
date for the Presidency Of the State
Convention, clearly indicated that
these two most prominent of all the
political leaders in the State had lock
ed horns for desperate battle with
each other.
The significance of the Governors
candidacy for president of the State
Convention is in the fact that the
president, under the ordinarily accept
ed rules of the party. is the final
arbiter in selecting the chairman of
the State committee. The issue was
thus we'll understood, and it was &C.
cepted on both sides that Quay's
struggle was to wrest the organization
of the party, not SO much from Gov
Has tings individually as from Martin,
Magee and others who had taken
shelter under the protection of the
State administration, and that the
Governors battle was to defeat Quay
and retain the party organization with
in the circle of his special friends.
Factional struggles usually develop
more intense bitterness than the ordi
nary conflicts between great parties,
and the battle between the Republican
factions OF Pennsylvania has degener-
ated into a degree of violence and
defamation that cannot be approved
by fair minded men of the party,
regardless of their personal prefer
ences. So far as personal assaults
upon Hastings and Quay are made
| by opposing factionists, the efforts
will command little sympathy from
either side, and the eXtrayagant
figures sent out from the iactional
bureaus, each claiming nearly OF
quite two, thirds of the delegates to
the next State Convention, are accept
| ed by all dispassionate observers as
simply illustrating the superla;iye alb
surdities of facuonal strife.
Both confess that the battle is a
desperate and doubtful one Wha:
ever they may say as to the number
of delegates they claim, they both
belle their statements by the ex
haustive efforts made to win the
fight. If either Hastings or Quaj
had two thirds of the convention as
sured, or anything like it, that side
would not have literary bureau and
peripatetic agents in every part o.
, Pennsylvania.
1t is absolutely settled that no OF
, position will be made to GoYerno
Hastings attaining the position 70
which he is an avowed candidate. II
will be chosen president OF the Re