The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-07-25
The Young Mems Opportunity.

The Young Mems Opportunity.
The remark was recently made by a
Republican of state prominence that the
success of the Hastings administra-
ton in hts present effort to lberate the
I arty In Pennsylvania from distaste-
full personal dictatorship would be Of
benefit TO the older party workers,
since ii would relieve many of them from
the hitherto insuperable bar sinister Of
lack Of "pull" with the boss" but
tn IT II would be Of the utmost import
ance to the young Republicans who are
Jus. entering upon the threshold OF
polittcal activity. This gentleman ex-
planned his latter assertion by adding:
While It is unfortunate. 1t is neverthe-
less a fact, that for twenty-five years at
least. the young men have not had a
show in politics in Pennsylvania. This Is
easily proved II you look back for that
length Of time. A long time ago Bob
Mackey, of Pittsburg. was the political
leader OF Pennsylvania. He ruled the
state lust as Quay has ruled 1t for the past
eight or nine years The elder Cameron
was also a leader then, and when Mackey
died. the Camerons, father and son,
stepped in and they ruled Pennsylvania
just as they liked The elder Cameron
died and Don, the present senator. did not
care to wrestle with the rough ends OF
politics and Matthew Quay stepped in.
and was elected state treasurer. THIS
gave him the pull that landed him IN the
United States senate, and from that time
on no state ever knew such supreme
ruler. He. figuratively speaking. had the
state In the palm Of his hand. ana has
held 1t until now with firm grasp. He
went fishing and all he needed to do was 10
send word what he wanted and MS Wall
was law or course there were some poo
pie like c. L. Magee. Of Pittsburg. VINO
would not take orders, but quay was al
ways successful and there never was
united effort to down him until this time'
While the state organization was prac-
tically one-man afa'r there was ho
chance for the young man. The machin-
cry was SO nicely creased that the am
b,tious youth had no chance to show his
nolitical prowess, and the old fellows had
/, all their own way. But in the great
scramble that Is now beginning. look out
for the Young man. He Is conner.
This. in colloauial phraseology. eX-
presses what any person who is even cas-
ually familiar with the political history
of Pennsylvania knows Is the truth. In
the earlier days Of his leadership Sen
ator Quay was accessible to the people
and kert in close touch with them. In
these days, young men OF brightness
and discretion etood some chance IN
state politics. Most of his present lieu
terants were then attracted to him,
while they were yet young and ambi-
tious. This is true Of Colonel Watres,
of John P. Elkin, of Ben Haywood, OF
General Reeder and OF scores of Others
throughout the commonwealth. Those
were Senator Quay's brightest and
palmiest days. In those days he was
not a tyrant, but leader. He courted
nublic sentiment and did not rebuff
these who come to him fresh from the
people.
How different, though, has been the
situation since the ascendancy of Will
lam H. Andrews. The Quay Of yester-
day and the Quay oftoday are as unlike
as Hyde was unlike Jekyll. In his old
age. the senator has grown arbitrary.
intolerant, suspicious; he has closed his
ears to the wishes Of the people, who
still are far from unfriendly; he has
permitted a clique Of obsequious flat
terers to trade upon his prestige for
their own enrichment and almost, II
not quite, to his own undoing. And the
only young men who stand a show Of
preferment are such as care to follow in
the train OF roysterers like Penrose or
of cyclists like willing Leach, and ac-
cent the crumbs that these worthless
deign to bestow.
The young Republicans OF Pennsyl-
vansa have nothing to lose and every
thing to gain by the success OF Gov
ernor Hastings in the latter's fight for
the party's liberation.
We can assure the Independent Union
Of Mine Workers Of America that 1t Is
not alone In its desire to have coal
prices advanced. The present selling
prices may be fun for the bankrupt
Reading railroad and one or two other
carraer corporations which swell their
freight revenues at the expense Of their
mines: but there is nothing dn them cal.
culated to inspire the honest coal oper-
ator with a desire for their continuance.
II the Independent Union Of Mine Work
ers can secure a better adjustment Of
coal prices than now prevails. It will
establish a large claim to public graft
hude.