The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-25

readers who formerly took the Demo-
| cratic Republican but who now
want live Republican daily.
No Quarter for Traitors.
While The Tribune has no wish to
prolong a discussion of the recent Re-
publican defeat in this city, fairness to
the party rank and file requires it to
expound it's reasons for refusing to be
bulldozed by the Democratic organ
edited by Congressman Scranton. Mr..
Scranton complains that he was not
| accorded a share of the party patron
age last fall: and that no committee
waited on him to solicit his support for
the ticket. He intimates that unless he
is bought over, he will in future con-
tinue the fight on Republicanism which
he waged in the recent city canvass.
thereby causing the election Of the
Democratic ticket.
iiiS ao " pau oIuSC - -
deliberate falsehood. and he knew it
when he wrote it. Since he became of
age he has been a steady pensioner on
the Republican party, receiving from it,
in salaries, perquisites and enforced
contributions. an aggregate sum esti-
mated to exceed 100000. Even after he
fought Clemons and Thomas. on the
ticket which last elected him to congress-
he was rewarded for that treachery by
half the patronage of the county COM
missioners' office, and more than half
the work in the sheriff's office. His ac-
acknowledgement of that recognition
took the form of a successful plot to
turn the city government over to the
Democracy. So much for the patron
age issue.
AS to the statement that he was not
invited to support the Republican
ticket, the same can be said of The
Tribune. Since this paper was started.
no man and no committee has ever had
to ask it to do battle for Republican
principles. 1t has not sulked nor hung
back in the hope of forcing terms from
the Republican candidates. Even when
Scranton himself was nominated in '94,
it swallowed the pill, bitter as 1t was,
and gave him the best support in its
power. 1t did this through no love of
Scranton: through no confidence in his
fidelity and through no expectation of
receiving a syllable of thanks. 1t did
it because Scranton was the party
nominee. representing-howev un-
wOrthily-Republican national princi-
pies; and because The Tribune was
then, Is now, ana proposes in the future
to be loyal, aggressive and uncompro-
missing Republican paper.
Had the question of patronage infiu-
enced u.s. We might easily have de-
clined to support Scranton for con-
gress, since his election meant a di-
rect loss to this paper. But we were not
constructed on the J. A. Scranton basis;
and when we fall so low as to have to
use The Tribune as club for the bat
tering of backsheesh out of reluctant
party hands, we will sell out and quit
the business.
The Tribune hopes to see the Republic
can party in this city reunited. 1t
realizes that a divided party means
Democratic victory. 1t does not ignore
the lessons of one week ago. 1t coun-
sells conciliation and forgiveness for all
who We're misled. But it submits for
the consideration of the honest Re
publican masses that such reconcilia-
tion cannot safely be made on the basis
Of Strengthening of the arm that
strikes the knife of assassination into
the party's vitals. There can be no
security, no true harmony, no lasting
unity of purpose and of action so long
as men red-handed in the work of party
betrayal are permitted to dictate terms
of peace and lay down the lines on
which concilia ton shall be effected
How many 'dolars'" worth of
party patronage" does it take to keep
Mr.. Scranton from jumping his party
traces? and is he worth the price?