The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-14
QUAY AT CONVENTIONS.
Penn" in Philadelphia Bulletin.

quay Eas never been lucky in picHinS
out presidential winners In the rast
twenty years, either as a Cameron heu-
tenant or as himself the recog gn.Zei leader
of the party. he has been among the
losers al atnational conventions or among the
comprCmisers. In 1876 ne helped the Cam
erons TO tramplc out the Blaine wild fire
that ran over Penr sylvania from end 10
end, TO give the delegation at Cincinnati
to Governor Hartrantt. and to come homo
under the Ohio banner OF Hayes, whom
he and the rest of the elan became so dis
gusted with year af.erward that thsy
cheerfuliy allowed Pennsylvania to go
Democratic. Four years later there was
the same process OF ordering ont the iir'
cxtinguishers on Blaine, although at that
time there was II good deal OF earnest
third-term sentiment in the state that
sprang from honest admiration of Gran',
Quay went to Chicago as part of split
deleCation, placing himself at Don Cam
eron's disposal, voting thirty-iive times 70"
Grant, and earning a m~'ai of the 3O6.
In 1854 II large majority of the Pcnnsyl-
vania delegation voted for Blaine. Quay
was then gradually beginning to assume
the reins on his own hook. and II was
deemed good politics to let the Blaine
men have a fair show in the contest with
Arthur without the fear that the hose
would again be turned upon them. Th"
Beaver statesman did no. go to the con.
vention. and, in fact acted as If IL would
be a miracle If the Republicans could
elect Blaine or Arthur or anybody else
after the Cleveland cataclysm of 1SS2
in New York and the fcud of the stalwarts
and half-breeds. Besides. 1t was part of
the programme of reconciliation in Penn
sylvania with the independents who had
just made Pattison governor that the or
ganiZation should not oppose Blaine, and
Quay was concerned In humoring them so
that he could keep the party intact ard
start out on a new basis of harmony
ill
In 1883 Quay turned up at Chicago as
the head and front of the John Sherman
boom. and steadily voted three-fourths OF
the delegation for him. sherman was not
a special favorite in Pennsylvania, nor, in
fact, was there any other candidate who
was. The Blaine sentiment had cooled
down during his absence in Europe, ami
his messages from Florence and Paris
were taken at their word by many of his
old followers. Wharton Barker was run
ming u little Harrison boom i'm Philadel-
phia: some OF the Wtdener and Elkins IN
terest were doing the same compliment to
Judge Gresham; Alger had taken look
over the state with some of his newspaper
rronies then flush with Michigan back
sheesh and there was an occasional good
word for Depew, who had not yet worn oif
the gloss of his reputation by an excess OF
the genial blather that stales public
man. Quay was then "A pretty cffectual
control and when the state convention
met in the spring 1t was thought that Don
Cameron might be conveniently used as
a favorite son until a somewhat foggy sit
uation had cleared itself. Later on tho
word was passed around for Sherman, and
i'm the national convention Quay took ad-
vantage of every opportunity or landing
him. though he discovered after the first
day he arrived on the scene that COM
bine on somebody other than Sherman
was to be the inevitable outcome. Penn
sylvania was very much in view during
the six long days of the convention. es-
pecially when, to cap the climax or m
trigue and bowilderment. along came the
Filter boom, radiant in the beautiful glow
of Charles Emory Smiths enthusiasm.
and attracting the same attention as the
baby elephant by the side of the Bolivars
and Jumboes.
-:Il:-
When Harrison was nominated he was
an entire stranger personally to Quay.
The two men had never met each other,
nor had they occasion to meet during the
whole time Quay was managing the bril-
liant campaign of 1sSS. In fact, Quay's
intimacies with men outside of Pennsyl-
vania up to this time had been cOmparl-
lively restricted. He did not meet Harri-
son for the first time until he quietly
went to Indianapolis month after the
presidential election to consider the ques-
ton of what should be done with the
movables. When 1892 came Quay was
early ana openly to the front under the
anti-HarrisOn gonfalon. In Pennsylvania
there was a good deal Of genuine Harri-
deep rooted and most of the fiicc-hOldcis
to whom HarrisCn's interests were con.ii-
ed were as much interested In pleasing
Quay as the president. Quay came to the
conclusion that the one and only winning
card was Blaine. 1t was somewhat ANUS
ing at the time to see lot of politicians
VINO had helped to slaughter him in the
past announce themselves as Blaine con-
verts while not a few OF Blaine's old
friends, who were under obligations to
they should turn. When the delegation
turned up at Minneapolis 1t was found
that all but ten or twelve OF the sixty
wore the Quay trademark. Quay's juds-
ment was that Harrison could be beaten II
the idea could be fixed into the minds OF
the delegates not under the control of the
offlce-hoders that Blaine was. or woula
be, candidate. But Blaine had been
wavering, all through the spring letting
II dare not wait upon II would 20
that up to the eve of the convention there
was some trouble in convincing delegates
that he might not recant his assurances
or back out altogether, especially as ne
had violated all precedent by sitting in the
used by the enemies Of his official chief.
Finally on the Saturday before the con-
vention, rhcn the delegates were gather
ing at Minneapolis and bulletin was
posted up In the West House that the
secretary OF state had resigned. the sit
uation suddenly changed. and the Quay
CIarkson combine felt that they would
carry tie convention by storm Quay,
SON mor than any of his colleagues,
seemed 20 believe for Il day or two that
Harrisoi could not be nominated, ana
certainli said so for the benefit o: the
public a, loudly as he is ever in the habit
of saying anything
whe, the syndicate found in the con,
ventioi that nothing could be done with
Blaip, desperate rush was made to
MCKINLEY, Quay taking the Pcnnsylva-
MAS out for consultation and instruct
~ his friends in hopeless ort OF way
f. follow Ohio and drop Blaine. McEin-
ey was presiding over the convention.
and to those near him 1t was evident that
platform. as he had done under somewhat
similar circumstances in Chicago in 1883
when an attempt was on to make him
the solution of the problem, that he was
not candidate and must not be voted
for. For several minutes 1t looked as II
Ohio and Pennsylvania would stampede
the convention and nominate Mckinley
in the same fashion in which 'Horat!o
Seymour was once placed on the Demo-
cratic ticket. But the Harrison organiza-
ton was as we'll ofIicered as the syndicate,
and McKinley's agitation was soon over.
Quay has contended ever since that ne
and his friends would easily have defeated
Harrison If 1t had not been for the Office
holders with their solid south. and there
is no doubt that he is right. But 1t was,
nevertheless a big blow to the junta in
the national committee, and robbed them
of Il prestige as manipulators. 1t was |
the first time In the history Of the party
when such a combine had ever been com
pletely routed at every poirt in a national
coming out of the contest |
with absolutely nothing. 1t remains to
he seen IN the next sixty days whether
Quay win start off for the first time IN
his career with presidential winner.