The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-26

out and became interested in newspa-
pers himself He is now and long has
been one OF the proDrietors Of the
Farmer. fiourishing agricultural
journal He went into other business.
made u modest biz of money, gathered
friends about him and OF course be-
came a politician.
He ought not TO have gone into poll
ties. He had been warned against poll
tics as an invention of the devil. His
old father had been an intense whig.
He had worshiped at the shrine of
Henry Clay. When Clay ran for the
presidency the elder Manley sat up
nights and whooDed and bet all his
horses and half his money. When Gay
was defeated his heart was nearly
broken. He lived long enough 10 trans
fer his affections to William III. Seward.
He worshiDed Seward almost as ar
IDENTIFY as he had worshiDed Clay. The
defeat of Seward was the last straw
that broke the camels back. 1t tum-
bled the old mans courage and his
confidence i'm his countrymen into the
dust. Joe" he said imnressively, Il
have one request to make Of you. Never
have anything to do with politics Keep
out of politics as you would out of jail.
There is nothing but disappointment
and veXation of spirit in 1t. Mind what
l tell YOU"
But Joe did not keep out of politics.
With the example of his friend Blaine
before him how could he" Blaine was
beginning to win fame, and though lit
tie Joe did not seek fame for himself
he wanted to be In position To help his
friends. SO. before he was of age, he
became secretary to some of the local
committees and rounder-up ON cleo
ton day and "a general manager OF the
local politics in his ward. He has been
i'm politics ever since. and probably al
ways will be until he shall be gathered
to his fathers.
Joe doesn't take things as much to-
heart as his father did. Though he
comes of a hero worshiping family,
and has been something of hero wor-
shipper himself, he lives in n more prac-
tical age and Is of a more practical
turn of mind. 1t does look n little like
fate, though. 1t does appear as If the
words of warning issued by the elder
Manley We're prophetic. The old gen.
tleman has his heart broken by the
failures of Clay and Seward. The
young man spent half his life trying
to make president of his friend
Blaine only to meet with disappoint-
ment. Then he transferred his affec-
tiOns to Mr. Reed, and-well, history
repeats itself.
BLAINE'S ALTER EGO.
For many years Manley in politics
was sort of indicator for Blaine.
Wherever he went he was asked ques-
tions about the great man from Maine.
While still young man he became
known as Blaines friend and conf
dant. and during those days when
there was more or less doubt as to
what Mr.. Blaine did or did not intend
to do concerning the presidency and
other matters 1t is doubtful if there
was in the United States man more
sought by newspaper correspondents
than little Joe Manley. He went to the
national conventions of 1876. 80, S4. 'SS
as a Blaine delegate. He rose superior
to all defeats and subssted on hope.
Not till the last gasp Of the Blaine
presidential idea, which was at Minne-
apolis In '92, did Mr. Manley succumb
to the inevitable. Then he remem-
bered his fathers warning and went
home and wept.
THE greatest disappointment of my
life." said Mr.. Manley recently, "was
in 1876. We We're all sure Mr. Blaine
would get the nomination then. He
had a majority of the delegates, and
all we needed was a ballot. 1t may
not be generally known that we lost
the fight and, as it turns out, Mr.
Blaine's great chance to be president,
through the lack of quick wit on the
part of the presiding officer. The late
Edward Mcpherson was the president
of that convention, chosen by the
Blaine men. AS the shades of evening
drew on that fateful day some of the
local committeeman whispered in Mr..
McPherson's ear that an accident had
occurred to the gas pipes and that it
would be impossible to hold an even
ing session. Mr.. Mcpherson. without
stopping to inquire into the credibility
OF the statement, rose in his place and
made an announcement to that affect
to the convention. or course there was
an immediate adjournment. Mr.. Nc
Pherson did not suspect that a trick
was being played upon Mr. Blaine, and
to show you how close call we had
on that occasion to circumventing the
plot and to making Mr.. Blaine presi-
dent. ! will say that at the moment
when Chairman Mcpherson was max
Ing his announcement to the conven-
tion one of our friends was fighting his
way down the stage to whisper in the
chairman's ear that the information
was false and that a disreputable trick
was being played on the convention
Just as the words which caused the
convention to adjourn We're uttered our
friend touched Mr.. Mcpherson on the
shoulder. But 1t was too late. Had he
been a moment quicker the. history of
the United States would have been
changed.
That was the greatest disappoint-
ment of my life continued Mr. Man
ley. because it was the greatest dis
appointment Mr. Blaine, ever expert
enced. 1t was such a bitter dose to
swallow that Mr.. Blaine never cared
about the presidency afterward. He
was candidate in 1880 and again i'm
1884, when he was nominated. but /
know that his heart was not in it. He
never felt sad about his defeat in 1880.
and the failure of the voters. or rather
of the election boards. to put him in
the white house in 1884. when he ran.
did not bother him at all. His real
ambition died with the success of the
gas trick in the Cincinnati convention
of 1876"
That was peculiar phrase you used
about the result of the election in 1884