The sun., 1897-02-14
THAD STEvENSS DEFEAT.
USWRIrTEN HISTORY OF7HE BUCK-
SnOT wan IN 1880.
Recalled by the BurnirE or the state Capi-
tot OF fPeunsylvania-The Hntirond That
Lost Stevens IL Seat In tho Senate
Wreck OF % Great Political Machine.

to' o. Fo"hsf'Nnn'sh hhe n.hr""e ny
Lost stevens seat IN 'no ~
"'A VI "'e"' "'''"'
~ was paRe In the Pennsylvanis House OF
Representatives In 1889. said veteran poiiti-
clan OF that State. who has been several times
member OF that House and OF the Senate, and
now that the Legislature has been turned out
OF doors oy the burning OF the CapitoI am re-
minded OF the time that large part OF tho Leg
stature turned itseif out OF doors. The history
OF Pennsylvania has been written several
times since then. but although that AFFAIR was
one OF the most important and critical occur
rences In the states record. tho historian has
not seemed to regard Its story as worth the tell
Ing. Two bodies OF excited men In session.
each claiming to DO the legal House OF Repre-
sentatives;a Governor, the heads OF every State
department. tho Speaker OF the Senate, and
other prominent mon In hiding for week; the
state Arsenal In possession or an unauthorized
force: Harrisburg In charge OF a sclf-appointed
committee OF safety; the state Department
buiidinR closed. ana. together with the Capitol
GROUNDS. guarded BY militia. and admittance
denied TO oil not having military peeses-these
conditions seem suncieht TO furnish material
Tor a SURFING ohapter in any history; but 1t has
never been used.
Joseph hitner was Governor then. He had
been elected IN 1888 as the WhiR and Anti
Masonic candidate. Thaddous Stevens. thcn
gettysburg lawyer. was elected Representa-
tive from ADAMS county tho same year.
stevens had more than any man built mp tho
Anu-Masonic strength In the State and became
the ch'ef unoficial adviser OF Ritner's ad-
m'nistratiop. Thomas II. Burrows Of Lancaster
was Ritners secretary OF the Commonwealth.
Tho political triumvirato OF stevens. Ritner.
and Burrows soon became AZ powerful
and famous IN penn.vlvsni. A. d,d
that OF sewnrd, Weed ana Greeley In
New York State in later years. Gov. Rit-
"e, , ".u''son was eReressVe' rau,cai,
ana bitterly partisan. and aroused the violent
hatred Of the opposition. The great political
.n,t,. ~ p.nn.,ir.n,. A.. -. a.. ~
'nen was tho pubic
WORKS. Ihe state owned all the Internal I'm
rh... ,v.r. n.,nr tn,r...a a. -... 80 -,
, ov "e'o oe"s '"'a."'ou IN oA'en' "ho en-
EMPLOYED on them ipnu~sraSIs and % rr mrs'
tiro contracts. were a, ,h, d,.no..I =, ,ho.. q,
wv Wv, VIZ ~ .no aisposal OF .nose IN
authority. ana tho patronage was unlimited.
BY the end OF Ritners adm minIstration the no.
,,,,c.l mach,n.rv =, a.. nnh,,. -. ~. ~
all in tho hands OF Stevens. Ritner,
and Burrows. and there was no oppo.
sition to tho Governors denomination by
the wings and Anti Masons In 1898. The latter
had largely decreased in number since 1898.
n.,ia pi,,.,ho,..
Da''u h''tenhouse forter was nominated by the
Democrats as the candidate against Ritner in
nj. ,or a,on,,on o. ,.t..,,a ~ ~ ~ -
p'o ioi huopIioh OF ro'ectioh NJ tho Same elec-
t,on' The campaign was the hercest and the
So, - ..,t. a. -, 80. ,r, " :, '''
tory Oh parties IN inc state. Ihomas IL. Bur
mittee Tho result of tho cannaion ,v.. IN.
.,..,Io -, p.n 900 -" vas 'n0
st.tntion was adopted by small majority.
noo,sh h o'eGyom ~ o, lor'eT was ehtirey unex-
% gavo the Governor, love n all the power OF tho
moyesh"r ,.,,, then IN once w me way OF appoint
Ieris,,urs ntssc1Sing 9oSa Ss Se pssssd 6y the
,ns nenns "a aes,eneu oy ", me oonsttution also
fSs ,hed Wsnda OF ino s.tng SoyoraGr until
there should be contest over the election he
VAS o 10 n1,u over untI tho contest WAS decided.
hmohhg the nppo,ihtments 1 To- be made were the
bohru OF lnhai COMMISSIONER. which had
eht,te r"htroi OF the public works: the Auditor
Senetai ,mI the secretary OF the Comm9nwealth,
ot important county onicers throughout tho
state; Including Judges OF the courts.
resolved to contest Porters election: The sue
eess o, shs,, piAhs hecess,tAted !, their having
h}oTy ma ,h. ~ she ouss @ OF hepIessn,atiyes They
~, nau WIG Sonn.o INV. ~ Eooa WORKING majority. but
10 S secure tpe n1nrs pm they must seat certain
~ i oe,s y, o, sns rhmsnoiphla delegatlon whose
DemoGrats. United states senator was to be
nece he a NJ. n,o In S,ens was slated Tor tho
seat tho PhiladslphiA delegation returned as
elected to the House on the whig ticket,
Prs p,sn @ snn House, elect tneir csndiqnte To-
anmoIn, Sens'or, nS conmrm al GOV. fltners
aMppointments M ana pass All necessary legisla-
,,oh m III rega5u " their tenure. and then even
" " the Ihlaasinnla t mem oers were unseated and
the W rontsst OF Iorter siectlon was = failure.
nc wpuId % oe snorn "I All patronage IN the state.
hnu .ne neHocrans wouiu nave gained but
peteh yctory. But Tor tho violent utterances
OF OF tne w mug newspapers inlmediAtely after tho
siection, anu an nhwise ana evolutionary ad-
uress W,n ssuea oy Burrows as chairman of the
w nR tomihiltee, me plans OF tho triumvirate
H'Emt ,tr, hnNe nucceeded'
ne LSvisiatmte met on Dec 4 Harrisburg
S Shs crowueu Win people from al parts or tho
Stato ms Dig hght was expected. Francis X.
nhmns' IInna' n,tefwnra Governor. was Clerk OF the
' npuss' hnoi accorulng 70 recognized usage. he
=. ra me c, hoS,s 70 order and pr9ssnded with
.no ,oii cmi; Wnnh ne came TO ihiiadelphiA
On the ron; ny ealled the names of the men,
oers VINO nhu Deeh eertineu TO by Secretary
pL the .on'mohweaith Burrows as having
ss pee. elected: wheienpon Democratic member
rose anu anu declared that ne return. of those
Lnetn9 9erS were irregular ana illegal, and he pro-
auoeu "nrs ny nc salu was the regular ana proper
M ine rstuths on wnlch secretary Bur
rpws hhu Issuea the certincntes TO the WhiR
Siaiinants han p~en sent 70 harrisburg on .
Sate ioco.hot'vS oraereu Tor the occasion at the
suegeston OF IhHd stevens. Tho other set of
Ieturhh, whlcn wa claimeu 10 DO the regular
o. AL n n ~