The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-16

mans in the senate in those "palmy days"
Nearly all were danced on the hot fron
griddle OF acuonalism or criticised witn
or without reason as Quay ana Penrose
are today. Robert Norris, millionaire
was daily denounced as Jobber, political
speculstor, or what In the parlance OF our
time would be called "boodler or
''plutocrat." He bore pretty much the
same relation to the Federalists and TO the
administration that Mark Hanna now
does TO the Republicans. When ne lost
his fortune and went to prison, there was
much pious and edifying talk over the
retributive fate that overtakes rich men
whose thoughts are set on worldly glories.
There Is a cartoon which represents MIN
with the whole congress carried IN u
building on his back, the heads OF the
members sticking out of the WINDOWS anu
the devil nearby, looking on with APP
proval Yet Philadelphia has had rev
men of larger and more useful public
spirit than Robert Morris. There was MS
successor, William Bingham, another mill
ionaire, who lived in luxury uhsul
passed on this side Of the Atlantlc, VINO
was regarded as a money-bag stateshui,
and whose enemies delighted IN charging
that his riches were the fruits ol lr@uu
and rascality in the West lhules'
Mac,ay, the first of the senalors west OF
the Alleghenies, was among the Sn"i pes'
of the critics of the Washington adnNnisI me,
tration and on one occasion wahtsu
Washington ruled off the floor OF the sem
ate as an interloper, while the chamber
was in session. Albert Gallatin was dis
trusted as a Swiss schemer and adVen-
turer and even after he had given prooi
| of his ability and character, and had pc
come Jefferson's secretary OF the treas-
ury, the political poetasters in the oppo-
sitfon could not spare him from the IN
Af rrIh )
money vaults. James Ross wore the sem
atorial robes for several years, and In the
| campaign which he made for governor Oh
| Pennsylvania there was a party 'creeu'
| which, on TecitinS the iniquities OF the
| day, announced as an article or taith that
J a million guineas of British gold were
| flying over the state to debauch the elec-
| torate. After Ross came DR.. Michaei
| Leib, of this city-although the capltai
| had Just before been transferred to Wasn-
| ington-and so thoroughly had Lelb mas
tered all the tricks of electioneering ana
| craftsmanship that his opponents were
| moved to express their regrets that tney
could not hang him on Bush Hill.
| From New York was Aaron Burr, skilled
| in every species of chicanery and conup-
| ton, founding the Tammany system IN
| politics when he was not engaged IN Sc
| ducing women, and coming within one
| vote of the Presidency. From the same
|
| Fcderalists, representing one OF the rlcn-
| est families in the country and denounced
| sometimes as an aristocrat and corrupter.
| Rufus King was also there, and he had 10
face the most embittered opposition as a
| representative of the commercial classes
| when he came to the defense or Jay
| treaty, Theodore Sedgwick one of Mas
| sachusetts' senators at this time, had tc
| to get away from mob because OF the
part which he took in that famous nego'
| tiation.
We have a habit now of looking on the
new states of the west as hurtful to tht
personnel of the senate by reason OF thell
crudeness. 1t is altogether likely that tins
same thought was in mind when the sen
| ators who were sent to Philadelphia DS
Vermont Kentucky and Tennessee-prop
ably every one of them a carpet-baggel
from the older states-made their appear
ance at Sixth and Chestnut streets. TheS
generally had the manners, the spirit ant
the ideas of backwoodsmen and regarded
Philadelphia as an abode of vice and cor
ruption and Washington as luXurlou'
and extravagant aristocrat. From Ten
nesseeL for ,example, came Walllan
Blount, who was expelled from the sen
ate on the charge of being concerned II
an intrigue to deliver New Orleans owe
to the British. From Kentucky came tn
belliGerent Humphrey Marshall, who hat
been so ignorant up to the time OF nj
marriage that his wife is said to nav
| taught him how TO read who was
chronic quarreller and who shot Henr!
CLAY in a duel There was Anderson o
Tennessee, originallyG Philadelphia, wn'
went to the western wilderness and wh'
had record of nearly half a century 70
uninterrupted office holding until deati
bowled him out of the public service Bu
most interesting of tfese frontier sena
tors to us now-obscure as he was then
was Andrew Jackson. He was only aool
thirty years of age when he entered Tn
chamber; jefferson remarked of him tha
he sometimes could not speak wlthou
choking in rage, and his habits and per
sonality at that time, and some OF nj
fancies, seem to have been suggestive o
a Populist or Tillmanite. He though
too much money was being spent on tn
president, and he was one of the oppo
nents of Washington who would not CIV
his vote to an address of confidence. Gal
latin described HIM as an uncouth per
sonaee, roughly dressed, long-haired an
with his queue tied in an eel skin.
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