Evening journal., 1898-11-11
LETTERS FROM TIE PEOPLE
THE DEFEAT OF THE REV. DIR.
SILAS C. SWALLOW FOR THE
PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR


To the Editor Of the Evening Journal.
Sir: The crushing defeat of the R.v |
DR.. Si.as G. Swallow for the Pennsyl- |
vania governoSship is a most regret
table, If not irreparable, event. Fore /
gone a conclusion as DR.. Swallows
defeat recently seemed to he, owing 70
the lukewarm support given him by
the newspaper press and the leaders /
fighting the Quay machine, the fact CT
his defeat, by reason Of those causes, /
is none the less to be deplored. 1t Is
altogether beyond the limits of human
comprehension to understand why the
aforesaid leaders. assuming their at
titude and speech to have been sincere,
withheld their positive or actual sup
port of DR.. Swallow, the Independ Mt
or Political Reformers' candidate Tor
Governor. Was the Pennsylvania Cav
ernOrship a secondary consideration,
matter of no moment whatever so long
as thsre was bare possibility OF the
State Legislature being filled win
enti-Quay members? Opposing the
present Quay maladministration of the
States affairs, as these leaders did
one would have Imagined that the de-
feat of Stone, the Quay nominee, would
have been a contamination most Oe-
voutly TO be wished. But the indif-
ferent, lukewarm, lackadaisical support
accorded DR. Swallow by the leaders
CT the and-Quay party-a support
which was almost tantamount TO an
endorsement of Quay's nominee-was
the main factor contributing to his de-
feat There seemed to be no rapport,
no sympathy between these leaders of
administrative reform and DR.. Swal-
low. A ha.f-heartJd endorsement OF
the latter gentleman and yelled allu
sions to his undoubted fitnees for the
Gubernatorial chair were scantily
doled out, but that was all. During
the whole campaign thsre was alto
gether absent that hearty feeling OF
support which ought most assured.y TO
have been accorded DR.. Swallow by the
men VINO were leading the anti-Quay
end of the fight. The provoking, obsti
nate reticence with which DR.. Swal-
lows candidature was treated, the Il
hope Swallow will be elected, but l
shant vote for him" sort of dalliance,
is Just what caused this able reformer
to suffer defeat. The fear of subse-
uuently Bling charged with having
"bolted" the regular party ticket also
cost DR.. Swallow many and many vote
This strict adherence to the party
ticket, especially when that ticket was
headtd by a supporter OF a rascally,
thieving political machine, was NTH
ing more nor less than an exhibition
Of the most fragrant and reprehensible
senility. And it was exactly this fla
grant and reprehensible senility, this
stupidity blind partisanship, which
elected Stone, the henchman OF Quay,
and defeated DR.. Swallow, the bench
man and servitor of no man. There is
something very touching, very sub
lime in this blind adherence, under
each and every Circumstance, to the
party ticket. In fact, such devotion IS
more than sufficient to bring tears 10
the eyes OF a cigar-stcre Indian. DR..
Swallow may not have been the most
ideal OF candidates for the Govsrno7-
ship-what man, ever was? But it is
very certain that he was very far from
being the greatest of the three more or
less evil entities contesting for the
Govenorship of Pennsylvania. And
II the anti Quay electors could not sup
port Mr.. jerks, by reason Of his free
silver mpathies-aithough so far as
the Governorship is concerned, a man
monetary standard opinions are OF nc
moment whatever-then they ought
most decidedly to have voted for DR.
Swallow. the only other at all des.ra-
ble candidate. That is what sh9ul1
have been done; that is exactly wha'
WIS not done. DR.. Swallows recort
ia too we'll known to need any reca'
pitulation. He has, in the past as wei
as in the immediate present, eacrificst
a great deal by promulgating admins
y trative reform theories, theories which
were, in every sense, of a desirable anC
i practicable nature HOneSV, upIlSut'
man of good repute, culture and execu
tive ability-aH these qualification
eminently fitted DR.. Swallow to fill III
high and responsible office of Cover
nor. But all these exceedingly rare at
tributes have been passed over, ignore
and relegated to the comparative Cd
security OF unofficial life by the sup
posedly intelligent electors Of Pennsy.
vania.
All current recrimlnation will, doubt
less, fall upon dull ears. In fact, W
know it will. But as the recent e.eC
ton recedes from memory's view, an
Il as the acreage of the political world c
Il Pennsylvania becomes still more plcn
81 fifully endowed with that "boodling