Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-08-04

to Vote. and Tells How One of Pres
ident Lincoln's Paroles Was stretch
ed From Twenty-four Hours to
Twenty Years.
Especial Correspondence
Philadelphia, Aug. 2.
"That resolution adopted so enthusi-
astically by the Republican state COM
mittee brings to my mind the early
sixties as though the years since then
had been weeks"
It was In the course of chat with
Colonel A. X. Mcclure, most brilliant
of free lance editors, that he said this,
and we happened to be discussing the
resolution by which the Repupllcah
party, now, as in the sixties, ana IN AL
the intervening years, has been ols-
tinctly the party of the soldier, whether
in maintaining him in his full rlght OK
suffrage or in standing guard over the
legislation out of which have come
pensions, soldiers homes and soid1ers
orphan schools.
That resolution reaffirmlng as souhu
Republican doctrine the declaration
that the right of suffrage keeps step
with the American soldier Wherever ne
follows the flag of his country, contih-
ued the colonel, 'aftirms 1act In law'
80 far as Pennsylvania is concerned
and one which the Republican party
after a determined struggle, put INTO
the very constitution of the common
wealth. The subcommittee to be ap-
pointed by State Chairman Elkin to
take such steps as may be necessary
to see that this right is insured to every
10 In
the service of his country, wherever he
NAV be, without regard to zone or hem
isphere' will have no heavier duties
than merely to remind the governor. If
any reminder had been necessary, as l
don't suppose 1t was in the present
case of his prerogatiVes under the act
of 1854 passed in pursuance of the
amendment to the constitution adopted
in the same year That is still the law
of the state, and while l do not fancy
that the result of the election in Penn
sylyania this fall will be so close that
we will have to wait in uncertainty
until the official returns from the Ma
nila bay precinct are received ana
counted, there is no question in my
mind as to the right of the Pennsyiva-
mia soldiers to vote, whether they are
in the Philippines, in Cuba or In Porto
Rico. For this purpose the American
nag makes everything in sight OF 1t
American territory on election day.
What a rousing majority there is
likely to be in Cavite township for
Aleck Hawkins for state senator from
the Washington Beaver district, by the
way, for he is the Republican candi-
date. and has his Tenth regiment there
with him. And there is Willis Hulings.
who is somewhere in Porto Rico with
the Sixteenth. and may be Heaven
knows where on election day. II they
don't make peace too fast at Washing
ton the returns from Barcelona or
Cadiz. or even the Madrid districts,
may have an interesting bearing on the
next representation at Harrisburg from
one of our oil country districts.
'The question of the right of the SOL
dier in the field to vote was raised In
the congressional election of 1852 con-
tinued Colonel Mcclure, 'in a case
where some soldier votes were the
balance of power in one of the Phila-
delphia districts. On contest the
question got to the supreme court OF
the state, and the soldier votes were
thrown out in pursuance OF an opinion
written by Woodward. The Republt-
can party Immediately accepted the
issue. The necessary resolution Tor
submitting a constitutional amendment
to a vote of the people was pressed
through two successive legislatures, as
required: it went to a vote or the peo-
pie in the early summer OF "a. was
carried, and the legislature convened
in special session to pass the act re-
quired to carry 1t into effect.
II had some influence in Republican
councils at the time." he added, mod
estly Che was chairman of the Repub-
lican state committee in 1860, had
latchkey to the White House SO long
as President Lincoln occupied it, and
was the power behind the throne in
both the Curtin administratiOns). II
did the best / could. and so did Gov
ernor Curtin to make the bill fair and
Just. It was war times then, as now.
The Republicans. of course. had the
people overwhelmingly with them in
Pennsylvania, and while they had not
the relative numerical strength they
have now, the war swept all other Ques-
tions out of the public mind. 1t is as
Shakespeare put it in what might be
the saying of a shrewd and observing
politician of today-'uncommon things
make common things forgotten The
Republicans could have passed any
sort of an election law they pleased, If
they had seen fit to take unfair ad-
vantage of their strength.
After the law was passed l suggest
ed to Curtin that he appoint some rep
resentative Democrats among the elec-
tion commissioners provided for, and
among others he appointed Jerry Nc
Kibben, of this city. McKibben hesi-
tated about accepting, and said to me:
"If Stanton catches me in Washing
ton he'll put me into the capital prison,
sure but on my assurance that he
would be properly supported and pro-
tected he went. There was an old
feud between the secretary of war and
the McKibbens. and Stanton was not
only a jealous Official. but one of the
best haters of a time when animosi-
ties were especially hot. Well. l got a
telegram few days later. saying:
"I am in capital prison. Come and
get me out'-and signed McKibben.
II telegraphed the president, saying
I OF ho yrh nd