The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-06-24
OUR NEW YORK LETTER
THE RAlNES BROTHERS ARE FAMOUS
IN NEW YORK STATE POLITICS.
How George. Who Has Been Prosecuting
q Libel Suit For John. Author of the
Celebrated Liquor Law. Sacrificed His
Career For MIR. Observation-Disclosures


Celebrated Liquor Law. Sacrificed Hi
Career For MIR. Cleveland-stoddsrt-
NEW YORK, June e4.-[Special. l-wer'
Il not for the overwhelming demands mad,
upon newspaper space 10y the war news
Just now the libel suit Of State Senator
John Raines against one of the morning
papers, which has been dragging its slow
length through the supreme court for the
last ten DAYS. would have surely been re-
ported 10 the extent of a page or more ev'
cry day, and its developments would have
been fair topics for journalistic comment
the country over. The cause Of the suit
was an article written by Congressman
Lemuel L. Quigg, then editor of the paper,
some two or three years ago, and MIR.
Quigg's testimony was one of the most
important features of the trial. Another
interesting feature was the employment
by the senator of his brother, George
Raincs of Rochester, as counsel, and this
brings up a most remarkable family.
There were originally five of "the Raines
boys Thomas, George, John, William
and Eugene. Eugene died somewhere
down south when little more than ayouth.
The Others entered politics, breaking even
us to party, Thomas and John joining the
Republicans and George and William the
Democrats. The public career of Thomas
was not "A very long one, though it included
the holding of n high state Office. John
went to congress from Canandaigua and
served some years before he entered the
state senate, where he was to father the
measure for controlling the sale of liquor
in this state, which has become famous
from ocean to ocean and has caused the
coming of a new phrase, "Raines law ho-
TEL" George, who located in Rochester,
was one of the earliest supporters of Gro.
yer Cleveland's presidential aspirations,
and, while his support undoubtedly had
much to do with Mr.. Cleveland's first
nomination, it was also the cause Of
Georges retirement from political activity.
An Extraordinary Convention.
Prior to the national Democratic con-
vention of 1884 there were big fights all
over the state for the selection of delegates.
The men who favored Cleveland S nominal
ton understood full well that it could not
be brought about unless his own state ia
vored him, and those who were against it
worked tooth and nail to defeat it, No
where was there bitterer fight than in
Rochester, George Raines heading the
Cleveland men and William Purcell, To-
cally prominent as a journalist, those on
the other side.
Both factions were present in force at
the county convention for the selection of
delegates, and both factions were bound
to win. Raines had the facts of the stu
alton well in hand and stood for the chair
feeling sure that he could win
M of ha int
great opposition to this, and the upshot
was that Purcell's candidate for chairman
held convention in one end of the big
hall, while Raines held another one at the
other end.
The uproar during the continuance of
the simultaneous conventions was simply
terrific. No one could hear q word said
by the participants in either, but as each
chairman had his work well mapped out
both transacted the business in hand In
very short time, and the two conventions
adjourned at the same moment, two sets
of delegates of Numerically opposite opin-
ions concerning Mr.. Cleveland available
ity being chosen. Raines went to the state
in high glee. At Albany it
was found that the Cleveland element was
in the majority without the Raines dele
gates, and they were promptly turned
down, the hope being that in this way the
support of Purcell and his friends could
be secured after the nomination.
OF course this embittered Raines, and
for awhile it looked as if his turning down
had been for naught, since Purcell, who
controlled thousands of votes, long refused
to be placated Had he stuck there is
good reason to believe that Blaine and
not Cleveland would have been elected
president in 1884. But two or three weeks
before election day Purcell came under the
influence of the late Thomas Kinsella of
the Brooklyn Eagle and was persuaded to
abandon his anti-Cleveland fight. And
while that did not carry all the Purcell
strength to Cleveland 1t undoubtedly
made perceptible difference in his favor.
The snub Direct?
Raines fully expected handsome rewards
after election for his willingness to sacri-
flee himself for the Cleveland cause, but
his expectations did not materialize.
1t was said, indeed, that the first Of the
post bellum Democratic presidents gave
his Rochester supporter the snub direct in
refusing point blank to make certain ap-
pointments desired by Raines, but never
knew whether that story was true or not.
At all events, he soon began to devote vir-
tually his whole time to his law practice
and has never been prominent in state or
national politics since. Like his brother
Thomas before him, George announced to
all his friends in 1885 that the law was
good enough for him in the future. Will
Raines stuck to politics, however, and by
dint of hard driving managed to get a
berth at Washington. Later
he became claim agent at Washington
and still later he located in this city, hold
ing minor municipal Office for some time
All the Raines boys are big men phys
ically and all are good looking, George
being by all odds the handsomest.
stoddart In Vaudeville.
And now James Henry Stoddart, rightly
termed the dean of the American stage,
has taken to vaudeville, thus following in
the footsteps of Clara Morris and many
others of equal eminence In former days.
Possibly am mistaken, but It Is my
impression that Stoddart is the only his
trion now living who has appeared on the
boards with Laura Keene 1t was In
1856, AZ years ago, that he first played
with her in the Olympic theater, favored
by the grandfathers of the present genera
Ion ~ kT....~