The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-18
Prince or p auper- W hich ?

Prince or p auper- WI hich ?
One Of the already noticeable conse-
quences Of the animated state Of Penn
sylvania Republican politics at this
time has been boom in the boiler
plate industry. The boiler plate in
dustry, we may explain. is that indus
try which supplies to economical news
papers reddy-made reading matter
measured y the yard Politically, this
supply is seasoned to the beneficiary's
order and then distributed free among
editors who can be induced to take it,
the hope being thus to influence public
opinion. This species of bunco busi-
ness may influence a certain kind of
public opinion. but rarely does it in
iiuence in the way desired that portion
of the public whose opinion is of any
particular consequence. It's effective
ness even among fools is doubtless
doomed to gradual extinction by rea-
son of the fact that even fools are
liable in course of time to learn to
dstrust those who make practice of
fooling them.
a brief time ago the boiler plate in
dustry was held under virtual mOn-
opoly by the interchangeable boomers of
Colonel William A. Stone They had
the benefit of the mailing lists of the
Republican state committee: they in
c!uded among their number some Of
the more prominent officers and MEM
bers of that committee, whose identi-
tication with the boiler plate bureau
tended at the outset to give it dignity
and tone; and they Hooded the state
the unrivalled virtues of the gentle
man from Allegheny and deftly apply
ing the sand bag to such of his fellow
citizens as had the hardihood TO aspire
to compete with him for the guberna-
torial nomination The Stone boiler
plate department, in other words, ran
along joyfully and exuberantly for
quite time, without a rival in sight.
But now, alas, its sway is to be dis
puted. a Richmond has appeared in
its field. In the Wilkes Barre Times
of recent date, in a boiler plate spe-
cial dated Harrisburg, we read:
No man in the state, rich or poor, will
he deceived by the cry that opposition to
Quay and his gang of bosses is composed
of milionaires. There wasn't q man at
the BOurSe meeting which invited John
Wanamaker to become candidate for
governor that was worth a million, or a
half Il million, or a quarter Of a million
OF dollars. Ii was composed OF farmers,
merchants. lawyers, doctors and editors.
II i'll Incomes Senator Quay's friends to
raise the cry that millionaires are behind
the movement to crush his power. No
man Interested in fighting Quayism owns
a $4,000 residence in Allegheny county,
another fine residence in Beaver county.
| a mansion in Washington, 200 acre farm
in Lancaster county, another big farm
in Chester county and a plantation IN
Florida And Quay owns all of these:
has bought them within the past twenty
years, and out of a salary OF 5000 year.
The fight this year is against kiillion-
airc Quay and the corporation whlch
have always helped him to mainy lin his
Gnp on the state. 1t is really ttk fight
| Of the people against the millonaires.
There is more to the same effect. but
this specimen quotation suffices to
| bring out our point. Brother Wana-
| makers coy silence of the past fort
| night is now explained. lie has quietly
been planning coup d'etat. While
his literary lieutenant Senator Kauff-
! man, has been rigging mp and re-oilng
| the old boiler-plate mill, the crafty
merchant prince has been disposing of
| his millions to charity in order to hop
| into a poor mans fight against the
! pampered and the plutOcratic' Quay
| Swiftly have conditions changed. A
| year ago it was Wanamaker who wore
the broadcloth and Quay who donned
the blouse.
If Quay is now a bloated child Of
| mammon we hope he knows IT,
| The total loss to the government as a
| result of the disaster at Havana is Off
| ciauy pronounced to he $i,6S92Gl. This
embraces the cost of hull, machinery,
| equipment armor, gun protection and
| armament both in main and secondary
| batteries. 1t includes the cost Of am-
| munition, shells, coal, current supplies
and in short, the whole outfit, Washing.
| ton dispatch i'm the Sun.
If it shall become necessary to col
lect compensation from Spain it will
be wise to add a few millions in the
| form of exemplary damages.
| -
! Russia has just contracted with the
Carnegies for armor plate at $525 a ton,
which is sl25 more than the Carnegies
offered to charge the United States.
But, then, Russia means business.
| - o. - --- -