The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1898-08-10
lsnecial correspondenceA


ed From Twenty-four Hours to
Twenty Years.
Special Correspondence
THAT resolution adopted so enthusl-
astically by the Republican state COM
mfttee brings to my mind the cary
sixties as though the years since tnen
had been weeks"
n was In the course of a chat with
coIoneI A. X. Mcclure. most brilliant
~ free lance editors. that he said this.
.,d we happened TO be discussing the
-.esolution by which the Republican
party, now, as in the sixties, and IN al
the intervening years, has been ois-
tinctly the party Of the solder, Mnelne.
in maintaining him in his fuii risht oi
suffrage or In standing guard over tne
legislation out of which have come
pensions. soldiers homes and soldiers
orphan schools
.s,rhat resolution reaffirming as sound
Republican doctrine the declaration
that the right of suffrage keeps step
with the American soldier wherever ne
follows the flag of his country. contin-
nod the colonel. "affirms fact IN law,
so far az Pennsylvania Is concerned
and one which the Republican party.
after a determined struggle, put INTO
fhe very constitution Of the common
wealth. The subcommittee to be ap-
pointed by State Chairman Eikin 10
take such steps as may be necessary
to see that this right Is insured TO every
Pennsylvania soldier who Is now IN
the service of his country, wherever ne
NAV he. without regard TO zone or hem
Ispbere.' will have no heavier duties
than merely 20 remind the governor, II
anv reminder had been necessary. as
don't suppose II was In the present
case. of his prerogatives under the act
Of 1864. passed in pursuance OF the
amendment TO the constitution aoopted
In the same year. That Is still the law
OF the state, and while ] do not fancy
that the result of the election In Penn
sylvania this fall will be so close that
we will have TO walt 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 Pennsylva-
MIA soldiers TO vote. whether they are
In the Philippines, in CUBA or In Porto
Rico. For this purpose the American
flag makes everything in sight of IL
American territory on election day.
What a rousing majority there is
likely to be in Cavite township Tor
Aleck Hawkins for state senator from
the washington Beaver district. by the
wav 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
Cadsz. OF 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 1861" con-
tinued Colonel Mcclure. in a case
where some soldier votes were the
balance OF power in one OF the Phila-
delphia districts. On a 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 Republi-
can party Immediately accepted the
issue. The necessary resolution for
submitting a constitutional amendment
TO a vote of the people was pressed
through two successive legislatures, as
reouired: IL went to a vote OF the peo-
ole in the early summer OF "a. was
carried. and the legislature convened
in special session TO pass the act re-
auired TO carry it into effect.
Il had some influence in Republican
councils at the Tine he added, mod
estly The was chairman OF the Repub-
iican state committee IN 1850. had a
latchkey to the White House so long
as President Lincoln occupied IL. and
was the power behind the throne in
both the Curtin acministrations). Il
did the best / could. and so did Gov
ernor Curtin, to make the bill fair and
Just. II 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. II is as
Shakespeare put IL in what might be
she 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, II
they had seen fit to take unfair ad-
vantage of their strength.
After the law was passed 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 hest
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 jealous official. but one of the
best haters OF a time when animosi-
ties were especially hot. Well, / got a
telegram a few days later. saying:
"'I am in capital prison. Come and
get me ont'-and signed McKibben.
Il tciegraphed the president. saying
must see him that night, and went
over / found that one of the printers.
In setting up the blank tally sheets
furnished 20 the commissioners. had
inadvertently dropped of the name Of
one OF the Republican candidates for
elector. McKibben knew nothing of II.
and il could haye had no effect on the
result. but Stanton, with that micro
scopic aye of his. detected il, and had
promptly stuck Jerry In jail on the
charge of putting forth fraudulent cleo
ton papers. All that President Lin
coin could do that night was to order
his release temporarily on parole. l was
TO see Stanton next morning and get a
fun discharge. I saw him, but after
considering the matter three days the
secretary wrote me saying he had con-
cludec that in the public interest he
ought not 10 do so.
And concluded the sage of political
Journalism. with one Of those rich but
quiet laughs Of his which seem to come
from the heart. by George, he never
did do it. and Jerry McKibben died 20
years after. still at liberty under Lin
coins temporary parole which was In
tended TO last only over night"
GEORGE II. WELSHONE.
Dancing Feat.
A wonderful feat in dancing is re-
corded from Berlin. At a recent hall q