Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-05-13
Incidents in the Remarkable
Career of Matthew s. Quau.

deep ~ that great hearted man could
have desired. II was almost impossible
for Curtin TO say no TO anybody In
distress, and II became one of Colonel
Quayr duties to Htraightcn out the
complications arising from the govern
Or's promises made TO weeping female
relations that he would pardon Grim
lnals who had been sentenced 20 be
hanged and who deserved to be hanged.
Gov. Curtin could not resist the APP
pcais and spectacle Of Nlobc. and AZ
ter the appearance " one his nccre.
tarica knew that there was trouble
ahead for them.
Another Office which Colonel Quay
held under Cuftln'H administration was
that Of military state agent at wash
ington. Pennsylvania being border
State. was subjected 10 numerous raids.
inNasiona and threats OF raids By the
confcdcratcr, resulting In periodical
panlcs and calls for the state trOops.
The interests 81 her soldiers In the
various armies % the North were also
TO be- looked after. ana the Office Of
military state agent was far from be-
Ing a tlncUufc. Quay was often brought
into contact with MIR. Lincoln. aud has
said that having soon the great i'resi-
dent hundreds of times. under all kinds
Of circumstance. and meeting all kinds
~ mon, the one thing that most Inn
pressed him In Mr linrnin'a character
was hlr impcrturbabic self poise.
The war b,ing over. Colonel quay be-
came member ~ the state house ~
representatives, hia service LASTING from
1895 60 isss. lie waa chairmcn of the
ways and means committee, and draft
ed the law which relieved real estate In
pennrylvnnia ~ taxation for state pur-
poses. This innovation upon past Gus.
tom returned the tax upon land To the
counties for local purposes.
recall that IN issi Wharton iiarker
who was then a lcldlna banker IN phil-
adciphln and had been urged upon
prvaldcnt Garfield Tor secretary Of the
treasury. and who had publicly adyo-
Gated plan for the distribution among
the states Of the existing national SUR
plus. plan that received the temper.
AIRY approval Of Simon Cameron. told
inc that the scheme had been submitted
to Quay. who was doubtful about ltH
merits. fihrker. On independent then
and ever since. added that quay was
the only man In Pennsylvania poll les
who Understood finance. and that hr
understood II thoroughly. IN isc, he
was secretary ~ the Republican state
executive committee. and from iS13 TO
isss secretary ~ the commonwealth.
lie went to one presidential convention
after another a. dcleFnic ~ large,
aud was one OF the 90 who voted Tor
the nomination ~ General Grant Tor n
third term,
Up to a recent period the country cdi-
tor had been leader uf political
thought In Pennsylvania. one % the
most vlrllc country papers ever pub
ilahed In the State war the Beaver
Radical, 81 which coioner quay was
founder and editor. Ia early life quay
H. said To have delivered lectures In ~.
rai communities. but a feeble voice aud
the pofrerslon ~ qualities 81 leadership
OF other Kinds prevented him from be-
inF an effective public speaker, hut nH
n tcrse. cplgramRtic writer Illustrating
his points with happy parallels drawn
from the classics. he was an emphatic
success NJ an editor.
A. n lad remember hearing a saying
81 william n. Komble that quay was
the tmhficst man he had ever known.
and wondered who this man Quay
was who was - much smarter than
other men. Under the Cameron regime
In Pennsylvania politics quay was hn!
one 81 several Republican Leaders, and
his advice was not always followed. lie
has been heard 10 Fay that the split IN
the Marty which resulted In the bolt
from tho nfnt nomination ~ General
Beaver for governor and the election
Of Democratic Governor fnttlr0n was
unnecessary and could have been avoid.
tNa hui quay nus N'NN AWNMW NN NY
tho most nntonifhinFiy concilihiory
things about his political opponents and
20 admit most frankly party INTAKES.
Tho lection ~ Quay 20 the United
states Senate In 1855 was the natural
outcome ~ the complete practical fnil-
ure ~ the independent Republican
movement IN the state That move.
ment had resulted In the election ~
pRttiron M governor and John I,
Mitchell ~ Tlnga county ~ United
States senator. within q few weeks
pattison had lost the support ~ his
own PARTY. and. while Mitchell was a
man Of character and intellectual ahll-
ity he was without political training,
experience or taste, Under the com
dltlons the indenenient sentiment died
out The regular party returned 90
power. and Quay was the natural party
leader.
Mr. nialn once said that n Quay had
wri,aEed the Republican camnHirn of
1851 the Republican presidential ticket
~ that year would have heon elected.
The management ~ the ninine cam.
pnlgn had been noioFlousiy incomre.
tent. The rcnrectahlllty ~ IN" chair
man. Jones. a plitfburR manufacturer.