Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-04-06
The Lesson of Disaster.

Philadelphia Times Ind.
The independent Republicans who
have stood up determinedly against
the reelection of Senator Quay, have
suffered a succession of disasters in
carving their cause to the Republican
people to win delegates to the State
convention. After the sweeping vic
tory they achieved in Lebanon, they
sent their ablest men to campaign in
Union, Lancaster and Blair, and the
only reward they have is an unbroken
line ofhumiliating disasters. Even in
Blair and Warren which would natur-
ally be counted with the Independents
the delegates have been won by the
friends of Quay.
The success Of the Quay ticket in
Lancaster was reasonably expected,
although the Independents made earn
est battle not only by mass meetings
but by organized efforts in every dis
trict, and they regarded Independent
success as possible. Their defeat, how
ever, is overwhelming, with a number
OF the most conspicuous of the anti
Quay leaders defeated in their own
precincts.
This result practically settles the
control of the next State convention,
coming as it does along with the cleo
ton Of the Quay delegates in Butler
and Montour, and the certainty of the
success of the Quay ticket in Delaware.
In politics the only success known is
success, and the prestige will now be
with the Quay leaders in the battle for
the mastery of the convention, with
Ouay's friends controlling the federal
patronage in all the Democratic coun-
ties where Washington honors and
4. b., ,t,.n1 hn n,fx
organization.
These important and potent victories
achieved by the friends of Quay have
not only disappointed the Independent
sentiment of the State, but they have
have surpassed even the expectations
of the victors themselves, and there
are two reasons why the Quay triumphs
have been so general and pronounced.
The devotion of the average earnest
Republican is to the organization of the
party They regard the party interests
as paramount to all questions of re-
form or to individual or factional sue
cess. They are the active men of the
party whose presence at the primaries
can always be relied upon, and thous-
ands of Republicans have voted to
maintain party organization and regu-
larity regardless of any preference on
the Senatorial question. The Quay
victories, as a rule, have been victories
for the party organization rather than
personal triumphs for the leader, but
they count all the same in favor of
Quay.
Another reason why the 1ndepen-
dents did not present strong cause to
the Republican people is in the fact
that thus far the Independents in the
Legislature have appeared only in the
role of obstructionists 1t has not been
their purpose, but they are judged by
the Republican people by the attitude
they maintain. They lost their mastery
for the want of leadership when they
gave away the organization of the
House. They had the power with the
Democrats to choose Speaker, all the
officers of the House and the commit
tees, and the patronage they could
t.4I5 Lave consistently siren e the Dem
ocrats would have cemented the two
elements to control not only legislation
in the interest of reform, but to elect a
reform United States Senator. This
great opportunity that involved the
certain and early success of the lnde-
pendents, was bartered away for few
petty places on the machine slate of the
House. IhIs vital bunder gave the
Democrats the only feeble excuse they
have to offer for falling to vote for re-
form Republican for United States
Senator.
Thus far the Independents have been