The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-01
THE SENATE OR PENITENTIARY

The bisgsst STAKES thst were ever pile!
Up on e1e faro board Of NAtiopad politics
are stacked today on the card Of III.
United States ssnAtorship from fennsyl
van!a. The player u : little bst Of Z mar
--old and weakened, VITA ths dricd-up faes
Of q mummy, from wdlch shrswd era,
eyes show the fierce dire that burns with.
In His name y Matthew Stanley Quay
and he has been PennsylvAnia's political
dictator for twenty years Tho banker Il
rotund man with chcrubic face, emile
that reminds one Of Pickwick sometimes
and Of Pecksnitf some other times. His
name is John wanamalcer, and he 10 worth
several millions Of dollars. which astute
gentlemen, gifted with knowledge OF I
good thing when they see It. have induced
him TO wager I'm opposition TO the Quay
pile In gamble Tor seat On the upper
house Of the National legislature.
wanamakcr went UP against the game
twice before and lost. He won't win this
time either. buzz the experience OF the past
few years has given him knowledge Of
the cards that may make or break soma
other man, and so he presldes over the
stakes, temporarily. waiting for the main
card to show. Other passeboards have
turned UP in his favor as the game mas pro-
rccfed, but the dried-up little old man sits
silent and attentive opposite him, obliv-
ious alike to good luck and to bad, keep
Ing his eyes fixed upon liis chips and TAX
Ing no heed OF side plays. There are
Others about the board who are lingering
their money nervously, waiting to get In.
but he Is cool. Mono OF them have risked
anything yet, although they hope to win
a good deal. but he has put into the ring
everything he has on earth.
Quay means to go to tho senate or to "a
to jail. In his pas. struggles for political
supremacy in Pennsylvania--and he has
had many of them-it has often been said
THAT This is the fight OF his life for
the old man." They always call him that
In Pennsylvania But to Those who know
the odd man. we'll II is plain that this Is
his real fight for life, and there is no man
who knows 1t so we'll as he who is most
concerned. For the opposition to Quay.
which has been weaving threads during
half a dozen senatorial campaigns, have
finally come togsfther and they have con-
Strlicted a rope with a moose In the end
of 1t that the most nimble political acrobat
In the world would find 1t difficult to
dodge
long time ago there appeared In PENN
Sylyania politics an element antagonistic
to Quay. He had been a member of the
Legislatures and spent more money than THE
governor. He had been State treasurer and
lived like prince. He had gone to the
United States senate and on salary Of
$4,000 spent 100000 year keeping his grip
on the home machine. The antagonistic
element inquired how this thing could be.
They asked the public through their news.
papers and the public did not respond
manifestly because the public did not
know. They asked Quay Through the same
medium. and Quay replied by advising
them that II they could not attend to their
own business, as he attended to his. they
had his permission to 20 to tho devil for
further Information.
~
Aggrieved In this the anti-Quay folks
brought out John Wanamaker as a perpet-
ual senatorial candidate some years back.
Quay beat him pretty nearly unanimously
the first time. Next time Quay turned down
Don Cameron. who had come into the SEN
ate through dynasttc conditions and had
served for several terms, in order to make
q plaza for Boies Penrose, one of his
friends, who had been beaten for the office
Of mayor Of Philadelphia. The Wanamaker
people had opposed Penrose and Cameron
had stood idle during the contest. So Quay
Cameron out, put up Penrose
against Wanamaker and there was polit-
Ical scrap in Pennsylvania that spread
greenTbacks knee deep all over the State. |
and sent Penrose to the United States sem
ate,
Wanamaker licked his chops after the |
battle and retired for the time being. In |
his retirement he figured up what 1t had
iost MIN TO be beaten, and on this basis
he figured up what 1t has cost Quay TO
win. The figures were tremendous, and
no set about Investigating the sources of
anay's income. How well he succeeded or
EXACTLY what he did no one knows, but last
rear the Peoples National bank and the
Chestnut Street National bank of Phila-
lelphia went into the hands OF receivers.
The cashier of the former committed sui-
'.de. ard the cashier OF the latter wen.
o Jail. Both were repositories of State
money, and among the assets were notes
y ouay's reacaing into the hundreds Of
Of dollars.
Among the papers OF the Peoples bank
we're letters from the State treasurer of
'ennsylvania pledging the money of the
tate on Deposit to secure notes OF Quay
nd Of his son, Richard, who was his
financial agent. for large amounts. Tho !
ist'dct attorney OF Philadelphla at that :
lme wa George r. Graham. and one of
70 criminal court Judges was j. Gay Cor
on, both OF whom were bitter anti Quay
zen and actively identified wish the anta-
uay element. The papers found among .
70 assets OF the wrecked bank were used b
Graham and Gordon TO secure the In n
ctment Of Quay, Of bis son Richard, OF g g
n AZ Nrrn.r