The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-12
INTERESTING CAREER
OF MARCUS A. HANNA.
ACTIVE IN POLITICS A SCORE
OF YEARS.
His First Effort to Make a Stump
speech-He Didn't Want to Speak,
But Was Persuaded To and Then
Became Angry at Ammo ance and
Carried the Crowd.

Cleveland Letter, Philadelphia Record.
The political enemies of Senator Mar
Gus A. Hanna acknowledge that he is
q remarkable man. His friends know
that he is.
1t was during the latter part of 1895
and the early part OF 1896 that he first
attracted attention throughout the
country as a political manager. Be-
fore that time he was simply Marcus A.
Hanna, of Cleveland. When he took
charge of the Mckinley campaign for
the presidential nomination there were
scores of politicians, perhaps as able
as Mr.. Hanna, who knowingly shook
their heads and said that he would
make a botch of it; that he wasn't n
big enough man to tackle such a big
job. When Quay and Platt, under the
trip-hammer blows administered by
Hanna, later threw UP the sponge, then
IL was for the first time that kepubli-
cans and Democrats everywhere, save
in Ohio, began to inquire who this man
Hanna was.
NOMINATION OF M'KINLEY.
Then came the nomination of Presi-
dent Mckinley and the subsequent
campaign for his election. Mr.. Hanna
succeeded in covering himself with
glory, and when William Mckinley was
made president of the United States, it
was conceded that the Republican
chairman had won for himself a per-
sonal triumph by his mastery conduct
of the campaign.
The details of the senatorial contest
waged in Ohio a year later. are well
known. Considerable surprise was ex-
pressed AT the time over the fact that
during the campaign that preceded the
light in the state Legislature Hanna
made n number of speeches on the
stump. These, while crude in many re-
spects, were the effort of a determined
man, ard nresagcd the latent oratori-
cal ability of which in the recent state
campaign Senator Hanna has clearly
shown himself to be the possessor.
on returning from Europe Mr.. Hanna
said in New York city, afterward re-
iterating the statement in Cleveland,
that he proposed to take the stump for
Judge Nash. 1t is doubtful, however
whether he at the time realized to what
extent he would speak during the cam
paign. Altogether he made four poiti-
cal tours of the state, travelled many
hundred miles, made between twenty
and thirty speeches, and spoke to more
THAI. $4,000 people.
HIS FIRST SPEECH.
1T was in the famous campaign Of
1896" said Senator Hanna, when I
made the first speech of my life. 1t
was almost on the twentieth anniver-
sary of my debut in politics. 1t was
during the last week of that very hot
campaign, and ! was at the Republican
national headquarters in Chicago.
"All of us were tired out. Most of
the speakers of national importance
had gone home or were en- route. The
few remaining speakers had assign
ments that could not be interfered
with. The Polish vote of Chicago is
a big factor in the politics of that city.
Many a candidate has learned it to
his sorrow. We had been apprised Of
the necessity of getting this vote
Through hard work on our part we
succeeded in organizing large Polish
Republican club. We were resting
content with the thought that we had
the ward in question carried, when the
Democrats awoke to the situation.
They arranged for two meetings. One
was held in the afternoon and one in
the evening. Bryan and Altgeld spoke
at both. They succeeded in undoing in
about four hours what had taken
weeks of hard work to accomplish.
ALL THE SPEAKERS GONE.
zone of the Polish leaders appealed
to the national committee for assist