The Portland daily press., 1900-08-17
CRUCIFYING QUAY.
Col. Mcclure to the Pennsylvania I1x-
Senator.

(From the Philadelphia Times.)
Tex Senator Quay has been fearfuIy and
persistently crucitied during the last two
years by ill-advised and distempered
friends, and he has committed the great
error OF his life by permitting his name
and his power to be flung into hopeless
battle solely because his retirement would
have left his leaders stripped OF their vo-
cation. With him at the fore they are a
power; with him eliminated they are
powerless.
Mr. Quay is too intelligent and sagac-
ious in politics not to understand the
present political conditions lin Pennsyl-
vania. 1t is known that he would gladly
have retired at the close of his last sena-
torial term if he had consulted his own
wishes and personal interests. He was
on the point of retirement more than
once during the prObractsd senatori al
contest of the last LIE gislature, but his
retirement would have created a new
leadership in the state chat his friends
could not command and that they could
not follow with profit. Quay would
have had Cancellation, but his friends
COulU uOO UlNlQc DOW6I WlbuOuO
surrendering supremacy, and they have
| insisted upon crucnying Quay to give
them the power in politics that they could
not win for themselves.
Quay missed a great opportunity on
the day that he was acquitted of the
criminal charge that was a malignant
political device, and when he was rendered
the appointment of senator by the gov
ernor, by failing to follow his own judg-
ment and wishes and publicly declining
the senatorial appointment and declaring
his a bsOlute retirement as a senatorial
candidate. That would have command
ed the respect of political friends and
foes, would have given him a new lease
of leadership that he could have utilized
to strengthen himself and his party, and
would have saved him from the humiliat-
ing betrayal and defeat he suffered in his
effort to gain admission to the Senate.
But again came the appeals of leaders
who would be helpless and hopeless with
out continuing Quay as a cricified victim.
lie yielded to the earnest appeals and
despotic demands of those who could be
potent only with Quay exposed to fresh
wounds and fresh discontinue; AMI,
after an exhaustive effort to Snake sthe
Senate reVersed It's unbrOken record, he
fell by perfidy within the household of
his friends and close to the throne, by
which 1t was proclaimed that the nation
al power OF the party can have no interest
in rehabilitating the power of Quay in
state or nation.
Thus with line upon line and -precept
upon precept the crucihxiOn of Quay has
gone on, and he was gathered up bleeding
at every pore from the CHASTITY political
wounds Of the senatorial contest in Wash
lngton, and thrust Into an utterly hope
less senatorial contest before the people.
Never efOre in the history of any politi-
cal party in Pennsylvania has there been
exhibited such an earnest and masterful
n1TnnGn tn ToTnunnt Of
di date for senator.
County after county where the Republic
can party is largely / the majority and
where its candidates will be elected, has
nominated by solemn deliyerance in
county convention or by direct vote of
the people, senatorial and representa-
tive candidates who are pubicl
pledged or publicly instructed
to vote against the caucus
nominee Of the party for senator if the
nominee shall be Mr.. Quay. Only one
in hopeless senility or bent on tragic |
political suicide would persist in such a
contest, and every sincere friend of Mr. |
Quay, whether in sympathy with or OPP
posed to his political aims. must feel
that this open and fragrant crucifxion |
should stop.
1t has disturbed the Republican party
of the state, from center to circumfer- |
ence, and if persisted in it must leave for
Mr.. Quay only the destiny of a great
political career ended in a blunder that
might well be classed as crime. Mr. |
Quay owes it to his party, and above all. |
he owes. it to himself to end this fearful
crucifxion by promptly and peremptorily
retiring from the field as senatorial
candidate.
FOURTEEN MILE RANGE PRAC- |
TICE.
Berlin, August 16.-Herr Krupp will