The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-22
Governor Stones Talk.

ItedTly ana tntnuSluSt1c 1nuee0 waS
the greeting accorded Governor Stone
when he arose to Mr.. Torrey's neat in
PRODUCTION, to respond to the toast
Our Commonwealth" The applause.
which continued for some moments.
was renewed with frequency during
his excellency's mastery talk and es-
pecially vociferous was It when he de-
clared for re-apportionment the cleo
tion OF United States senators by the
people. and in an extremely guarded
way said he was ready to help Scran-
ton revise the existing second class
city laws. When the governor sat
down the whole assemblage followed
the example of Colonel Boies in jump
Ing to its feet and giving rousing
cheers for the governor, to the accom-
paniment of waving napkins
The governor prefaced his remarks
with home happy hits at the expense
OF General Palmer and Wilkes-Barre
that the banqueters hugely enjoyed
III 1t Is true that aggressive men
make city great and that this rule
applied to all cities. what great city
Wilkes-Barre would be-" said the gov
ernor, casting a glance over at Generai
Palmer THE whole state couldn't
hold it," Later on in speaking of car
pet-baggers," he said: "All that
Wilkes-Barre lacks is some carpet
baggers.'" Launching forth on his
toast, the governor said:
Pennsylvania is the greatest state
In the Union. New York has all it's
wealth on the surface. Pennsylvania
has 1t on the surface and underneath
the surface. No one has ever been
"a IN 70 hn
sylvania. A new gas WELL oil well or
coal bed would upset all calculations.
1t now has nearly 100000 Of people.
In another census it will overtake and
surpass New York in this respect and
stand as the greatest state in the Union
in all respects. God never made a
state he expected so much from as
Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is as clean today in
social life, in citizenship and in politics
as any other state in the Union, no
matter what any newspaper may say
to the contrary. If there is any de-
generacy in this age 1t is in these self
same newspapers. They are not the
mighty engines of intellect they oncr
were. They are operated nowadays ny
a board of directors who are CONNER
cial men. l lost the support OF two of
them by the majority of one vote.
They print what they think will pay
best. They have no guiding genius of
the stripe of Greeley, a Dana, or a
Mcclure. They are directed now b.
the effervesence of capital. Pennsyl-
vania is as honest and clean in purpose
and intention as any state in the Uni
ted States.
You are a great city, and your des-
tiny is to become a greater city. / am
glad you are in the second class, for
now we have an agitation in the ranks
of the second-class cities. l love an
agitator. ! am fond of political scraps.
/ like trouble. I gain flesh in every
political campaign / actively partici-
pate in.
IF Legislation for second-class cities
is not right, you will agitate and you
will make it right. l wish there We're
dozen second-class cities. I wish
there were a dozen first-class cities.
"I am not here to criticize the laws
of any class of cities. 1t is not my
province to make laws or to find fault
with existing laws. l would say.
though. that the only true government
of municipality is that in which the
people rule. There is no other way to
approach this great problem. The off,
cials should be elected by the people
and be answerable to the people.
II would change great many things
| If could. Senators should be elected
| by the people There should be no
| reason why a poor man should not be
| candidate for the United States sem
| ate. Now there is every reason. Leg
/ .Io to,. I,ox aIn hni nitt
| all the states solely because of being
| favorable or opposed to a candidate
| for senator. See Clark, of Montana.
| He comes to the senate with no rec
ommendation other than that his
| trunks are filled with money. / do not
| know. l repeat / do not know of %
! single dollar having been expended in
| Pennsylvania to elect a senator but 7
| do know that this election entailed the
expenditure of the physical and ner-
vous strength of the state for two
years or upwards. 1t ought not to be.
Men should be elected for their fitness
| for the Office and not because they
favor A, b. or c. for this or that
| office. .....
| Nobody can look into the future and
| tell with certainty what is going to
happen, but one thing l know ought to
happen is that this legislature should
re-apportion this state in congress
sional judicial, senatorial and legisla
tive districts, and that if there is any
thing wrong in first, second or third
class city legislation 1t ought to rec
tify 1t and do so promptly.
Pennsylvania. the Keystone state,
will continue to be the keystone in
fact as well as in name. We have our
internal troubles, but we can be proud
that there is a growing tendency to
arbitrate our disputes. You can no
longer tell a laboring man that you
cannot afford to pay him $3.50 n day.
when your company is paying sixteen
per cent. dividends. There is too
much intelligence In the laboring man
now for that. We must figure out
some way in which the only dispute
now not adjudicated by a duly consti-
tuted tribunal shah be adiudicated by
such tribunal. If the constitution
is not big enough to permit Of it-well,
the constitution may be stretched a
little The preservation of peace and
of the rights of property and the pur-
suit of happiness demands 1t. Cor
| porations must make concessions.
Labor organizations must make con-
| cesisons. The peace must be con-
served, ma matter whose toes are trod-
den npon.
II assure you that ! am glad You
have entered the second class OF cities,
| have lived In a second class city for
ten years II is not my place to say
anything concerning that city, but
will say that n any OF you can dis
cover n new thought, idea-an amend