Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-10-03
COL. LOUIS A. WATRES.

great strength with the people, on
that occasion was shown by the fact
that he was elected by a majority Of
22,365 votes. while Pattison, who ran
as the Democratic candidate for gov
ernor, had a majority of 1900 over
the regular Republican gubernatorial
nominee.
Then it was that the old-fashiOned
Republicans, who were no factionists,
said: If Watres were only at the
head of the ticket the party would not
have suffered the humiliation of de-
feat, in a state so overwhelmingly Re-
publican"
AN EVERYDAY REPUBLICAN,.
And this was true. The dissatisfac
tion that spent its wrath on the candi-
date for governor in that campaign,
did not touch Senator Watres. He
passed unscathed through that storm
and came out a victor. He made no
compromises and no combinations of
any sort; content to rest his candidacy
on his public record, and his party
fealty as a broad-gauge, everyday Re-
publican, with no special favorites to
reward, and no enemies to punish.
A more popular candidate was never
in the field for state office, and despite
his youth at the time, the regrets of
those who were anxious for the com
plete success OF the party, that he did
not head the ticket, were well found
ed. Ever since then there has been
a strong undercurrent in the Republi-
vorable to the candidacy of Colonel
WatTes for governor. His clean rec
ord; his engaging personality; his
broad, progressive ideas, and his ex-
alted views of party, render his can
didacy particularly attractive at this
time, when the state is rent from end
to end with factional asperities, as the
result of the iniquitous legislation en-
acted at Harrisburg during the recent
session of the Legislature.
Colonel Watres rises above these
contentious and might well, were he
so inclined, meet every inquiry by
paraphrasing David B. Hills we'll
known and oft-quoted motto. He can
easily and truthfully affirm Il am
Republican" and this in no offensive
sense, either, but merely to proclaim
the political faith that is in him.
Here, at his home, where he is
known as the Courtly gentleman, the
popular commander of the famous
Thirteenth regiment, the substantial
and progressive business man. he
numbers his friends by the score, but
they would as soon doubt the centre
Of gravity as question his fealty to his
party in it's broadest sense, and in this
light he stands without offense to
friend or neighbor.
HIS EARLY ENVIRONMENT.
His beginnings, like those of the ma.
tons best men. were modest; but he
owes his name to sterling integrity,
and genius rocked his cradle He is
a direct descendant Of the illustrious
James Otis, of Massachusetts, the ia
nous revolutionary statesman, of
whom John Adams said on the occa-
sion Of his great speech before the
what was known as writs OF assist
anCe, otis was a flame of fire. Amer
ican independence was then and there
born. This was in 1861. 1t was Otis
who fired the first torch for liberty
He was the first opponent of the
stamp act; the first vindicator of the
rights of the American colonies, and
not only wrote and talked, but rem
dercd service for American freedom
with a gun in his hands
Colonel Watrcs inhcrits the traits
of his famous ancestor as patriot, sol
der scholar and lover of independ-
ence He is in the prime of life. hav-
ing been born in Mount Vernon, now
Luckawanua county, in 1851.