Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-04-11

Thaddeus Stevens-"Old Thad," as he
is universally called; for he lived so
long that at last he seemed always to
have been old. While Stevens may have
added more renown to the Lancaster
district, by reason of wider opportuni-
ty and longer service, he never more
faithfully represented the people than
did my generous and kindly Repub-
lican friend, Hon. Marriott Brosius.
The Nebraska Case.
The Nebraska legislature ran the Del
aware legislature close race for the
BOBBY prize in the matter of electing
senators of the United States. 1t SO
happened, unfortunately, that in each
of those states there were two senators
to elect, one for four years and the
other for the full term of six years.
More unfortunately still in each state
the legislature was safely Republican
on Joint ballot. In Delaware the cor
ruptionists were SO strong that, while
they couldn't elect anybody, they could
and did prevent the election of any
body, SO that for at least two years the
state of the Bayards and the Sauls-
bnrys gees without senators. In Ne
braska the Republican factions were
SO bitter that deadlock prevailed all
winter, and only on March 27. the next
to the last day of the session, was it
broken by the process of setting aside
all the great Republican chieftains in
the state and selecting two men who,
whatever their merits or dement's. are
not generally known.
The most curious feature of the
Nebraska situation is the complete
obscuration of ex-senator John Mellen
Thurston. If his name was even men
toned among the many supposed to be
fit to represent i'll the senate of the
United States the state of William J.
Bryan and William Vincent Allen. the
fact failed to appear In the metropoli-
tan press. If any member of the legis-
lature voted for him in all that long,
dreary deadlock, when nearly every
Republican in Nebraska known out
side his own township was voted for,
the fact has escaped my attention.
There was a hot foot Rosewater con-
tingent, a Dave Mercer legislative
company of good fellows, a Thompson
faction. Haines guard. a Meiklejohn
battalion, and how many more the
Lord only knows, but nobody seems In
all the turmoil to. have thought of
Senator Thurston as Moses. Hc was
just finishing a six year term which
he won from Bryan in 1894. He is in
the very prime of his splendid powers.
He entered the senate In 1898 with
multifarious prophecies as to wRat a
brilliant figure he would be in the less
numerous branch of the national legis-
lature. He was everywhere heralded
as man of unusual parts. and. truth
to tell, he was so accepted. AS late as
1896 even the presidency itself seemed
possible of his attaiEmert-the great
est prize. except his souls salvation,
for which mortal man ever contended.
1t is not meant that Senator TEurston
had any chance for the nomination at
the hands Of the convention at st.
Louis in 1896, but it IS meant that
thousands who saw him preside over
that tumultuous assembly in his mas
terful manner deemed him good presi-
Dental timber for future use. Hi3
senatorial career was on high plane;
he was always counted among the
strongest and the brightest. but tho
conclusion of the whole matter Is that
he went, like McGinty, to the bottom
of the sea, and nobody-not a single
soul-secms to care q fg. don't,
though | ain talking about 1t good
1eal.
An Interesting Mystery.
The mystery of his taking off is
what interests me. How does 1t hap
pen that the brilliant young man who
in 1884 of all the Republicans in Ne
braska was deemed fit to contest the
senatorial chair with Bryan should not
be counted in the running at all in
1901? True, he declined to stand for
reelection, but divers others have de-
clined. and in perfect faith at that and
still been reelected to unlock dead
lock. dragged to the party alta: BY the
hair of the head eTen cs the ram was
dragged TO the secriicial altar bT Abra.
ham by the horns Of his head. but no.
body seems to want to drag Thurston
or even to think Of him. The identity
Of the Man In the Iroa Mask is no
greater mystery than the political dis
appearance Of Senator John II. Ghc-s.
ton.
But one thing is clear as to the Ne
! braska deadlock-also as to the Dela.
ware fiasco-nnd that is this: The pres
ent system OF clecting senators Of the
United States offers a positive prrml.
um upoa corruption and personal fac
tional persistence. Surely these cases.
together with other nauseous ones in
the last few years, cffer reasons enough
for q change in senatorial election
methods.
nc-cntcr Arthur Pue German.
The greatest parliamentary leader
known to this generation is Hon. Ar
thur Pue German Of Maryland. who
has been in retirement for two years
now, and who. If he lives. Will re-enter