Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-05-05
SOME PAST HIS.
TORY RECALLED

episode occurring at Harrisburg during
his administration which possesses a
deep interest to the people of Montour
and Columbia counties. Colonel Nc.
Clure says:
The elections of 1880 were adverse
to the Wings in Pennsylvania and
Johnston had to deal with Demo
cratic House. The Senate of l85l had
one Democratic majority. WhilJ the
Senate was Wing his administr ,tion
was safe in its important financial and
other progressive measures but when
in the last year of his term he was con-
irolted with a Democratic Senate the
power of the administration was ser
iously threatened. With the Senate in
harmony with him the House was i'm
potent and by very shrewd political
maneuver he won the control of the
Senate from the Democratic majority.
There had been long battle between
Columbia County and what is now
Montour County over the question of
new county of Montour. The two Sec
tiOns had become intensely inflamed
against each other and Valentine Best
had been elected Senator from Danville
the Montour end, three years before,
chiefly on the issue of erecting the
new county. Ii was his last session
and his last opportunity to win out on
his new county scheme. If he remain
ed in opposition to the State admins
tration it was possible for him to pass
the measure on partisan issue by
Democratic votes, but in that event he
would have to run up against the Gov
ernor, who knew exactly how to defeat
such political movements.
1t was finally suggested to Senator
Best that there was one way by which
he could get his new county, and that
was to make himself Speaker of the
Senate by voting for himself and Civ
ing the administration the control Of
the finance and several other import
knew what such a political movement
involved and it was most humiliating
for him to desert his party and make
himself Speaker by his own vote, but
he felt that the end justified the means
and he accepted the contract.
1t became whispered around that
there would be some queer political
doings when the Senate was called to
order and the hall was crowded when
the clerk raped on his desk and call
ed the new Senators to be sworn. The
Democrats had nominated J. Porter
Brawley of Crawford for Speaker, and
the Wings, to cover their contract with
Best, nominated Senator Darsie, of AL
legheny, the oldest of the Whig Sena-
tors in service. l was fortunate in OBJ
tanning seat quite close to Best, as
knew he was to be the central figure
of the show.
Brawley came into his seat with a
most unsteady gait. He knew that his
defeat was inevitable and he had for
titled himself for the ordeal by a cop
ious supply of stimulants. BIawley
would not have been required to vote
for himself if the Wings had not made
the combination with Best, as the
courtesy was always observed in that
| body when the contest for Speaker was
a square one between the two parties,
and the dominant party had but one
majority, for the two candidates for
Speaker each to vote for the other.
The old-time Senate many times stood
II to 16, and the majority Speaker was
always chosen by the vote of the OPP
posing candidate.
The first ballot gave Brawley 10;
Darsie Is, with Brawley, Best and
Darsie scattering their votes, and on
the second ballot the Wings voted
solidly for Best and Brawley received
Is Democratic votes, but Best had not
answered when his name was called,
and just before the clerk was about to
compute and announce the vote, Sen
ator Best rose in his place i'll very OBJ
vious confusion and asked that his
name be called.
The clerk called valentine Best"
to which the Senator responded Val
entine Best, and thus made himself
Speaker of the body. Some Kisses came
from the crowded lobby, and Brawley
sat sullenly in his chair and refused to
exhibit the usual courtesy of conduct
ing his successful opponent to the
chair, but Darsie, the defeated Whig
canIiiate, promptly arose and led the
new Speaker to the platform.
The result was that the Administra-
tion controlled the Senate. that the
Montour County bill passed the Sen
ate bv single vote, and finally COM
manded sufficient Democratic support
in the House to carry it through, when
Governor Johnston promptly gave it
his approval.
Best was burnt in effigy in the Col
umbia portion of his district, but he
was heartily supported by the Montour
people. He was reiusei the regular
Democratic nomination for re-elec-
tion, aud Charles Il. Buckalew, then
a young lawyer of Bloomsbury. in old
Columbia, was made the regular Demo
cratic candidate. Many of the Wings
of old Columbia and nearly all the
people of MontOur supported Best, who
received within one or two of unan
imous vote in Danyille, and close to
unanimous vote in the new county.
but Luzerne, with a large Democratic
majority, was part of the district, and
Buckalew was brought to the Senate
to begin a great career as long the
leading Democrat of the Senate, as