Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-28


will regain consciousness. They say the
end Is very near. 1t may come within the
hour. 1t may not come for several hours.
Since o'clock he has been entirely un-
conscious and he has not taken food since
8 o'clock this morning
All the Immediate family are now In the
senator's home, awaiting the end.
Senator Boies Penrose, Miss Pennybaker
of Washington and w. F. Wright of Phila-
delphia until recently private secretary to
Senator Quay, reached here today. Sena-
tor Penrose arrived about lilo o'clock and
was hurried to the Quay home. He was at
once admitted to the sick room, but, OF
course, could not talk to the patient, the
latter having been unconscious since am.
DIR. Iitchfield said the reason why no re-
ports of Mr.. Quay's true condition was
given out before was because all along the
senator insisted on seeing all newspapers
to learn what was said about his condition.
If an attempt was made to hold back a
paper 1t annoyed him.
With the death Of Senator Quay there
passes from the stage of American politics
one of the most virile personalities which
has figured in the lime-lght and in the
front rank of actors upon that stage in
the past quarter century. Senator Quay
was essentially a practical politician. He
was a leader of men, a manipulation of
politics and the possessor of organizing and
executive ability of the highest order. The
power to apply the ability he possessed SO
as to secure results was a predominant
trait.
Loyalty to his party. his friends and hts
"organiza ton was his strongest personal
chara cteristic. He was aggressive without
being yindictive. When in the midst OF a
fight he believed in going to the extreme
limit and annihilating his opponent When
the contest was over he bore no resent
ment against those whom he had opposed,
and was ever ready to bury the hatchet.
Time and again in the fierce contests
for the maintenance of his supremacy in
the state of Pennsylvania, and he had to
fight for his political existence more than
once in the past ten years, he ev1denc-
ed this forgiving disposition and welcomed
back into the organization men who had
deserted and opposed him. His maxim was
that a man who had been taught the les
son of such conduct would make a better
henchman In the future.
His Prominent Traits.
Other pronounced traits of his chara cter
were diplomacy, secretiveness and inde-
fatigability in the pursuit of an object-and
he never knew what 1t was to give up un-
til overcome by circumstances which no
further effort could remove.
His doctrine was thorough belief in
| 4 d
for him or did him a favor. he would hold
himself under obligation to return 1t and
he would requite. Ii he acceded to re-
quest and did favor for another man,
he exacted return when the time came
and when he needed the service or the In
fiuence of that man.
In this regard he had habit of saving
all letters from constituents asking for IA
vors. They were carefully filed away and
then some day perhaps years after, when
he wanted something done In that man. 8
bailiwfck needed his influence; Mr.. Quay
would draw forth that old letter from the
files and write his request upon the back
of it.
Throughout Pennsylvania he was af-
fectionately known among the republican
politicians as The Old Man. He was
boss, absolute and empirical, In politics.
His word was the law of the Medes and
Persians, and the man who went against
II might as well pull up stakes and move
over into the camp Of the opposition:
He dictated governorships, legislatures
and United States senatorships in his own
state. He delivered state delegations at
national conventions and In state conven-
tions not a move was made without con-
sulting him. Naturally, such a man must
in time make enemies, and in the last ten
or fifteen years of his life Senator Quay
had plenty of them. Upon at least two oc-
casions they came very nearly upsetting his
empire and wrestling the political scepter
from his hand. The ambitions of other
men for Office and for control in politics
led to these demonstrations. They failed.
For more than year before his death
Senator Quay had peace within his do
minions.
He had whipped into submission every
hostile faction, or shown that 1t was better
policy for them to play with him than fight
him. and harmony prevailed throughout the
state.
Fights in Politics.
He enjoyed politics and he loved a fight.
His later years We're devoted entirely to
politics, and. indeed. for considerable
portion OF the time his enemies kept him so