The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-06-01
How Held Up the National Con.
ss yentfon of 1900.

= : y &
sfncide Tents II Senator Quay's career is
extracted from various newspapers
yesterdas
hen the Repnbl ican National Con
sVgntion met at Philadelphia in 1900
Roosevelt had insisted that he
shout d remain Governor Of New York
hut Senator P1att insisted that he
should Eacatef the Goyernorship for
the presidency. The whole pow
of the national chairman, Senator
Hanna, was arrayed against Mr.
Rooseye1t It's nomination, and it was a
game hich Quay fully enjoyed to
rthroW Gamma, for had not the
Ohio senator sept him out of the Uni
ted States Senate by his single vote?
SosQnag allied himself with Platt.
the sunda afternoon before the
at the house of Senator Grady,
where ne made his head quarters. The
present Pos master-Ge General dropped
upon IN.
said Quay, what is that
scheme OF yours for revolutionizinS
The nnembership. of national conyen-
tions Give me all the details
he scheme was we'll known one
Tor had long been hobby Of
Payne. III called for representa-
ssIon ID conventions based upon the
Republican vote feast in the different
states Under the Republican
states of the North and West would
gain In influence while the Southern
Demo rattc States would be reduced
m oting strength. Quay saw great
spossibilit lies in i
The Philadelphia convention was III
session for three days, and the Vice
Presidency was left until the final
session On the second day Quay en-
tered the Payne plan of apportion-
Inent with every air Of sincerity, and
{ lrnediatelyhad the convention adj
3iaurned until the next day. It. was
beautiful play in: politics. The
proposit1on was held over the heads
the South bern delegates Turn in
Sfor Roosevelt was the price of
won his poIn Z:
During the last year of his life
Quay became one of President Roose-
sFeltss closest political advisers.
Nan of what politicians have called
5shrewd moves on the part of Presl-
dent Roosevelt were made at the sug-
gestion of the far-sighted Quay.
fter the death OF Hanna Senator
Quay was offered the Craftsmanship
OF the Repub1 lean National Commit
tee II. Roosevelt but was COM
PEELED to decline it on account of i'll
health There was tentative agree
he would accept the responsibility
for I he conduct Of the coming cam
oWs Held Up the Senate.
Quay took little or no part in the
party conferences in the Senate. If
the ma ority were in an embarrassing
position and he knew they needed
his assistance, he often imposed con-
Id ions to his own advantage and
forced the others to yield. Some
times it would be a public building
hewanted; at others change in eN-
listing laws or the establishment oG
new regulat which were to bene-
his friends.
siplopoSltlotlS q
stEe most inopportune moments fo--
his colleagues. He brought them for
ward when an important measure
was pending, requiring all the effort
the Republican side could exert to
make it successful. Once in a shor-
session he tackled an amendment for
& public building upon the bill MAX
ing appropriations for the Department
Sof Agriculture. The Senate protest
led and the House declared the prop
osition intolerable. Quay replied that
unless the amendment was agreed to
heswou1d prevent the passage of the
bill and all Others until the session
came TO "a close.
his is but one of a score of in
stances where he held the Senate
mp successfully because he seized
npon the moment for his attempts
when the situation gave him power
Impossible under other conditions or
sats other times.
s Quay did no committee work of an
He was always content
80 be chairman of committee with
:nothfng to do. His membership in
otIler committees was perfunctory.
Esxcept in regard to the tariff and