The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-06-03
MATTHEW STANLEY QUAY.

make romances e,ual to those of the
Tower of London.
He has gone down in defeat more
than once, only to rise more powerful
than ever. He has been a sort of politi-
cal Frederick the Great. There have
been times when friends and foes have
turned on him, when the federal ad-
m~inistration Of his own party, allied
with the democracy II with men who
had fought under his banner, has
fought him, and yet he has baftied them
all. John WaLamaker, the most sue
cessful mar Philadelphia ever had,
made only one great failure. 1t was
the failure of his effort to destroy the
power of Quay in Pennsylvania and
drive him from politics. But ill health
has succeeded where Wanamaker fell
short.
His Public Career.
There is i'll the Congressional Direc-
tory only one sketch longer than Quay's
and that is Chauncey NJ. Depew's. Yet
Quay's is merely n record of public po-
sitions that he has held. He has scarce
ly been out of Office II year all told
since 1856, the yea that John c.. Free
mont ran for president against James
Buchanan and Willard Fillmore. In
that year he became the P~rothonotary
of Beaver county, Pa. From that time
~henceforth Quay either had a certifl-
cate of election or appointment.
Sometimes he held several offices. He
was military secretary of the governor
of Pennsylvania from 1861 to 1865, and
during that period he was also a lieu
tenant of the Tenth Pennsylvania re-
serves, colonel of the hath Pennsylvan-
ia volunteers, assistant commissary
general, state military agent at Wash
ington, private secretary to the gov
ernor and major and chief of trans
portation and telegraphs.
His real political career began when
he left his various war offices and was
elected to the legislature In 1866. Quay
had risen into party favor through his
championship OF the fortunes of
Andy Curtin, the wal governor. In
doing this h: had TO fight the Cameron
dynasty. He and Alexander K. Nc
Clure had been Curtin's lieutenants.
Curtin had to continue fighting, and
Quay left him and joined the Cameron
clan.
In the atmosphere of Harrisburg
men are not prescriptions, and po-
litical audacity becomes a habit. If one
is to play the game. Quay was elected
secretary of the commonwealth in 1872,
when Curtis vent down in the liberal
republican movement. He held the po-
| sition for six years. Then he made a
bold play. A law was passed creating
for the city Of Philadelphia the position
of recorder, with an enormous income
from fees. Quay got the office. He
had also become chairman of the state
committee. Quay saw that a leader
Who was to rest easy in the state o!
Pennsylvania must have control of the
machine in the Quaker city. He de-
signed to grasp that machine. So he
moved to Philadelphia, and while he
was rolling up a great bank accoun,
through the tribute which the legisla.
ture had made possible, he aimed tc
unhorse the old ring which had grown
up around the gas trust.
Leaves Philadelphia Temporarily.
He failed, for the time being, anc
public sentiment forced the repeal o
the recorder act. Quay left Philadel.
phla, but he eve entirely dropped hi.
plan TO capture, the Philadelphia ma,
chine, and the time came when he helt
the Philadelphia machine in the hollow
of his hand. But he was to go q lon,
distance before that ambition was t,
be realized. F1e e as q delegate a
| large to every republican national con