Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-10-11
DEBsE.
Substantial Honors to Cameron
County


Our down town neighbor has been
licking it's chops with a satisfaction
born Of delusion that it has eaten the
canary. The Independent has conclud-
ed, to its own satisfaction, that mas
much as Messrs. Parsons and Shaffer
received little or no Republican sup
port IN 1894 and 1904, respectively,
when these gentlemen were the Demo-
cratic nominees In this congressional
district; 1t Is therefore out of reason for
Captain Barclay and Judge Green to
expect any support from the Democrats
of Cameron county on the ground of
home pride and loyalty. But the Inde
pendent has chosen to ignore a very
important difference between the pres
emit situation and the instances above
referred to.
In 1894, Mr.. Parsons was appointed
at late hour by the Democratic COM
mittee for the congressional district TO
all a vacancy on the ticket, created by
the withdrawal of Mr.. J. d. Hancock,
whose pronounced stand for sound
money had put him out of touch with
his party, which was then beginning to
be carried away by the free-silver her.
esy. The Democratic fight in the dis
trict was at best but perfunctory, as
the district was overwhelmingly Re-
publican; and, moreover, The Republi-
can candidate was Mr.. Charles w.
Stone, a gentleman who had served the
district for number of terms, and was
justly regarded as one of the abiest
and most distinguished members ON the
floor of the House. There were, then,
the following reasons why the Repub-
licans of Cameron county should not
"a H..
for Mr.. Parsons in 1894.
In the first place, they had candi-
date whom they had known for years,
justly proud. When a public servant
" no has acquitted himself with credit
and distinction in his Office, asks his
constituents for a continuance of
their confidence and support, he is
Justly entitled to receive it,
In the second place, the nomination
of Mr.. Parons represented no real
honor to Cameron county. Had there
been even fighting chance for the
Democrats to win in the district, the
nomination would never have come to
Cameron county. We are not saying
that Mr.. Parsons was not worthy of
nomination; we simply say that no sub
tiantial district honor ever comes to
Cameron county from the Democratic
party. Whenever the Democratic party
wishes to make perfunctory district
fight, and goes begging for candidate
who will consent to 60 to certain de-
feat, it is ready enough to turn to Cam
eron county, and it is only too glad
when it finds Cameron county man
who is willing to make the sacrifice.
So far from such nomination being
an honor to the candidate and to the
county, 1t is a case of the candidate
comforting favor upon his party. The
"honor'' is like geometrical solid,-
all form and no content. Are the vot1
ers Of the county to be blamed if they
show that they appreciate such "hon-
ors' at their real worth?
In the third place, the voters of 1894
were only too thankful for an oppor-
tpnity to register their dissatisfaction
with Democratic hard times
The situation in 1904 was in the main
the same. Had the fight not been hope
lessly forlern, Mr.. Shaffer would never
have received the nomination, no mat
ter how deserving he was of it, Mr..
Shaffer did not seek the nomination,
nor did he make the least effort or ex-
penditure to secure his election. His
candidacy was purely formal, and the
voters accepted it as such.
The present situation is totally differ