The Lambertville record., 1912-08-23
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How Matthew Stanley Quay
Gained Political Victory.
Familiarity With Contents Of the SEN
ate Document Room Enabled Him
to Talk the Wilson Sugar
Tariff to Death.
BY e. J. EDWARDS.

which carried on the successful persl-
dental campaign of 1888, and United
States senator from Pennsylvania
from 1887 to 1905, gained the reputa-
ton of being the most expert political
manager of his time. The public, how
ever, did not know that Senator Quay
found his chief recreation in his IL
brary and was almost as good an au-
thority upon literature, classic and
modern, as he was upon politics.
While he was In the senate Mr..
Quay devoted much of his leisure to
the reading of the documents con-
tanned in the senate document room,
and he was almost as familiar with
those which bore upon tariff discus
slons as was the famous AMI Smith,
who carried In his head a complete
record of all the documents, thousands
in number, in the senate document
room, of which he was superintendent.
This acquaintance with general Htera-
ture, and especially with the docu-
ments in the senate document room
bearing upon tariff questions, was the
weapon upon which Senator Quay re-
lied for defeating one clause in the
Wilson tariff bill of 1894.
Soon after the bill was reported to
the senate and while 1t was still in the
senate committee, 1t was observed
that Senator Quay made frequent
visits to the document room and was
in earnest conversation with AMI
Smith. When a colleague met him one
day as he came away from the docu-
ment room with bundle of doeu-
ments under his arm, Quay was asked
what he purposed doing with all those
documents.
"Oh, may have to make speech
on the tariff BILL" was the reply.
After the bill was reported to the
senate Quay announced that he did not
approve of the sugar clause of the bill,
and that he purposed to speak In op-
position to 1t. He gave notice OF the
day when he would speak, and at the
appointed time he arose in his place
and began his speech. His manner
was very quiet. He used none Of the
arts of rhetoric; but at the same time
he impressed upon the senators the
fact that he purposed fighting the
sugar clause to the end. He occupied
all of the time set apart for daily dis
cussion and then, as he took his seat
Quay remarked: "Mr. President, in
tend to go on with my speech tomor-
row."
When the morrow came Senator
Quay again took up all the time set
apart for daily discussion. concluding
continue his remarks the following
day, when, the hour for daily discus
sion at hand, he arose and wandered
off into the field of literature, modern
and classic, being careful, however, tC
apply such literary comments as he
had to make to the subject matter Of
his speech. And just before he sat
down on that third day he gave notice
that his speech was not yet finished.
So, upon the fourth day. Senate
| Quay rose to continue his speech. HI
had the right to the floor; no on
| tOuiu ldhb II away AlOil iiihs 1Ah'
upon this occasion he sent to tn
clerks desk large volume, askin
that the clerk read certain marke,
passages therein. The clerk drone
away for more than an hour and ha
not finished the reading of the eS
tracts when the hour for adjournmen
came. Therefore, Senator Quays un
finished speech went over to the mex
day, when 1t was observed that Qua.
had upon his desk large number o
senate documents and many volumes
A curious colleague asked him hoy
long he expected to speak.
Until doomsday, or until this cor
gress adjourns, or until the senat
votes down the sugar schedule" wa
the reply. 81 have tariff document
here by the yard; have volumes bear
ing upon tariff questions that woul
fill library. purpose entertainin
the senate with these volumes and e,
tracts from these documents, for thes
are to be considered part of m
speech"
1t was soon realized that Senate
Quay had the senate at his mercy III
der the rule of the senate which pre-
vided that, whenever a senator al
nounced that upon a certain day an
in the hours set apart for addressin
the senate he should speak, he had tn
right to occupy the full time set apal
each day for discussion until hi
speech was finished. Quay was pr,
pared to talk the tariff bill to dealt
His speech had become a perfect mt
sale of his own remarks and interpt
lated paragraphs and extracts fror
numerous tariff documents and vo
umes of literature and was withou
precedent in the history of the senate
At last senator said to him
Aren't you firing yourself out, Quay
THE senate is more likely to b
tired of me than am of myself" wa
the reply.
And in that statement Senator Qua
was correct. The senate tired of him
acknowledged that he had the bod
only too glad to concede all that Qua
had been fighting for for more tha
two weeks. His peculiar style of or,
tory had won victory seldom game
by oratory in the United States SCI
ate.
Copyright. 1911. by E ]. Edwards. A
Rights Reserved)