The Washington herald., 1913-05-25

were concerned. Any man who has met
with success, II he will be frank with
himself, must admit that there has been
a big element Of fortune in the success.
Fortune favored me, whereas her hand
was heavy against Billy O'NeilL All his
life he had TO strive hard to wiring his
bread from harsh surroundings and a re-
luctant fate; II fate had been but a little
kinder l believe he would have had q
great political career; and he would have
done good service for the country in any
position in which he might have been
put.
There were other Republicans. like
Isaac Hunt and Jonas van Duzer and
Walter Howe and Henry Sprague. who
were among my close friends and allies;
and a gigantic one-eyed veteran Of the
civil war. a gallant general, Curtis, from
St. Lawrence County; and a capital fell
low. whom sfterward. when Governor,
I put on the bench, Kruse. from Catta-
raugus County. Kruse was a German
by birth: as far as l know, the only
German from Cattaraugus County at
that time; and, besides being a German.
he was also a Prohihitionist Among
the Democrats were Hamden Robb and
Thomas Newbold, and Tom WEIGH, Of
Niagara, who did great service in
getting the State to set aside Niagara
Falls Park-after a discouraging expert
ence with the first Governor before
whom We brought the bill, who listened
with austere patience to our arguments
in favor OF the State establishing q park.
and then concluslvely answered US by
the question, But. gentlemen, why
should we spend the peoples money
when Just as much water will run over
the Falls without a park as with it,"
Then there were a couple OF members
from New York and Brooklyn, Mike
Costello and Pete Kelly.
Mike Costello.
Mike Costello had been elected as a
Tammany man. He was as fearless as
and had accepted the Tammany Fourth
of July orations as indicating the real
attitude of that organization toward the
rights of the people. A month or two
in Albany converted him to profound
distrust Of applied Tammany methods
He and / worked hand In hand with
equal indifference to our local machines.
His machine leaders warned him fairly
that they would throw him out at the
next election, which they did; but he pos
sessed a seasoned-hickory toughness OF
ability to contend with adverse circum-
stances, and kept his head well above
and our friendship has never faltered.
Peter Kelly.
Peter Kelly's fate was a tragedy. He
was a bright, well-educated young TEL
low, an ardent believer In Henry
George. At the beginning he and
failed to understand each other or to
get on together, for our theories OF
government were radically opposed.
After a couple of months spent in ac-
tive contests with men whose theories
had nothing whatever TO do with their
Kelly and found in our turn
that 1t really did not make much diff
ference what our abstract theories
were on questions that were not before
the Legislature, in view of the fact
that on the actual matters before the
the most important of
which involved questions of elementary
We were heartily at one. We
began to vote together and act together
and by the end of the session found
that in all practical matters that were
up for action we thought together. In
deed, each of US was beginning to
change his theories. SO that even in
theory we were coming closer together.
He was ardent and generous: he was
a young lawyer, with wife and chill
iren. whose ambition had tempted him
into politics, and who had been be-
friended by the local bosses under the
belief that they could count upon him
for anything they really wished. I'm
what they really wished
was often corrupt. Kelly defed them.