Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-04
BOSS DYNASTY IN THIS STATE
IS ENDED WITH CROWS DEATH
Line Of Succession Starting With Simon
Cameron Now Being Broken, Pinehot
Has Great Opportunity to Re.
deem the Party
nv GEORGE NOY NcCAvN

political dynasty that has existed in Penn
sylvania politics for three. quarters of a
century.
1t began when Simon Cameron. the son
of a Lancaster County tailor. as editor and
politician, united the warning factions of
the Democratic Party in Bucks County.
That apparently inconseQucntial event sig
nailed his first triumph as political
manager.
From then on down through y succession
Of years, marked by alternate victories and
defeat. until he died at his home June 1850.
ut the age Of ninety years. he held, prac.
tically, the Republican politics of his native
State in the hollow OF his hand
At the outset Simon Cameron was con-
spcuous from the fact that he was the
leader of the worst elements of the Demo-
cratic Party. His national career began
when, as the representative of the Gov
ernment. under President Van Buren,, he
effected an understanding with the Win
nebago Indians. He entered the United
States Senate in 1916 as the successor Of
James Buchanan. In 1851 he became Sec.
retary of War in the Cabinet Of President
Lincoln. He resigned in 1862 and later was
made Minister to Russia lie re entered the
Senate in 1866. was reelected six years
later. and ended memorable career in
1877, when he resigned in favor of his son,
J. Donald Cameron.
by this latter act the Cameron dynasty.
as it has been called. was perpetuated: not
through merit. but by the grosscst case of
ncpotism in Pennsylvania history.
The career of J. Donald Cameron. the
second Of the House of Cameron to control
the politics Of the State. was marked by no
distinguishing act of public service. He was
Secretary of War in President Grants
Cabinet in 1876 and was chairman OF the
Republican National Committee in 1880.
A Princeton man Of the class of so. he
had made Il large fortune out of the North
ern Central and Pennsylvania Railroads
and various coal and iron manufacturing
and land enterprises. He was cold,
austcre and unsympathctlc by nature.
though with his intimates. at least. he is
said to have been companionable.
Had it not been for the controlling power
of his father in politics and the willing
subservience of a machine Legislature. J.
Donald Cameron could never have succeeded,
through virtue of his personality or previous
service to the party. in securing election to
the United States Senate.
In the meantime during the senior Cam
cron's time there had been growing into
politics figure in the western part Of the
state who answered to the name Of Matthew
h,.l lAa =
the Cameron monocracy.
He was able. shrewd. daring and unscru
pulous Besides, he was natural leader
Of men. He fought his way to the front,
and into the Senate. by combination of
corporate interests and the financial aid of
men he had helped and officials he had made.
Audacity and the ability to ''shake the
plum tree were Matthew Stanley Quay's
chief assets as a master politician.
Scandals about the State Treasury
reached their zenith during Quay's regime.
He made himself the storm center Of some
of the most notorious episodes connected with
the fiscal affairs of the Commonwealth.
Senator Don Cameron. like Senator
Philander Chase Knox later. cared little
about the detailed work OF the political
machine. Quays ability and readiness of
resource made him the logical successor of
Cameron. and it was the latter's financial
assistance that both made and saved his
colleague.
Ouay's fight for re election TO the Senate
in the memorable deadlocked session OF 1890
had for unsavory environment. no counter
part in Republican State history. The
notorious Lebo, Maneer and Wagenseller
| affair with it's odor of bribery and corrup-
! ton. Hli~L-i-~tsJ6 lifted Simon Cameron
into the Senate, is the nearest approach.
QUAY did not hand the crown to Boies
| penrose. The latter assumed it at Quay S
| death in 1904. There was no opposition.
Anyhow, Penrose had been performing
Ouay's detailed work for years. He thought
himself entitled to this succession, and he
| was
! The election of Philander Chase Knox to
| succeed Quay did not affect the situation
| or the question of leadership, so far as
penrose was concerned Knox was not @
nolitician The honor EMBODIED in the sena .
torial toga was sufficient to satisfy his
| ambition.
Thus it came about that for eigbteer
yea.s Boies Penrose, as rhe residuary
legatee of the Cameron dynasty. discharged
his trust in accordance with the machin,
traditions Of his predecessors and th'
standards they had established. Boie
Penrose was a slave to the organization
paradoxically, the organization was hi
slave.
The death of Senator Knox was William
r.. Crows opportunity. From his earl
entrance into politics he had been
machine politician. A county leader he had
by seniority and faithfulness of service
rather than outstanding political ability
been thrust into a position due to geo
graphical location and leadership rs Stat
chairman, where he could claim his reward
At no time in the fifteen years of hi
service in the Senate or as State chairma
NJ, r,.x, rico IN nny comma ndinp heiu -