PENNSYLVANIA. 



679 



Comptroller for the city of Philadelphia, and 

 in 1880 re-elected by a large majority. 



Almost from his first induction into the of- 

 fice of Comptroller, Mr. Pattison invested it 

 with a degree of importance which the law 

 had given it, but which none of his prede- 

 cessors had done. He adopted and main- 

 tained a wide view of the obligations of the 

 office, and declined to hide behind technicali- 

 ties that brought disgrace upon his predeces- 

 sor. He refused to consider the office merely 

 clerical, but investigated claims, and enraged 



ROBERT EMORY PATTISON. 



partisans by refusing to be a mere machine to 

 deplete the city Treasury. In this inflexible 

 purpose he recognized no claimant as Demo- 

 crat or Republican. How the whole atmos- 

 phere of that office changed under his vigor- 

 ous, vigilant, and healthy administration, and 

 what complimentary enmity he won from 

 many whose schemes have been rendered 

 hopeless by his relentless scrutiny and deter- 

 mination, is a matter of public notoriety. 



In view of all this, and of the fact that dur- 

 ing his term complete administrative reform 

 had been inaugurated in the second city of the 



Union and the first in Pennsylvania, it was 

 not strange that the Democratic State Conven- 

 tion found in him its nominee for Governor. 

 Year by year the political issue of administra- 

 tive reform had become the supreme concern 

 of intelligent men. Recognizing his special 

 fitness to embody this issue, the convention 

 gravitated toward him on the sixth ballot, 

 and without any adjournment after it began 

 to ballot. His nomination was the well-con- 

 sidered action of an unusually earnest and in- 

 telligent body, and that no mistake was made 

 is assured by the universal approbation with 

 which it was received, not only by the party 

 press of the State, but by all the independent 

 journals of any standing, while it challenged 

 the opposition. 



At the election in November, 1882, Mr. Pat- 

 tison was the successful candidate. The vote 

 was as follows : Robert E. Pattison, Democrat, 

 355,791 ; James A. Beaver, Republican, 315,- 

 589 ; John Stewart, Independent Republican, 

 43,743 ; Thomas A. Armstrong, Labor, 23,484 ; 

 Alfred C. Pettit, Temperance, 5,196. 



Governor Pattison was inaugurated January 

 16, 1883, in the presence of the largest gather- 

 ing that, in all probability, ever witnessed a 

 Governor of Pennsylvania inducted into office. 

 His inaugural address was in entire harmony 

 with the pledges he made during the campaign 

 on the side of reform and retrenchment ; and 

 shortly after he sent a message to the Legisla- 

 ture, in which he recommended his policy in 

 very vigorous terms, citing wherein true re- 

 form could be secured, and urging in that con- 

 nection the modification or repeal of certain 

 laws, under which needless offices were created, 

 and a waste of public funds was allowed. An 

 acrimonious controversy followed, which re- 

 sulted in the complete success of Governor 

 Pattison's policy as it related to commissions 

 and special legislation. A better feeling finally 

 prevailed on all sides, save where personal am- 

 bition had been baffled by the young Governor 

 appointing a Cabinet of his own choice ; and, 

 at date, every recommendation made to the 

 Legislature has either been carried out, or bills 

 introduced with that end in view. 



Nominations were also made by the Tem- 

 perance party. 



ELECTION RETURNS. The election in No- 

 vember resulted in the choice of the Demo- 

 cratic ticket. The vote was as follows : 



For district Congressmen, fifteen Republicans, 

 ten Democrats, one Greenback-Republican, and 

 one Greenback -Democrat were elected. The 

 Legislature of 1883 will be constituted as fol- 

 lows : 



