Cameron machine facts for kids

The Cameron machine, also known as the Quay machine and Penrose machine, was a powerful Republican group in Pennsylvania. It controlled much of the state's politics for about 70 years.

This group was started by Simon Cameron, who was against slavery. Later, his son J. Donald Cameron took over. After him, Matthew Quay and then Boies Penrose led the machine.

The group was careful with money and supported businesses. They favored higher taxes on imported goods, known as protective tariffs.

Simon Cameron was a strong leader. But his son, Donald, was not as good at politics. This led to some Republican losses. Because of this, Matthew Quay took control. He was very clever in using the machine's power. Finally, Boies Penrose became the leader. When he died, the machine lost its power and influence.

History of the Machine

How Simon Cameron Started It

Simon Cameron, who started the machine.

The Republican political machine in Pennsylvania was first created by Simon Cameron. He started as a Democrat but later joined the Republican Party.

In 1845, Cameron had already brought together different groups. These groups helped him get elected to the Senate. Around 1860, as the Republican Party grew, he formed this machine. It became very important for many decades.

Cameron was a businessman. After he was elected to the United States Senate in 1866, he gained power. He used his influence over state jobs and contracts. For example, he arranged loans from Middletown Bank for Republicans who supported him. This helped him keep his power strong.

From Father to Son

In 1877, J. Donald Cameron became a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. This happened after his father resigned. He also took over his father's political machine. This made him the main "boss" of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.

However, Donald Cameron was not as skilled in politics as his father. He also lacked charisma. He was loyal to his party but rarely spoke in the Senate. He also did not often introduce new laws.

Donald Cameron strongly supported protective tariffs. This was a common view among most Republicans at the time. Tariffs are taxes on goods imported from other countries.

During the 1880 presidential election, Cameron led the Republican National Committee. He supported former President Grant for a third term. He was part of a group called the Stalwarts.

A portrait of Don Cameron.

In 1882, the Pennsylvania Republican Party faced problems. About 40,000 Republicans, called "Half-Breeds," left the party. They voted for an "Independent Republican" candidate. This caused Democrats to win the governor's election.

A few years later, in the mid-1880s, Matthew S. Quay replaced Cameron as the machine's leader. Quay became even more influential and capable than Cameron.

In 1890, a bill about federal elections was proposed. It passed the House but faced problems in the Senate. Some Republicans from the West opposed it. They thought it would help them gain support from Southern Democrats.

Other Republicans, like Cameron and Quay, focused on protective tariffs. They did not strongly push for the election bill. As a result, the bill failed to pass.

In 1896–97, Cameron decided not to run for another term. This was because Quay's power within the party was growing.

Quay Takes Over

When Matthew Quay became the leader, the Pennsylvania Republican Party was having trouble. Quay came up with a clever plan to keep the party strong.

He gained control over the state treasury. This meant he could use state money to help his political friends. Quay once said that he always needed control of the state treasury.

Quay's Strategy

Using state money for political purposes was common back then. State treasurers were often chosen by lawmakers. But people started wanting reforms. They wanted state treasurers to be elected by popular vote.

Quay's plan had three main goals:

• First, he wanted to win the Treasurer election himself.
• Second, he wanted to elect Beaver as Governor of Pennsylvania.
• Third, he wanted to be elected U.S. Senator by the state legislature.

Quay believed that winning the state treasurer election in 1885 would help the party in 1886. If successful, this would build a strong party base. This base could then help him win in 1887.

In 1885, he met with newspapers and independent voters. These groups had opposed the main Republican candidate in 1882. Quay successfully got most of them to support him or at least not strongly oppose him. The New York Times noted that Quay had helped many political workers across the state.

Quay was known for his clever and sometimes questionable political methods.

After the 1885 wins, Quay worked to elect Beaver in 1886. He told Beaver to talk a lot about protective tariffs in his speeches. But he also told Beaver to stay quiet and let the party convention happen. He advised Beaver to only step in if there was a big problem.

At the Republican convention in July that year, Beaver was chosen as the candidate. He then won the general election. This brought Pennsylvania Republicans back into power in the state government. Quay was rewarded the next year.

Quay in the U.S. Senate

In the 1886–87 elections, Quay ran for the U.S. Senate. He won because grateful Republicans in the Pennsylvania legislature voted for him. He quickly became the powerful leader of the Pennsylvania political machine. He replaced Donald Cameron, who was not as strong a leader.

A newspaper that supported the Democratic Party described Quay. It said he was not a great speaker but had good common sense. It also said he was good at understanding people. He was always loyal to his friends.

"Practical" meant he would use any methods needed to win and stay in power. "Loyal" meant he would give jobs and favors to his political friends and supporters.

In the Senate, Quay had American Indian heritage. He became a strong supporter of Indian tribes. He also opposed stopping Chinese people from moving to the United States. He voted for higher protective tariffs and laws that helped businesses. However, on other issues, he often voted independently.

Political Tactics

The Quay machine used clever ways to keep its power. "Ward heelers" were people who worked for the state and city. They were assigned to certain neighborhoods. Their job was to give favors to people who were loyal to the machine.

These favors included giving out city construction jobs. They also involved helping people with minor legal troubles. Sometimes, they gave money or alcohol as rewards.

In cities with coal and steel industries, the machine had a strong hold. Many immigrant residents lived there, and some could not read. These immigrants were often led to the polls with pre-marked ballots. They were told to vote Republican. They were even threatened with losing their jobs if they did not follow orders.

1888 Elections

During the 1888 presidential election, Quay was chosen to lead the campaign. New York was seen as a very important state. It was controlled by Democrats in New York City. So, Quay set up the Republican campaign headquarters in New York City.

On election day, Quay sent people to New York City to watch for unfair voting. This was happening even though unfair voting was also taking place in Pennsylvania cities controlled by Quay's machine. Quay also started a fund to pay for information about voting fraud. He made lists of residents to check if voters were brought in from other states.

The Republican candidate, Benjamin Harrison, won the election. He defeated Grover Cleveland.

In the 1888 congressional elections, Quay helped Republicans win control of the U.S. House of Representatives. He gave money to Republican campaigns in key Southern areas. He also sent detectives to protect the voting rights of Black people and white Republicans. This was to prevent violence from the Democratic Party.

1890 Elections

In the 1890 elections, Quay struggled to adapt to changes in the Pennsylvania Republican Party. He could have overseen many job positions. But he likely could not manage all of them by himself.

Quay knew it was important to put party unity first. But he did not follow this rule in 1890. This led to bad results.

The media criticized Quay for how he handled the treasury. The senator tried to force his chosen candidate for governor. But that candidate lost due to pressure from the public and cities in the state. According to a book about Quay: "Quay needed to control key components in a state. What he could not manage, he would set against each other so they would not unite against him."

Quay Keeps Influence

In 1895, Quay presented himself as a supporter of reform. He spoke against "municipal thieves." He said public office should only benefit the public. He also opposed public employees deciding their own salaries.

Quay then pushed for four laws that were supposed to end such practices. However, these bills were designed with loopholes. These loopholes allowed some political influence to continue.

1899–1901 Senate Vacancy

In 1899, the Pennsylvania legislature refused to re-elect Quay. This was because of how he had used state funds the year before. The governor then appointed him to the same position. But the U.S. Senate refused to let Quay take his seat. It was a very close vote.

It took two more years for Quay to return to his Senate seat. He was elected in a special election in 1901.

By the time Quay returned to the Senate, he had lost control of the Pennsylvania Republican machine. At this point, Boies Penrose was leading it.

Images for kids

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  Quay's role as machine boss was marked with shrewdness and corruption.