Freeman's champion., 1858-03-04
TermS--=$2 PergAnnum,
Hon. Galusha A. Grow, the Antag.
onist Of Keitt. iH9D'

OF Galusha A. Grow, of Pennsylva-
MIA, Republican candidate for Speaker
Of the United States House of Repre-
sentatives, is from the pen Of one OF
his friends, who is we'll acquainted
with his antecedents. 1t will serve as
q companion piece to the sketch Of
Col. Orr, his successful competitor:
"Mr Grow, who represents Will
mot's district, Pennsylvania, was born
in Windham county, Connecticut.
He sleft fatherless at three years
of age. His mother, a widow with
six children, the oldest seventeen
years, and the youngest but three
months, was left with property barely
sufficient to pay the debts Of the es-
tate When ten years old, his moth
er left Connecticut to seek new home
in the West, and located in northern
Pennsylvania. His reading prompt
ed desire for q liberal education,
and his elder brothers, observing the
rapid improvement he made, unaided
by any tutor, resolved to crafty his
ambition, and accordingly sent him
to school. At seventeen he entered
the Freshman Glass at Amherst Col
lege, being poorly fitted, though it was
as good as the schools of his region
furnished. In 1914 he graduated with
high hoAors, and being acknowledged
by his fellow-students to be one of
the best debaters and cxtemporaneous
speakers in College.
During his senior year in College
he made his first political speech, ut
meeting in Amherst, Mass, which
was the first Democratic Mass meet
ing ever held in the town. 0nigra
uating, after his return he me, he con-
tinued to take an active part in the
canvass for Polk and Dallas. In
l947 ho was admitted to the bar.
In the summer Of 1850 the Democat
Convention of his county nominated
him unanimously for the Legislature,
which he declined, In the, fall of the
same year he was first elected to Con-
grees by a singular accident in politics.
The Democrats Of the district were
divided, and had two candidates in
the field, each claiming to be the reg
ular nominee. Eight days before the
election, both agreed to resign if Mr..
Grow would be the candidate. He
had left his law office the fall before
by reason ofill health, and was spend
ing the summer, working on farm,
blowing, peeling bark, and surveying.
He was waited upon in his retirement
by friend of each candidate, as o
committee, to ascertain his feelings.
They found him with set of hands
on the public highway, rebuilding q
bridge that had been carried away by
freshet. He acceeded to their prop
osition to be candidate for Congress,
and both the other candidates resign
ed, and q convention was called, which
placed Mr.. Grow in nomination Just
one week before his election, He
was elected by 1850 majority, and
in 1851 took his seat in the House of
Representatives, the youngest member
Of the thirty-second Congress, and,
with one or two exceptions, Of the
Thiry-third Congress also He is
now serving his fourth term in Con-
gress. The second time he was elect
ed by $500 majority; the third time,
by unanimous vote Of the district,
he having received the unanimous
nomination of all parties, for his able
and manly resistance to the passage
of the Kanzas.Nebraska bill; the
fourth time ho was elected by larger
vote than he received when he had
no opposition, His district, previous
to the repeal Of the Missouri Compro.
mise, gave uniformly about $500
Democratic majority, but in conse-
quonce Of the noble stand taken by
Mr. Grow on the floor of Congress.
and upon the stump, before the peo-
| lple, his district gave Col, Fremont al
most 10000 majority. When Gov.
Banks was running for Speaker Of the
House, he was urged to allow his
name to DO used as a candidate, but
ho declined tho honor for himself, and
urged his friends to stick to Banks.
which advice they followed, and by
which the first decisive battle against
tho slave power was achieved. To1a
During tho administration OF Mr..
Banks as Speaker, Mr., Grow was
chairman ofthe Committee on, Terri
tories, positionoS specially important,
In view Of the state Of affairs In Kan
zos, Utah, and other Territories of
the Uni on, Tho skill with which he
managed the Territorial bpsiness in
tho committee and upon tho floor Of
Congress, won FOR 6iin not only The
Iplaudits OF liis paftisan friends, but
ala N notn plAnAod Aha eAsonnt n,,f IA.