The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-07-12
From the FAris lMains) Democrat.
Hen. Hannibal H1saAIiO.

Paris, County of Oxford. State Of Msine
August 81. 1909 His father. DR.. Cyru
Hamlin. was = Surgeon aud Physician. an
a native Of Massachusetts. He WAS Cler
Of the Courts for several years. aud subse
quen,ly Sheriff of Oxford County. H
was one of the leading influential citizen
of his town and County, and died in 1895
aged about So years.
Mr.. Hamln's mother was . daughter O
Dea. Elijah Livermore. of the town of Liv
ermore. Oxford County, Maine. She was
very estimable lady. and died in 1851. age,
about TO- Mr. Hxmlin was fitted for col
lege. bu, his father dying he abandoned
the idea of a college course. and for while
labored at home upon the old homestead
farm Before commencing the study OF Law
he worked in printing Office in his nativ,
town. and Tor more than u year conducted
the Jsfersonian. since merged into the
Oxford County Democrat. 10 connection
with the Hon Horatio King. Subsequently
he studied law with the late Judge Cole
and after completing his course of study he
was admitted to the Bar, and removed tc
Hsmpden. Maine, where he enjoyed an ex-
tensive practice until he voluntarily retired
from it. His first entrance iuto public life
was i'll 1886. when he was elected a Repre-
sentative from the town Of Hampden to the
Maine Legislature. He was re elected in
1887, 1888. 1889. l84O, and again in SAT
He was speaker OF The House Of Represen-
tatives in 1897. 1889. and l840. In 1s4O
he was candidate for Congress. but owing
to the grea. popularity Of General Harrison
and the remarkable success of the Wing
party in that campaign he was defeated by
a few hundred votes. In 1S42 he again
run for Congsess, and was elected by a
large majority. and 10 1914 he was also
elected to the same body by an Increased
vote. By the death of the lamenled Gov
ernor Fairfield. n vacancy was created in
the United States Senate. and on the 26-h
of May. l34s. Mr.. Hsmlin was elected for
four years to Fill that vacancy.
In July. 1851, he was cleo ted to the
Senate for six years. In 1856 he was elec
ted Governor of Maine and resigned his
seat in the Senate to assume the duties OF
the Office January Z. 1857. Ga the 10th
day of the same month he Was elected by
both branches of the Legislature to the
United States Senate for six years. and
resigned the office Of Governor February
90. 1856. Until he resigned the position.
he was for long time chairman OF tie
Committee on Commerce in the Senate.
The above brief sketch of the early life
and public services Of Mr. Hannlin. while II
may be a matter of interest to the American
people. is far from beiug all they inquire
after connected with his personal history
Placed as he now is before the The people
Of this great country. as candidate fol
the second Office in their gift, it is perfectly
natural they should desire to know some
thing of his political history and public rec
ord
Mr.. Hamlin's antecedents are Democrat
ic. On arriving at his majority he connec-
ted himself with the old Democratic party
and acted with tha. political organization
until 1856. when in a brief and eloquent
speech in the Senate he publicly withdrew
from it. aud allied himself to the Republi-
can party. Upon looking over Mr.. Ham
lin's public record in Congress upon the
slavery question, we find nothing inconsis-
tent with his present position upon that sub
ject. When he first entered Congress he
manfully battled for the right of petition
against the gag rules introduced into that
body. He not only voted to receive the
petitions OF the people, but upon more than
one occasion spoke eloquently in favor OF
this great constitutional right
|. In 1S49. while he voted against the joint
resolution for the annexation of Texas. vet
he W As not opposed to the measure provid
ed it could be brought about by negotiation
and treaty, and provided further that a,
least An equal portion of said domain should
be kept free territory for the benefit of the
great laboring interests OF tue free States
Had his counsels and the counsels OF Col.
Benton, Silss Wright and other great lights
in the party been adhered to. the Mexican
war and all its evil consequences would
have been avoided.
When the 1.-Two Million Bill'' was before
the House 10 1916 ana Z. proposing TO pn'
into the hands of the President certain
amount Of money with which to negotiate a
treaty of peace with Mexico. Mr.. Hamlin
stood up side by side with David Wilmoi,
Preston King. and other influential Demo
Gratis in defense efthe celebrated 'Proriso,
known as the Nv .imot Provise," prepared
by Judge Wilmot. yet actually offered By
Mr.. H1mlis in the absence of the author.
For this I'roviso he uniformly voted and
labored until il passed the House.
70 the House of Representatives in Maiue
At the session in lS47-to which he wa.
elec;ed Immediately after his return from
Congress--he introduced resolutions em
/ bodying the same sentiments. advocated
them in mastery speech, and mainly
through his influence they passed the House
with only six nays, and the Senate with
only one dissenting vote.
Following up his record upon this qnes
ton, we find him voting in ths United Stat =
Senate in Is4S, in favor Of the Jefferson
Proviso for the restriction Of Slavery ir
the bill for the organization OF q territoria
government for Oregon. Sill later. il
1850. be voted to insert a sirailar restric
sion in the bills giving territorial govern
ments to Utah and New Mexico. The
Proviso being defeated. he voted agains
the bills in strict accordance with the in
s,ructions of democratic Legislature il
Maine.
/ In the same year. 1880. Mr.. Hamlin mad
the first speech in the United States Sena.'
3 in favor OF the unconditional admission o
California as . free Staae. and his speech
/ was then considered one of the most abb
delivered upon that subject.
He also during the same session votet