The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-10-27
Hannibal HamIIn.

Hannibal HamIin.
Much has been written about the Repub- /
lean candidate for the Presidency, Abra- |
IAN Lincoln, and comparatively but little
bout Hannibal Hamlin, our candidate for
he Vice Presidency. We propose a brief
ummary of the prominent features of his
private and public character.
Hannibal Hamlin came from good Rev
pulmonary stock his grand father, Eleaznr
.mHamlin, commanded a company of minute |
-anen, and five Of his sons were enrolled I'M
Ter him; one of them served during the
gar.
Hannibal son of DR.. Cyrus Hamlin, one
the brothers before mentioned, received
the benefits of the private schools of his own
town, and of the Academy ut Hebron, until
he was sixteen years of age, when he was
taken from school to labor on his fathers
farm II remained on the farm until he
was eighteen, when he commenced the study
of the law he studied six months, when his
father dying, he again returned home and
labored on the farm for the next two years
During this time he practiced some at sur
veying.
At the age Of twenty-one, he became as
sociated with a friend in publishing the JEFF
fersonian some six months afterwards he
work at the case and the press until The ear
following, when ne re commenced the study
of law with Joseph G.. Cole, afterwards with
Mr. Fessenden, his present colleague in the
Senate Mr.. Hamlin was admitted to the
Bar in 1893, and At once entered on the
practice of his profession.
A bout this time he was married to Miss
g Sarah Jane Emery, who died in April 1855,
leaving three children in September 1856,
he was married to his present wife by whom
he has one son.
Mr.. Hamlin was annually elected by his
fellow townsmen of Hampden, Repre-
sentative in the State Legislature, during
the FIVE years from 1886 to 1910 inclusive.
In l837 be was elected Speaker, and was
again elected to that Office in 1889 and 40.
In l843 he was elected to Congress his
first speech was in opposition to the 2lst
rule. He also spoke at the first session on
bill fixing the time for the meeting of
Presidential Electors, and delivered a po-
liticaI speech on party issues, April Is, 1874.
The second session of the 28th Congress
was memorable for the cOnsummation of the
annexation of Texas. Mr.. Hamlin was not
averse to new accessions of Territory but
favored that policy such terms as be
deemed suitable The Joint resolution an
nexing Texas did not meet his approval,
and he voted against it. On that subject he
made a sound and truly eloquent speech
4 He expressed his profound regret that this
great and important national question,
had been dragged down, down, down, from
its own proper sphere to a wretched con
temptible one for extending and perpetua-
"a ting slavery At the snme session Mr.
HamlIn delivered a practical speech on the
reduction aud graduation of the public
lands. He vas reelected to the 29th Con
gTess was chairman of the Committee on
Elections and member of the Committee
on Naval Affairs. He made several speeches
the first session on the public land ques
ton, on giving notice to the British Gov
eminent to terminate the joint occupancy of
Oregon, on the mode of raising troops for
the Mexican War, and other subjects
At the second session 46-7, he spoke on
the mode of increasing the Army, and on
establishing a Territorial Government for
Oregon. In this latter speech, Mr. Hamlin
dissenting from the policy of the Demo-
cratic party in generall more distinctly ex-
planned his position in regard to the annex
alton of Texas, after the refusal of the
South to agree to any vision of the Terri
tory between slavery and free labor. He
here announced in the most explicit man
ner his opposition to the extension of slave
ry, as already foreshadowed in his speech
on Texan annexation when that measure
was still pending. During this session he
offered the WilmOt ProvisO, as an amend
ment to the-then somewhat famous Z" Three
Million Bill
On returning, at the close of this Con-
gress, Mr.. Hamln elected to fiji vacan-
cy in the State Legislature. In the spring
of 1913 Mr.. Hamlin was elected to the
United States Senate to fill the vacancy oc-
casioned by the death of Gov Fairfield
He served for the four years of this unex-
plred term and was reelected on the 18th
OF July, 1851, for the full term. He was
bitterly opposed by the pro-slavery portion
OF the Democracy, who refused TO support
him to the last althoughthe was the regu-
lar nominee In his opposition to the ex
tension of slavery, vital issue of the Re-
publican organization Mr.. Hamlin has been
uniform, decided and earnest during all his
public career, regardless of party ties or in
ducements.
In the Senate, Mr.. Hamln entered at
once, after his first election, upon service
as active and influential as that which dis,
tinguished his four years in the House
One of his speeches, a Senator, was on
the Oregon Bill, during the first session OF
the Both Congress 1913.
He closed his remarks On the CLAYTON
Compromise in these memorable words
There are other objections to the bill to
which l would gladly alude but have a
ready detained the Senate longer than I de-
signed or anticipated. Looking 10 the
lights of other days-the patriots of other
uTes-the eloquent warnings which we
have had from our Washington, our Madi-
son, our Jefferson, our Mason, ave, and FROM
our own Pinckney, too, aud ali that long
list OF patriotic men of the South who have