Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-28

salmon Portland Chase was born in
Cornish, N. H., January Is, 1903, and had
inst entered his Goth year. In 1915, his
father removed to Keene, n. II. In 1920,
when twelve years old, his father being
dead, he went to Worthington, O., where
he was under the care of his uncle, Philan-
der Chase, Bishop of Ohio. He attended
the Cincinnati College for one year, and,
returning to New Hampshire, in 1924 en-
tered Dartmouth College, and graduated
in 1896 The next winter he opened pri-
vate school in Washington City In 1929
ne was admitted to the Bar, having read
law in the Office of Attorney General Writ
In 1880, he returned to Cincinnati, and has
ever since made his home in Ohio. He
published in three volumes an edition Of
the laws of the State, and, gaining prac-
tice, was, in 1884, selected as attorney for
the branch of the United States Bank IN
Cincinnati In 1887, he acted as counsel
for woman claimed as a fugitive slave,
and, in an elaborate argument, maintained
that the Fugitive Slave law OF 1898 was
unconstitutional In an argument before
the Supreme Court of Ohio, he de-
Tended J. G.. Birney, who was
charged with harborlng slave
He became thenceforth identified with
the Anti-Slavery party. In 1916, with
Mr.. Seward, he argued the celebrated Van
Zandt case before the Supreme Court Of
the United States, denying the validity Of
the laws for the rendition of fugitive
slaves. He was counsel in a number of
cases involving the same questions. In
1910 he supported Harrison for the Presl-
dency, but finding nothing congenial in
the views of the Tyler Administration, he
united in call in 1S41 for an Anti-Sla-
very Convention at Columbus, Ohio. At
this Convention was organized the Liberty
party. In t843, at National Convention
of the party held in Buffalo, among the
resolutions offered was one which pro
posed to treat the clause of the Constitu-
ton relating to the rendition of fugitive
slaves as ''utterly null and void" Mr..
Chase opposed this, but it was adopted by
the Convention. In 1916, another Liberty
Convention was held in Cincinnati, and
the address was written by him. In 1o4S,
a Free-SOil Convention was held at Co
1umbus, which called National Conven-
ton at Buffalo. He presided at the But
falo Convention and prepared the plat
form.
At the meeting Of the Legislature of
Ohio, in January, 1S49, he was elected
Senator of the United States by the COM
members He begun his service in the
Senate on the 4th of March following. He
participated in the Liberty Convention held
in Pittsburgh in 1852, and supported the
nominees of that Convention. In the Sen
ate, in 1850, he strongly opposed the COM
promise measures of that year proposed
by Mr. Clay, and, by way of amendments,
sought to exclude slavery from the Terri
tories In 1854, he strenuously opposed
the Kansas n ebraska act; prepared an adj
dress to the people demonstrating against
it, and he continued his opposition to it
down to the hour of its passage. He was
an able and industrious Senator, support
ing by his votes and speeches the general
policy of the Democratic party, except on
the question of slavery.
In 1866, he retired from the Senate, and
that same year was elected Governor of
Ohio In 1857, he was again elected and
closed his second term in January, 1860.
On the 4th of March, 1861, he entered Mr.
Lincolns Cabinet as Secretary Ct the
Treasury. This latter Office he resigned
on the Sd of June, 1864 and on the 9Th of
December, in the same year, he was ap-
pointed by Mr.. Lincoln ChiefJustice Of
the United States, to succeed Judge fancy.
His services as Secretary of the Treasury
during the war were of value to the coun-
try. The national credit was lost, and the
national existence was imperiled, AS
Chief-Justice he presided, in 1868, in the
Senate, during the trial of the impeach-
ment of Andrew Johnson.
In 1860, Mr.. Chase was a candidate be-
fore the Republican Convention for the
nomination of President. He received
the third highest number Of votes on the
first and second ballots, and on the last
ballot, when Mr.. Lincoln needed but a
few votes to be nominated, some of Mr..
Chase's friends changed their votes, and
The country has had few purer or ADLER
statesmen in modern times than Salmon
p Chase-Cb5cag0 Tribune.