Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-03-19
Death or Willard Fillmore.


aoi he bOurlsnmanL Is palatADle.
These are said TO be his last words.
Ills death was without pain, bis
spirit passing quietly from time to
eternity.
Mr. Fillmore was born at Summer
II ! Cayuga county, n. Y. ia. Z,
1900. HI- father, Ma bani.l + ! more,
OF English descent. followed the oc
cupation of d farmer, aud in 1919 r, j..
moved to Erie county. where he Gu :
uVated small farm. Al an early
age, the son was sent TO lexington
county to learn the clothler's trade
and was apprenticed to wool-card-
or in the town in which bis father
Lived. During the four ears that be
worked At hi- trade. he awaited him
self OF every opportunity OF supply
iog the defects OF bis early education.
In 1919 he made the acquaintance Of
Judge Wood, of Cayuga county, who,
preceIvlng that he had abilities
which would quality him for u bigi :
err station, offered to receive him into
bis Office and To defray bis expenses
during the progress of his studies.
This PROPOSE was accepted, but, MOI
to incur LOO rye debt to his hent-
factor, he devoted portion OF his
time 10 teaching school. In 1921
be removed TO Erie county, and con
tinued his legal studies in the city OF
Buffalo, n. Y; and, in 1929, be war
elected to tho State Assr bly, ~
representative of the county OF Erie.
Being q member of the Wing party
no was 1T that time in oppositIun,
and had little opportunity OF distin
gushing himself, though he aided the
movement to abolish imprisonment
for debt in the State. In 1882 he
was elected TO Congress, and at the
close of his term ut office, ia 1885 re-
sumed the practice Ct law, untii he
became u candidate fer Congress, anC
was reelected IN 1887 He was r..
elected 10 the TWO following Con
crosses, but at the close of tue fires
session of the Twenty venth Cos
xresS declined TO be u candidate for
.ction, returned 10 Buffalo, and
again devoted himself TO hIs profess
sion.
In the National Convention in Is.
Al. Mr. Fillmore was q prominen
candidate for Vice Presidcn /; but the
nomination was finally given to The :
dOre Frennghuysen OF New Je se)
a. that time, Mr. Fillmore was pops, .
l.r with his party in his native State
End was at once nominated ~ the
Wing candidate tor Governor. Uir
opponent was Slas Wright, who
was successful La 1847, Mr. Fill :
more was elected as comptroller OF
h. State, on the Wing ticket. H.
1913, be was placed on the ticket
with Zachary Fay Tor, as q candidate
Tor Vice Presic, m. The campaign
II Taylor and f more wi | bs loug
remem bercu. Ger. Taylor Was u
~lavehtlier and Mr. Fillmore was
ranked as an aLoIti3ni5t. He had
always been strongly ant -1laVery IL
MS sentiments, and was very sat STA, :
tory to that element in the nortb.
The Wing ticket was successful and
II is well remembered that the con
Duct IT Gen. Taylor of The affairs OF
the government, SO far as the slavery
question Was concerned, proved rea-
sonable satisfactory to the aht'-slave-
ry people OF the North. La 1850, III
the midst of excitement on the Quet-
ton, President Taylor died. and Mi :
are Fillmore became the head of this
great nation.
On assuming the Presidential chair,
contrary to he hopes and expect; :
IONS OF his CT lest aud truest friends,
Mr. Fillmore took sides with tnt
South IN great ter degree than had
his pred ce-sOr, who was himself
It was then that The
Wing party became permanently d.
vidrd into two wing. The one Wa
an the anti-+lavery wing, C l.
I'd Woody Heads" and The other th,
wing, IA the Silver
Gtays' M. Fillmore united hI~
fortunes with the IS lyer Grays.'
TIE immediate occasion tor this D.
vision was proposition TO admii
California as free State. At thai
time there Vas an equal nun ber OF free
and lave s ates The Soutbein Cor
gressmen threatened secession if tn.
qulibrum were destroyed in favor
OF freedom. President Taylor, A.
though Sou hern and IA stakeholder,
favored the admission OF California,
oL the ground OF sinp! iasuce to the
people of the Pa, fife coast.
The excitement that followed il
well remembered, resulting 10 the
al ption OF the compromise measures
Of 1850. advocated 10y Henry Clay
with immense power. The fugitive
slave at, vas part Of this crmpr"m-
IS". This ACT, probably the most dn-
graceful one that was we, placed ny
on our statutes, recei ed the sign.ture
81 Millrd Fillmore, aud proved tn
ieath OF he Wing party, and the p'-
hi. Il death OF the President wh,
signed il. IL 1852 tho Wing part,
uttered the campaign VI az and cril-
I'D, aud sustained a defeat frOE:
which it never rallied. Presiden
Fillmore sought u nomination, bu
vas defeated la 1856. BIO becam
be Americub, or Acknowledging"
candidate tor the presidency, but re-
eIvcd the ell ct9rai vote II but one
Stste-Maryland. Since that time,
Mr. FIJI more has lived IN quiet retir.-
neut al MS home Buffalo. Hls
-ympathies, politically, have beet
with the Democratic party. aud du
.ug the war ne took no active parI.
So quiet has he been for the pas
twenty years, that the country had
almost forg, ten that he lived. His
cabinet numbered among it's mem
oers Daniel Webster, Edward Eve
EFT, Thomas Corwin, John J. Crit
tenden, and n. K Hall, | Of whom
preceded him To the grave the la