Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1875-12-23
MATHEW LYON.
BY JAMES PARTON.

ter among the ''aristocrats," as they were
called, of Philadelphia in the spring of
1897, when the news arrived that Mathew
Lyon, wild Irisbman of Vermont, had
been elected a member of the House of
Representatives, and vas coming in June
to take his scat at the extra session OF Con-
gress. Nothing was alleged against the
new member except that he had made his
way from poor emigrant.boy to wealth
and influence in his adopted country. He
was announced in one Of the Federalists'
papers of Philadelphia in the manner fol-
lowing:
"To-morrow morning, at eleven O'Clock
will be exposed to view the Lion of Ver-
mont. This singular animal is said to
have been caught in the bogs of Hibernia,
and when a whelp transported to Ameri-
ca. He differs considerably from the AT.
rican Lion he is more clamorous and less
magnanimous. His pelt resembles more
the wolf or tiger, and his gestures bear a
remarkable affinity to the bear. He was
brought to the city in wagon. Many
gentlemen who have seen him do not hest
tate to declare they think him most cx-
traordinarY beast"
A welcome like that was not likely to
molify the irrascible Irish blood that ran
in the veins of this Vermont republican.
1t was true that Mathew Lyon had come
from Ireland, child nine years of age,
without a penny and without a friend, and
that lis time until he should be Of age
was sold to pay his passage, according to
the custom of the early day. The price
paid for him was said to be "a pair of
three-year old bull stags." His master
took him to Vermont, where he served out
his time faithfully, and by attending the
winter schools obtained tolerable educa.
ton.
When the war Of the revolution began
he joined the army as private, and was
promoted to the rank of corporal almost
Immediately. But while he was on post
in northern New York, under command
of General Gates, the men This company
tired of the idle life Of the winter camp,
and went home for a holiday. The off,
GERS followed them. After spending a
while at home most Of them returned to
their post; but nothing would content
General Gates short of cashiering the Off
GERS, our corporal among them. Lyon
not being a man to stay cashiered, he sta
ted the facts to General St. Clair, who re-
instated him, and he was appointed by
General Schuyler to a Tcgimcntal pay.
mastership.
The war over, he founded the village OF
Fairhaven, in Vermont, in which there
was an excellent water power, and where
he became business man Of the true pio
neer type. There was iron in the neigh.
borhood. He set men to digging it; he
established a smelling furnace: he cas-
hollow.ware: he made flat-irons, spiders
kettles, bake pans, pishes and g1iddles
He set up paper mill, and made types
lie established weekly paper, called by
himself 1.-THE Farmers Library" but quo
ted by his enemies as though he had NAM
ed it, "The Scourge Of Aristocracy and
Repository of Important Political Truth. u
He built saw.mill, the largest in the
State, and near by it he manufactured nails
Finding the material for his paper mill
hard to get, he invented process for
making paper out Of Eastwood bark. His
Iabors were so valuable to the community
that the legislature of Vermont gave him
authority to raise "six hundred bushels OF
wheat" by lottery, to enable him to en-
large his furnace and produce greater
variety of iron ware.
In short, he proved himself to be in that
northern wilderness, true leader ofmen.
He married the Governors daughter, and
was held in esteem and admiration by the
people among whom he lived, and whose
interests he promoted. He showed intel
ligence, too, of another kind. During the
controversy which then agitatcd the coun-
try between the Old and the New, between
those who wanted America to be q more
spacious England, and those who wished
America to be America, he embraced the
principles which posterity will probably
decide to have bccn the nearest right.
What more natural, what mora proper,
then that his reighbors who knew him,
and had been served by him, should elect
him to represent them in Congress? They
did so, and he took his seat. He was then
fifty-two years of age, we'll enough looking
Of decorous department, and competent
to take his share in rational legislation
Then he was most warmly attached te
democratic principles, and much embis'
tered against the "aristocrats," who dcri-
ded him for the very reasons that consti-
tutcd his special claim to respect, must
be conceded. If the whole truth could be
exhibited here, it would be seen that lie
had experienced good deal of treatment
similar to that indicated in the paragraph
quoted above.
In the course of his first regular session
he became suddenly the most notorious
person on the western continent. lie was
standing outside the bar of the house one
day, surrounded by members, when Rog-
er Gr;swold, a representative from Con.
necticut, almost young enough to be .Ly-
on's son, made an insulting allusion to the
cashiering by Gen. Gates, which he init
mated was for cowardice on the field.
Mathew Lyon unfortunately lost his self
control, and spat in Griswold's face. In
stantly all was uproar and confusion. 1t
was the first time that any breach of deco
rum had occurred in the Congress Of the
young nation, and every good citizen,
whether republican or lederalist, could not
but deplore the event. A motion to expel
the offending member was promptly in.
troduced. Lyon the same evening wrote
a letter to the Speaker, declaring that he
had meant no disrespect to the House,