The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-03-09
"BILL KING"

Leartes thus describes bill King"
the great Pacific Mail lobbyist and bribe
taker.
Bill King affirm, without fear of
contradiction has made more money than
any go.between in Washington He has
made very nearly one million of dollars.
A keen, comprehensive business man in.
ured to fatigue, tired TO necessity, taking
chances with diminishing nerve-for the
lobby is the hall of conscience, where all
who walk so boldly are only Disgusting
cowardce-Bill King moved on the up.
per level of public life. He threw him
self and his money to elect other men,
and, ii he had nothing. would borrow for
a candidate rather than not create an OBJ.
legation in his breast. Equally formid.
able and perscvering as an enemy, he
stamped out lgnatius Donnely to raise
up Billy Window and in the Fort Smell.
ling steal, the Northern Pacific Credit
Mobllier, the Sioux massacre claim, the
St. Anthony improvement, and the Pacific
Mail, he was wholesale merchant driv.
ing on the box.
"lou can't put down King" said the
Commissioner of Pensions to me month
ago. "Up in our State he is recognized
as a tireless business man. ready with his
money, going t strong He puts up
more money in politics than any
ten men in the State, He always has
the support Of our whole delegation"
70 look at Bill King he is fattish,
soft, ill-favored man, with cast in his
blush gray eyes, nervous look of alert.
ness, and rather sensual, indulgent,
coarse type OF features He is, say, for.
ty>eight to ffty.two years old, and raised
in the interior of New York, where he
was bankrupt sixteen years ago. Striv.
ing to be rcsuscitated as an insuran, 20 az.
ent, his cheek was hardened, his plausi-
bilitY kept in practice and he learned
hard lessons oil life and riches. Finally
he removed to Minneapolis, young city
at the falls Of the Mississippi, and start
ed a newspaper. His wife boarded the
compositors and willingly slaved for him.
The newspaper in course Of time, made
him Postmaster Of the House of Repre-.
sentatives-an humble office, but in the
minds of men Supremely great, the post
Office is mightier than the Senate. For
years | looked at Bill King as mere
political menal on $1,000 a year.
In 1869 he came to my house on Cap
itol Hill, and asked me if meant to op.
pose his election. He said he had so un-
derstood. told him did not even
know what state be represented, and if
he had been a bad egg | should not have
said so after the pains he had taken. 1t
always occurred to me that he was poor
semi-deserving person until l visited St.
Paul in 1872 Then found letter an.
ticipating my arrival asking me to drive
over TO Minneapolis, six miles, and be
his guest at the Ncollet House. In due
time | found Bill King a more widely
known person than either Of the Minneso.
ia senator's Governor Ramsey drove me
over the prarics, to his city. There his
little newspaper had become large dai.
ly, edited by young being named Crow
Foot, whose indiscretion was the bane of
Bill Kings existence. lie always put
his crow.toot into it whenever he opened
his mouth
That fellow" says Bill, "is an heredi-
tary nincompoop. He's antagonizng
mankind on me, and you know my expos
cd frontier, Laertes -
.url.. =, D:ll
Why" said he, "l'm developing the
West-at its own expense. I'm negoti.
ating great enterprizes-for a considera.
;ion. It's my interest not to offend, ex.
cept in the way of desperation. That
fellow thinks he's poet, and a thinker,
and he'll bring my bald hairs with sor.
row to the grave. But come, | want to
show you my stock"
From the suburbs of Minneapolis far
into the country, the land ranging in val.
ue from $500 to $1,000 per acre, there
was property OF Bill Kings always in
sight. lie owned bluffs and hollows,
prairies, and lakes, building lots. race
course stone-quarries, and cataracts. His
stock.farm would make Belmont or a
Sanford praise with envy, Bulls worth
$50, ,O00-eyery calf from those royal Ii.
ons was worth hundred-bent down
their wrinkled heads, the furrows show
ing the exasperatiCn Of such provocative
vitality upon an Eremitc philosophy.
They lowed for Bill King. Rams of a
thousand mutton power baa>ed for Bill
King. Great stations dashed their heels
in the air for joy, and neighed for Bill
King. Cows, whose daily filled cisterns,
flowing down the channels of unbroken
pedigree from reservoirs upon the thous.
and Canaanito hills, where their mothers
had grazed, chewed the cud less abstrac-
tedly at the coming of Bill King. A
great barn-like Solomon's temple presid'
ed over the herds and sheltered the liv
ing treasures in the luxurious stalls.
Bill" said ], tell me. are you Jacot
| or Lahan ~