Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-02-21

Rome, and is likely to arrive there
before any decision will be reached.
PECK AT lockwood.
His Talk With Its Owner and Occu-
pant.
From the Lacrosse Sun. (Demoeratic)
On Wednesday Of this week we met G. G.
Washburn on the streets of Madison, and he
renewed his invitation to US to 90 out to his
country home and get something to eat He
had often invited us home but our editorial
ana religious duties had prevented an accep-
lance. de said we never had been there ex
ceDt once, and then we came as thief in the
hiSht, 10 attend some sort of sociable, and
now ne wanted us to GO out aud fill up. The
consequence was that we went to "Edgewoodn
the residence that he has offered to the State
as reformatory institution for unruly girls.
Seated by the side Of the ex-governor, behind
the old mare betsy Jane,n we rode by the
University, and the fair ground, and came 10
siSht OF Edgewood, beautiful large brick res
idence, ON high piece of ground beside
beautiful lake, surrounded by woods, most
excellent place for bad girls to wander around
IN the grubs, pick sheep-sorrel AMI reform
The Governor showed US into his business
Office, parlor on the first floor. where table
was strewn with papers and things pertaining
TO the owners immense business in Minnesota
and Wisconsin. A bright coal fire was burn
ing IN the CRATE, and pair of number sixteen
slippers reposed ON the hearth. Around the
room were book cases containing rare books,
and this is the place where Mr.. Washburn
comes every little while to get away from
business. He goes to Minneapolis where
he owns controlling interest in the water
power, where his Touring MILL the largest in
the world, IS located and where he has more
hundreds OF thousands of dollars invested than
many men have cents, and where his business
interests would be sufficient to break down
ordinary men in health, he stays there as long
as he feels like it, and when his head begins to
get Dizzy he comes to Edgewood, where it is
quiet and he gets rest
lie took rs over the house and showed us
all the rooms, beautifully furnished and showed
us how the State could care for hundred
girls there, without going to the expense Of a
dollar, and we felt that if we were the State
we would bite like bass at the offer, and set
the girls up IN business, and learn them to be
good.
After dinner, in which we did all the eating
and the Governor did all the heavy setting
around, with no appetite to speak on, we sat
down in his study and began to think over
how we could draw him out in conversation
about certain things, and not have him suspect
that he was being interviewed. We alluded
to his recent gift to the State OF his residence
ana SAID we hoped that did not simply that he
was going to leave Wisconsin. He did not
seem inclined to talk about it at first, and in
timated that it was nobody's particular blessed
business what ne was going to do. We told
hlm that he mus. excuse our impertinence but
when We attempted to find out ANYTHING we
did it, If we had to hire a mind reader to dig
1t out OF man. He said, finally, that it had
oeen well known to some of his intimate
friends that it was his intention to leave Wis
consln. That his large business interests else
where had become so burdensome, that it had
become an imperative necessity that he 20 to
his business, az his business could not come
to him. That he should leave with great re-
greet State in which he had lived for thirty
i've years, and from which he had received so
many marks of favor. 1t was no light matter
to leave such State, after so many years of
pleasant residence, but he had got to do it.
On our suggestion that it was generally be.
lieved that he would successfully contest with
Senator Howe, for the Senatorship next wins
ter, be pulled down his vest and said there
was not the slightest ground for such belief.
mat II he were going to remain in this State
there could be no inducen.ent held ont to him,
that woald induce him to eoer engage in contest
Tor any public position boeoer and certainly mt
for the Se'satorship.
we suggested that in our opinion this would
not be agreeable news to the masses of people
OF either political party, though it might be a
sweet morsel to many aspiring politicians, to
which the Governor responded that he could
w n bn mos &c Ia H.
would be sorry to leave Wisconsin thinking
that they thought ill of him Certainly he had
never been accused by their worst enemies
with ever having betrayed a trust reposed in
him by the people. cit is doubtless true, as
you suggest" said the Governor, with laugh,
"that there are some men in the State who
would be gratlfied to see me take my departure
as can hardly treat any gentleman in the
State with ordinary courtesy, without these
men thinking there is some deep laid scheme
or motive governing my actions, and if my
name happens to be mentioned it has the same
effect on these men that water would on a mad
dog, or red handkerchief waved in the face
of bull
On enquiring when he would give possession
OF Edgewood, if the State concluded to take
it, he said he should endeavor to accommodate
himself to the wishes of the Legislature He
lux uhuNAtahcH w tItcb all observatory Tor
the State University and the equatorial was
being made at Cambridge, Mass. He would
prefer to remain at Edgewood until he could
see the observatory completed, and the in
strument mounted which would he in few
months, at the longest.
We suggested that there were people suf-
fciently unchartable to think these gifts were
made with view to his own personal advance
ment, to which he replied that he had no doubt
OF 1t, as there were men in the world incapae
bile of believing that any action could not be
performed that was not inspired by some base
motive. lie said it was well known by the
President of the University that he had had in
contemplation the presentation of the observa
tory and residence to the State for long time,
but knowing the baseness Of some men, and
how certain it was that he would be misreprcs
sented, he decided not to take any action in
the matter until he was about to take his de
parture. Having lived so long in the State,
and having received so many marks Of public
favor, he felt unwilling to leave il without
leaving behind some evidence shat he was not
ungratetul for the many iavors received at the
hands OF as fine people as the world ever
knew. 1t required no further words to con
vince us that the Scnatorship was no longer
desirable to him, and that he could not take it
without great personal inconvenience and bus,
mess sacrifice, and that he could not be hired,
driven or induced to enter the contest for it
under any circumstances
!. On suggesting to the Governor that he had
no doubt been amused at the furore that had
been created over the appointment of Rusk
as Railroad Commissioner and that it was be-
lieved by many that Washburn had taken a
great interest in Rusk; he replied that the
only interest he had taken in the appointment
was that he desired to see good, honest, ca,
pable man have it. Whoever was appointed,
he knew well that the official could never be
of benefit to him in any way, political or other
wise, as he was out of the field as much as
though he lived in Japan. Regarding Geo. F.
Wheeler as an able, honest and thoroughly ca