The Portland daily press., 1879-05-19
David Davis.
How the Corpulent Member from nli-
nois Acquired Wealth-His Political
Past and Ambition.
philadelphia Press.1


Judge Davis, of Illinois, who has boxed the
compass and finally come out mild style of
Democrat, owes his prominence to two circum-
stances-the friendship of Abraham Lincoln
and his relationship to Henry Winter Davis
There is very little of the pathos and eloquence
of Lincoln about him, and none of the energy,
Indignation and fire of his cousin. Mr.. Lin
coin never forgot that he was a native Of
Kentucky, and had found his way into the
North from the Southern latitude. Being a
Wing, ingrained, he found Davis to share his
opinion. Lincoln lived at Springfield and
Davis at Bloomington, about seventy miles
northeast Mr.. Lincoln travelled all over the
State arguing cases before the courts, and fire.
quently met with Judge Davis. They formed
an intimacy which lasted to Mr.. Lincoln's
death, and Davis settled Lincoln's estate to
the satisfaction of his family.
Senator Davis had superior business ability
to Mr.. Lincoln, and set his heart more thor
oughly on becoming enriched. Born and
raised in Cecil county, Maryland, about fifty
miles south of Philadelphia, Davis father took
a vice of his brother, who was a minister
and college president, and sent his son to
Kenyon College, Ohio, which had been
founded by their mutual friend, Bishop Nc
Ilvaine. That Northern removal made Davis.
Judge Davis went from Kenyon to the law
school in Massachusetts,, and straightway re-
moved to the West his wife he met while at
thefaW school, and to her Yankee thrift and
business Spirit he ows much of the million Of
dollars he is said to be possessed.
He has made most of his money by taking
up property in and about the flourishing town
of Bloomington, seldom improving it, but
profting by his neighbors' improvements,
Bloomington, being on two Of the great high
roads of the State, has grown steadily as we'll
as rapidly, and Davis has had the benefit of
the changes. Three Judges were appointed
at the same time by Mr.. Lincoln, Miller,
Davis and Field, two of them have slidden
back into the place of their Democratic origin.
Davis father and uncle were bitter antagonists
OF the Democratic party, and his uncle was
turned out of the college at Annapolis by DEM
ocratic pro-slavery influences. After sitting
on the bench for period OF years, Judge
Davis was afflicted with a restless disposition
to arrive at something of Mr.. Lincoln's fame,
and it broke out when the Greeley Convention
of 1872 was contemplated.
That movement originally began in the per-
sonal interests of Judge Davis. In q recent
conversation with Hon. Archibald Bliss, NJ.
~. hOu DTOOklyu, l6 SuDStduIldleu SOnc par
ticulars had already heard, that both Reuben
Fenton and Horace Greeley were in favor of
David Davis originally as the nominee at Gin
cinnati. On this occasion Judge Davis under
toek to lead his own campaign. He received
visitors at the National Hotel, and advocated
his own interests with an anxiety almost ludi-
crous, considering his mighty size and wholly
judicial relation to affairs. Davis was defeated
by that other trimmer, Lyman Trumbul
who had identified himself with the Chicago
rih fhn FTfr1oc On fhn 9th
hand, championed Judge Davis The two
newspapers would not agree to the candidate
of each other and General Palmer also came
forward as the third candidate from Illinois.
When the Convention met, it was found that
a large Davis delegation was present, and the
story was started that Davis money had bought
the tickets which sent these men from various
parts of Illinois to Cincinnati, Amongst them
was Ward I'll. Lamon, who wrote the notorious
Life Of Lincoln, considering him as an illegiti-
mate son, or born out of wedlock, etc. The
liberal newspaper triumvirate, under the influ-
ence of Edward Atkinson and others, resolved
not to support Davis in any event, and threat
ened to charge him with irregular measures
and the use of money to secure his nomination.
Messrs. Bowles, Halstead and Schurz intimated
that in no event would they support Davis.
Horace White said he supposed he would sup
port Davis if nominated, but he did not want
to.
AT the start Davis had clearly the advantage;
the competing Illinois coterieS, however, made
so much noise and so many mutual attacks,
that Davis was regarded as beaten before
the Greeley intrigue broke out. Mr.. Gratz
Brown fully expected the support of the
Missouri delegation and to get the NOM
ination. He found, however, that Carl
Schurz had gone over to Sam Bowles, and was
silently working against him for Charles
Francis Adams. On this knowledge, the two
Blairs and their friends got together and set up
a programme to rush Horace Greeley
through by acclamation. This, of course
divorced Fenton from Judge Davis's
interests, as he was under strong obligations to
Greeley. Gratz Brown took the platform,
gave the Convention away to Greeley, and the
latters nomination followed as matter Of
course.
From that time forward Judge Davis lost his
interest in his judicial duties. He did not see
clearly how he could become President, but
had an idea that, if he could reach some more
individual place then the bench he could walk
off some off of his flesh, attend more to his ma
terial affairs, and might make character Of
himself. When the Supreme Court was called
in to determine the electoral question he re-
fused to act after the bill was passed, whereby
the Democrats lost a possible advantage,
though there is no telling how DAVIS would
have voted. That he would nave voted Ior
Davis in any event there Is no question. he
was elected 10 the Senate by a fusion of DEM
oerats and dscontented people, having previ-
ouslv looked fondly toward the Grangers, as
did Washburne. Having reached the Senate,
Davis undertook 10 engage at once IN ueDate,
when he was put at the point of ridicule by
Mr. Edmunds, and not having counted on ridi-
cule as becoming an ex-Justice OF the Supreme
Court he subsidized until week ago he brought
forward the name of Lincoln to sustain him in
his trimming political position.
1t does not follow that because man can
count the coppers, nickels and protested notes
of great but poor and generous friend after
death, he therefore knows Just what Mr.. Lin
coin would have done in present emergency.
1t is clear, however, that Davis never had any
nnsitive malities eycent in the ,uau Of trade