The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-07-17
ELECTED TO CONGRESS.

In the year 1882 William Allen, the 6Oung law.
yer, who had come to Chilicothe ten years before
with his bundle on his back, was nominated for
Congress by the Democrats and elected over Gen.
eral Duncan Macarthur then Governor Of Ohio.
The district was Whig by 2 900 m, jority, and Nc
Arthur was undoubtedly the most popular man
that could have been chosen by the then domi.
nant party In II. The canvast was one such az
had never been heard Of before. The WhigS,
fearful Of Aliens great personal popularity with
the masses, had succeeded in getting q third can
dIdate In the A I'D, Democrat by the name OF
Gerard, on purpose to weaken his strength. The
campaign was carried OH from county to county
and meetings were held almost every day, many
Of them being lint discussions. Gerard was car.
ryiDg on his warfare principally In the river
counties, and during the time word was brought
to Allen, who was in the upper part Of his own
county. that he was to have a big demonstration
at Piketown the following day. Plketown was
fifty miles distant from where he was, and the
roads almost impassabie by reason OF the rains
which had fallen Still he determined to be
present at the meeting aud Eel out on his horse at
once to get there He travelled all day through
| the mud and mire and at night, when he reached
the banks Of the SciOto river, where he was to
| cross on ferTyboat-a huge Hat drawn back and
| forth by rope-ha found that the boat had been
l
| illustriOus prototype In the ballad of Lord Ul-
Inns Daughter" protested that II was madness to
attempt TO cross but his pr0testatiOns were OF no
q feet. Allen was relolved to 90, and while the
ancient Cnaran held lighted torch on the bank,
| he boldly dashed inlo the water with his horse
| and swan to the opposite shore. Next day when
| his opponents meeting war organized he was
there and took his seat quietly In the back of the
hHll, aud not until the prom ised speech was de.
| livered did he make bis presence known. Then
ne had mis- turn at rel ,i0der, and an tffectusl
| rej0 ndeI twas, too, as the sequel showed. Ger
| ard did not receive single vote In that voting
| precinct when election day came around. Allen
| was elected over Macarthur by majority OF one.
and took, his seat In Congress. In this cOnnec.
tion 1t may be well enough to correct pop
ular error In regard tn the relations Of Allen
| and Macarthur, The current story ia told that
Macarthur was 90 enraRed at his defeat that
| he denounced his OppOneit rOundly, and re-
| fused tospeak to him. This is not true. On the
other hand, he congratulated him on his victory,
| and when 1t was prOpOAed that be should contest
the election, he haty refused, saying that he was
fairly entitled TO the office, and should have Il for
| all he would do, Still there was a contest made
| or evidence taken rather for contest, but when
II came TO be presented in Congress II was thrown
| out Allen took his seat and held 1t on his
| majority o. one
His record in the House of Representatives was
an honorable one. Thomas Ewing and Thomas
Corwin were there from Ohio; Fernando Wood
and Silas Wright OF New York; John Quincy
Adams of Maksachusetts; and Polk Of Tennessee,
and score Of others whose names are written in
the history OF the country. Jackson was then
| President, and was 10 the midst OF hiy conflict
with the Money Power He had vetoed the bill
| to recharter the United States Bank and had re-
moved the deposits from the vaults. II was war
| Of the giants In the political arena. and beard
| less youth as they called him who represented
| the SciotO District was among the foremost In
the battle He took the side of Jackson on whose
knee he had sat eighteen years before and had
the satisfact on OF seeing and helping that man to
MI Nn0 NhnVN Nkn a.,F l.
against monopoly, OF the tax payers against the
tax eaters, and he was with the people and tri.
umphed. At the expiration Of his term he came
home and declined reelection.
| MKT SENATOR ALLEN.
In the winter of 1885, 2 he was elected to the
| Un ted States Senate as has already been stated
The Legislature was Democratic by one msj jlrity
go joint ballot, and this mBj j,rity Of one again
came to be his savior from defeat. When the
Legislature met In December he had not expect.
ed to be a candidate for Senatorial honOrs Sill
| he was in Columbus and invited TO the dinner
| which the Democratic members gave to the can
dttates, and upon their tnvitatiOn made sneech
| Governor Lucas and Judge Wood and Judge
| GOOdenough and Judge Tappan and ROherI Lytle
| were all afthe m candidates, and all made speech
| es, but when Allen had closed his, q member who
had been quietly listening at the ! BILE took him
1 by the hand and significantly said: You are IA
be the next Senator" Aud 80 unanimous was
| the verdict that thev postponed the election for
ak weeks tn enable him TO reach the age required
| by law for Senstor. He took his seat on the
4th Of March, 1887, the very day that Andrew
Jackson retired from his eight years term as
| President.
AN INNOVATION.
The next summer after taking his seat in the
Senate, Allen made an innovation on the estab
lished custom Of that dIgnfed body. The theory
then was that the Senators we're the reI resenta
tives Of the State Legislatures. Senator was
supposed TO be too dignlhed to appear before the
people and discuss the political questions that
agitate the country. Senator Allen, however.
didn't accept this teaching, and when be came
home he took the stump for the Democratic tick
et The year before, 1885, General, afterward
President, Harrison had been a candidate for
President and had carried Ohio bys mething like
SOOJ majority, though the State Legislature as we
have said, WAS Democratic Still 1t was charged
that the State was Whig and Allen was minor-
ity Senator, and this perhaps helped him to n AXE
| up his mind TO turn the political complexion If
possible, He SUI ceeded beyond his expectations,
ard had the satisfaction OF seeing the neyt Leg
islature Democratic, and of having Judge Ben
Tappan, who had been candidate when he was
chosen, elected TO the otter seat Of the III tied
States Senate After he had made the canvass of
the State, Allen was twitted by Henry Clay for so
OOlUR, uS(OltyJ athyliR bndLt Dis young ITleUO,
the Seq 4tor from Ohio was trying TO introduce
the Democratic element into the Senate" To
this he replied he didn't know place in the
whole realm OF G 'd's ioOtstoOl where Democracy
was more needed, and he was satisfied that he
was IN the right when his action called forhsrch
criticism" Aad his, satisfaction was doubtless
still greater year afterward when Mr.. Clay him.
self, after making most labOriOus personal cam
paign all through his own State, came over to
Ohio aud took the stump in opposition to the
young Senator from Ohio. II was fruitltss ef
tort on hi, part, though for the State went Demo-
cratic again by still larger majority! Since that
time II has been the rule for United States Ser a.
tors to enter actively into the campaign every
year, and helm TO carry on the work by all means
possible for their party
TEXAS AND FIFTY.FoUR FORTY.
The two measures which are most closely iden-
tilted with the Senatorial career OF William Allen
are the bills establishing the boundary line Of
0regon--kn as "hity -four forty or fight
and the Que for the admission OF Texas. In the
former Ty Ter with weakness that was, perhaps,
excusahle, because 1t was iuborn, hesitated aud
failed to make a firm demand on England for the
fulhllment OF the agreement in regard to our
northern boundary line The Senate demanded
I and he people demanded Il, but the President
hesilated, and finally a compromise was effected
Allen was for the bold course, and In arguing in
ls favor made one Of the greatest speeches Of his
life. ~ ,. ~ AE3
When the question OF the annexation OF Texas
was before tue Senate, he held the position of
Chairman OF the Committee Of Foreign Relations,
ana To him was accorded the closing argument In
favor OF the MEASURE. At that time several Dem
ocratic Senators opposed the annexation ON the
ground that 1t was adding 10 the area Of the slave
territory, but he took the stand on broad national
grounds that II WAS impOlitic to have small Jude.
pendent governments sprinRing uD around our
territory, and his arguments won the day. In the
10 election.
During the fourteen years Of his public life In
the Senate and House OF Representatives William
Allen refused 70 accept S6 900 OF mileage to which
he was entitled by the rules under which II was
paid but which he thought was not honestly his.
In all his trips from ChillicOthe 10 the National
Capital he charged mileage by the nearest rOnte,
And when Altar The nlnap nf hla hrsi ApnnInrlal