The daily gazette., 1880-01-13
From a Page to a U. s. Senator.

A STORY FOR AMERICAN BoYs-How !
MESSENGER BOY IN THE sENArl
| CHAMBER AT WASHINGTON, ID. C, ,BR
CANE A SENATOR.
BALTIMORE, Jan. 9.-Hon. Arthur p
| German was nominated by the Demo
cratic legislative caucus at Annapolis tC
succeed Hon. William Pinkney Whyt,
land. In going TO the United State!
Senate, the Hon. Arthur P.Gorham will
have the triumph Of returning to tina
august body as a member which he once
served as page or messenger boy, Z
thing which never occurred before in the
history of the Senate. He was born iu
Howard county-which he now repre-
sents in the State Senate-March IL,
| 1880. He does not belong to any one OF
the old Maryland families, for 1t was not
till the year 1900 that his grandfather,
John German, came from ireland to
America, settling first In Pennsylvania,
near Harrisburg, but afterwards remov-
| ing to Baltimore. On his mothers side
he was descended from the family oi
Samuel Brown, of English blood, who
settled in this country before the
revolution, and took part in that war.
Mr.. Gorman's father, Peter German,
Esq, was q farmer and q large contrac-
tor on the Baltimore d Ohio railroad
when II was building, was, moreover, an
active politician, and had q large ac-
quaintance with public men. The Sen
ator-elect, when Toy only enjoyed such
educational advantages as the public
anhnAla x.f I'd nj fxy .lxY.
and at the early age of thirteen he was
appointed page in the Senate, through
the influence of Judge Edward Ham,
mond, then a member of the House of
Representatives. The youth was bright,
active and obliging, and attracted the no.
tice of Stephen A. Douglass, Of Illinois,
who eventually made him his Secretary
and confidential friend.
Young German lived In the great sena-
tors house, and accompanied him on all
his electioneering tours, including the
famous stumplng tour against Lincoln
when they were contestiDg the Illinois
senatorship. Mr.. German was familiar
with all the political intrigues of that
day his remi niscences Of the secret hiss
tory of the split between Douglass aud
Breckenridge would make an Interest," ng
contrib button to the history of national
rolitics. AT the outbreak OF the war Mr..
German wavered little, and it is stated
that he once went to Jefferson Davis and
asked him his opinion of what he ought
TO do. "Follow your state" said the
secessionist leader; and so he did. When
the firing on fort Sumter tOoA place he,
like Douglass followers generally, sup
ported the forci BILE suppression of the re-
Oelion. He remained in the service of
the senate, adv aneing from one post to
another, until he held the position Of
postmaster. When president johnson
broke with the republican party he fol-
lowed his lead, and made himself so ac-
rive in opposing the impeachment THAT
the majority of the senate dismissed him
from his office. Reverdy johnson, Thos.
A. Hendricks and other democratic
members of the senate, together with
Montgomery Blair, procured from presi-
dent johnson Germans appointment a.
collector of internal revenue ofthe Fifth
district, which comprised So uthern Mary
land.
1t was a very difficult collection dis
trict, but Mr.. German addressed himself
TO Its duties with such energy and ability
that he cleared away its arrearages, and
IN less than six months after he left the
office his accounts were closed up, " hich
was the first time such thing bad been
done in the history of that collection dis
trict. He held the Office until April. 1869
when he resigned IL TO his successor, ap
pointed by general Grant, and returned
10 his farm in Howard comfy. He had
previously been active in the politics of
his section, and in the fall of 1863 he was
elected TO the house of delegates. He
was just thirty at that time, and belong
d to the Hamilton wing of the party,
which had been defeated by Bowie In
the struggle over the governorship two
years before. When the legislature met
In 1870, general Lotrobe, our prese mt
mayor, was elected speaker, and German
found himself sbelved when the commit
tee on appropriations was made. Al
though Indifferent 10 display, And never
lndulglng in rhetorical effects, he made
himself reputation as a quick witted
parllamentarian and a shrewd and 9ner-
getlc worker. He was active in the
party contests of 1874, when Mr.. Why.e
was candidate for the guberpatoria al
noml nation, supported by Mr.. Hamilton
who was then in the U. s. Senate. Mr..
Gorman participated in the canvass as a
lieutenant of Hamllton's, and his ability
as political tactician was strikingly dis
played. He was elected speaker OF the
house of delegates in 1879 and made the
reputation of being the best parliamen.
tartan who has occupied that chair with
In modern memory. During the session
he made himself prominent in advoca.
cy of a liberal appropriation for colored
schools leaving the chair to take the
moor in support of an appropriation.
When Whyte took his seat as governor
he appointed Mr.. German president of
the Chesapeake aud Ohio canal. James
=. Clark, who was president under
Bowle's administration, had received
$4,000 per annum, but Mr.. German ac-
cepted $4,000. The change was the sub
Ject OF great deal of adverse Comment.
as Mr.. Clark's reputation for executive
ability was very high, and Mr.. German
was looked upon merely as politician.
Mr.. German had preyiouslv sarved 90 q