The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-02-04


come with his ak and clear the soil; / have
seen the farms improved and cities and villages
built up, and the varied methods of industry
brought forth until to-day, where then there
were one thousand men. there are twenty i've
thousand. or perhaps fifty thousand and say
to YOU, gentlemen. that up there is a valley, to
which, IN what has been already accomplished
and the probabilities which lie within its imme-
date future. there Is hardly a parallel in our
country. Strike at Waupun take the cities of
Waupun and Ripon, Berlin, Oshkosh, Neenah,
Appleton, Kaukauna, WrightstowD. Depere and
Green Bay, and where will you find valley
equal to that In what has been already gained
and in the possibilities which lie within the i'm
mediate future. Now, sir, mention these things
for two reasons In the first place. that part of
the State comes up here with solid front and
presents to you for favorable consideration as
the proper man TO send to the q. S. Senate, the
Hon. PhiletuS Sawyer.
In the next place, there is norman In the State
OF Wisconsin. and there is no man anywhere 10
be found, who has been so largely identified
with all the industries and all the varied enter
priseS which have brought forth this condition
OF things In that part Of the State as this same
man. and, therefore, second the nomination
made by my friend. Senator Kelly. / do it again
with a great deal of pleasure. for, as YOU an
know, represent the county of Fond du Lac
West OF the town where live, about Is miles
there Is modest farm mansion, ard an average
farm. On that farm, PhiletuS SAWYER began as
poor man, as farmer, taking up the land
from the government In Its natural condition
VI.
Ting down to be citizen OF Wisconsin, think
81 years ago. 1t Is true he did not stay there a
a great while. He graduated from that and
went to Oshkosh, where he became king-saw-
yer of Oshkosh; think he got the magnificent
sum OF go month as a hired man." While
there, Mr.. Sawyer made himself so useful to
his employers by his industry, by his integrity,
BY the business ability which he manifested
that ne became aneceSSlty to his employers and
they received him into the business.
mat Is the way that PhletuS Sawyer began
1t Is true that by his industry, and by his abli-
", ana Dy the energy which Is characteristic of
he done? While he has acquired $40 for him
self, he has enriched the State of Wisconsin 800
As was ably said the other night, man who
goes into pine forest and heWs down a tree
worth as it stands ST. carries it out. saws II. nuts
1t into the market, makes $40 out of the 81 and
that is What PhiletuS Sawyer has been doing all
MS life long; developing the industries Of Wis
cOnsin, adding to the wealth and population of
Wisconsin, largely identified with everything
In our State which tends to our ADVANTAGE and
promotion as State. OF course. Mr.. Presi-
dent, that sort Of talent, that sort of cool, COM
mon sense would meet with recognition,
The man who has graduated from the farm a
poor farmer, the labOring man who used to take
broken wheel or broken shaft upon his
shoulder and carry 1t two miles down to the
proper place to be repaired in Oshkosh. that
kind OF a man should be called up higher, and
he was, as already shown, called up higher, He
went to Congress and served ten years, and /
cnallenge any man to shOWme any serious mis-
take made by Philetus Sawyer in those ten
years Of service.
COnceding all that my friend, the learned
Senator has said about monopoles and about
Jay Gould men and all that sort of thing, II
there Is any man in the State of Wisconsin that
stands to-day divorced from nonopolies and Jay
GouldiSm, it Is Philetus Sawyer Railroads.
Why, gentlemen, If there is any man in the
State OF Wisconsin. that has ever inaugurated
any movement against railroads, 1t is Philetus
Sawyer. We have had two things in this State
working against railroads, if we may so call it
FIRST, the. Granger movement am not mucf
OF o. Granger, out stu was inclined to favor
believed it was right Second, we have JUS
adopted a competing thing, If you may call it
line competing with the railways, namely, the
Fox and wisconsin River Improvement, in theo
ry. If not In actual practice. In theory and IL
| the minds of its promoters, 1t was carried on
against the Interests OF railroads. More thar
any other thing, 1t was so planned and so car
ried out. 1t was planned and devised for com
peting line for the carrying of grain and othe
products through the State of Wisconsin, in Oh
position almost to two parallel lines of railroads
and yet do not need to tell you that PhiIetu
/ Sawyer was the father of that measure, that III
backed it all the way through, that he secured
l from the Congress Of the United States mag
nlhcent appropriation for it, He was the maj
| that stood at its back always and do you cal
hum railroad king? Look at the harbOrs alOn;
the lake. You gentlemen who represent thi
harbor district know that no man has eve
done so much for the development and improve
ment OF our harborS upon. our lake shores az
Phlletus Sawyer. Why, sir, there is no maj
who has realized for the State of Wisconsin s,
| much as PhiletuS Sawyer, when he said:
| pa harb0rs open, public ways extend;
| Bid temples Worthier of our God ascend
Bid the broad arch the dangerous food con
| tain,
The mole projecting break the roaring main ;
Back 10 her bounds the subject sea command
1 And roll obedient rivers through the land,
In the land where the rail splitter Abraham
Lincoln, and the canal boy, James A. Garfield
are called TO take the reinS of g0Vernment-th6
farmer and lumberman, Phletus Sawyer, NAV
| take high rank. Some OF you may not know the
gentleman as well as do.
| Pardon me, II l speak of few personal in.
stances that know. PhiletuS Sawyer has &C.
| cumulated wealth, but Philetus Sawyer has ir
| his lifetime foreclosed one mortgage, and one
| only. | speak whereof / know, because in my
professional capacity l was employed in the
case, for those who were made defendants in the
action, and l want to tell you what Philetus
Sawyer did for it is highly characteristic of the
| man.. A poor man up there became involved
and Mr., Sawyer loaned him money. Time went
on the interest was not paid. The man died,
leaving widow and several children. The farm
was mOrtgaged for almost all it was worth The
estate became involved Mr. Sawyer foreclosed
that mortgage, As | said, that is the only mort
gage ne ever TorecloSed in all his life. What did
he do? Pliac'pal and interest had accumulated
to between 50. 100 and $40. / was guardian of
Efhe chlldleA. Nj. Sawyer said to the widow
~ have g35 the title now perfect; you raise
$1,000 and tie pace is yours" She raised 81 900
and the place WAS hers, and that is the only
mortgage Phietus Sawyer ever foreclosed
PhlletuS Sawyer used to have a man working
for him, by the name of William A. johnson.
He worked for him ~ years, and at the end of
that time he was getting SO old that he could no
longer work. Did Philetus SAWYER then turn
him loose in the cold? Not much. He purchased
farm worth S5.t00 and gave it to the man, and
told him to stay there the balance of his DAYS. I
use these illustrations to show you that if there is
any man III the State of Wisconsin who is bone
OF the bone with the people, who has brains, a
cool, level head, and heart within him, 1t is
that same man-Philetus SAWYER
monopoliSt, not the friend OF the laboring
man, not the friend Of the poor man PhiletuS
Sawyer, have told you, began at the foot of the
pays out 100000 to laborng men PhiletuS
Sawyer pays $4,000 a year to the charities, to
the churches and the poor men, up north where
Philetus Sawyer Is not arailroad king; he is not
Jay Gould. Up to two years ago he never
owned dollar OF railroad stock, or dollar OF
srailroad bonds. At that time, 1t is true, he took
THE enterprise Of the Northern Wisconsin road
upon his shoulders that enterprise had been
projected by the late lamented Baldwin-but it
was too much for him; it broke him down A.
nanciallY he became so embarrassed financially
and broken mentally that he took his own life
The Northern people wanted to see the project
carried out. They sought somebody with capital
and brains to carry 1t out; they found man
whose credit on Wall street was good, and they
got him to associate with them--and that man.
Philetus Sawyer, took this enterprise and car
RED 1t through he has made some money out
OF 1t, Il Is true, but not one quarter what he is
represented to have made out of it, and has
done that for which, as understaasd, Northern
Wisconsin Is ready to get down onsts knees and
thank him devoutly, viz, developed portion
of the State which needed development.
So. Mr.. President, you may concede all that
the gentleman has said to be correct about the
Jay Gould men and the monop0liStS and all that
sort of thing, but we present to you a man
nopolist, a man of the people, man who has
shown himself when placed in offices of public
trust, as true as steel. And we who live up there
know, furthermore, that if there is any man on
this green earth that stands right straight close
by his friends forever, it is Philetus SAWYER.
Those who know him best respect him highest
and they know he is a true man, and that he has
the ability and integrity to faithfully and hon
eStly represent the State of Wisconsin in the
United States. And am confident of this, that
Ii that honorable body meeting at Milwaukee
and passed resolutions about the Reagan bill
knew the man of whom am speaking. they
would have endorsed him as heartily as / do
here tonight. OF course, long before Mr, Saw
yer or whOeveriS elected shall take his seat the
Reagan bill will be decided in Congress- either
for or against, so that whatever duty he NAV
have, he certainly cannot be expected to plant
himself upon any platform with reference to
that bill, | don't know anything about the bill
whether 1t Is poor or bad. but do know that
the man whom we elect and send to the Senate
Will not get there until that bill has long been
out Of the way.