The Portland daily press., 1883-04-07
THE NEW POSTMASTER-GEN
ERAL.
How He Reduced Kerr's Majority In 1896
His Wound and Its Result.

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His Wound and It5 Result.
WASHINGTON, April 5.-The first prominent
appearance In politics of Postmaster General
Gresham was as the opponent of Mr.. Kerr, Of
the Third Indiana District, In the race for
Congress In 1866. IL was when the memories
OF the war were very warm on both banks OF
the ONO river, and Gen. Gresham was put
forward by the Republicans because he was a
man of nerve and good speaker. The de-
bates were spread all over the district and
one night II was Uticas turn to have the up-
roar that goes with joint debate In western
state The Democrats were conscious of
herrs superiority as speaker, and had ar
ranged with the school trustee for the key OF
the little schnolhouse In which the debate was
10 be held. From Jeffersonville there went a
crowd OF the Democratic "howlers," and
they filed the schoolhouse. Presently Gen.
Gresham drove up in haste from New Albany
and hobbled in. He was then quite lame
from hrs wound. Not friend of his had been
able to get into the house, but they hung
around the outside and looked In at the win
dows Gen. Gresham led off, not knowing
that the house was packed with Kerr's
friends: lie lashed his opponent with all the
force Of rhetoric and all the warmth OF Indi-
ana politics. but got no applause except what
came in through the windows. Then Mr..
Kerr made his speech, which was appauded
TO the echo. Gen. Gresham saw how 1t was,
and replied with the most effective speech
ever made in that region. He said he was
glad the other side had, in its meanness, made
IL possible for him to face room full OF south
ern Indiana Democrats. He bad been facing
their atiies across the river for four years, and
no wanted TO talk TO those In his district. He
did talk to them, and he took twc-thirds off
the Democia attic majority in that district.
Il see that Judge Gresham is being dis
cussed very generally in the newspapers as a
one-legged soldier said an army comrade OF
the new Postmaster General YESTERDAY. stHe
Ia a pQ-ta0oad ali 3
probably have been better for him II he had
let his leg be amputated He was wounded in
the left leg, three or four inches below the
knee, by minie-ball, which fractured the
Lbia, and has given to the leg decided curve.
He walks with cane TO this day, and al
though sprightly on his feet, he frequently suf-
fers intensely from the old fracture. For sew
eral years after the war he was lobliged TO use
q crutch. / was with him when he was shot,
July 20. 1864. Blair's Corps, the Seventeenth,
was feeling It's way around Atlanta TO invest
the city, fighting the enemy every inch of the
way. Gen. Gresham was IN command Of the
Fourth Brigade, and was marching on foot
with his regiment, the Fifty-Third Indiana,
through the woods when rebel bullet struck
him in the leg. There was no regular engage
ment IN progress at the time, but our forces
were driving the enemy. 1t didn't seem to US
like pitched battle, but the list Of the killed
and wounded ran into the thousands"
Some growlers have been saying that Indi-
ana gets more lDan Hef snare OF the good
things, now that Gen. Gresham has been Sc
lected as Postmaster General. The places
really worth having, beginning with this Cabi-
net place, may be summed up, as far Indi-
ana is concerned, by mentioning John g.
New, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury;
John w. Foster, Minister 10 Spain; Lew
Wallace, Minister 70 Turkey; William Will
liams, Charge d Affaires in Uruguay and Par
aguay; w. w. Dudley, Commissioner OF Pen
sions; ID. s Alexander, Fifth Auditor of the
Treasury; w. w. Curry, at the head Of di-
vision in the Pension Office; Judge Walker,
Deputy Commissioner OF Pensions Jerome
Burnett, Chief OF the National Bank Diyie-
ion, aud Charles II. Dayidge, Caief of the
Redemption Division. These are all good
men, and the list does not include the smaller
places, like the consulship to Gale, Switzer-
laEd, held by Mr.. Beauchamp of Terre Haute,
who wrote the hole hart" letter EThe tables
are turned from Ohio to Indiana.