Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-01-08
An EX.NIEsIBEU
Writes an Interesting Letter TO the Mem.
bers of the Reunion.

South BEND, INDIANA, Dec. IS. 1885
To the President and Members of the Leqts-
iat,re and Erecuhrc Reunion OF the Cor
eminent Of Maine, to assemble at augusta
on the Fifth day of January Pror:
Gentlemen Il deeply regret that advanced
years, dmness of sight, distance, the incem-
ency of the season. and common prudence all
combine to deny me the great pleasure it
would afford me to be with yon once more at
the Capital of our beloved Old Pine Tree
State.
To-day memory carries me back now
almost fifty years ago, when had the honor
to take seat in the Senate of Maine. In
memory | see the stately form of John G.
Talbot; the watchful care of Timothy Bou-
| telle; the clean cut and incsive Luther Sew
erance; the ever vieilant Samuel Medium ;
the blunt and inf1xible Stephen Woodman ;
and the critically learned Roscoe G Greene
OF the executives of the State with whom
l came in contact during the short period of
my public life in Maine, 1 see the dgnified
and accomplished Robert p. Dunlap: the de-
cided and uncompromising Edward Kent the
sincere and kindly disposed John Fairfield.
These and many others of like character
have gone, all gone, to their reward, but they
have left the impress of the purity of their
situations and habits of the citizens of the
State.
On an analysis of SONS of the leading char
scteristcs of the citizens of Maine, we find
that almost all of her inhabitants are engaged
in some honest, industrial pursuit; they are
taught judicious economy, self reliance and
self respect These with other important
traits of character, are taught in the nursery,
in the common school, in the seminary in
the college, and in the legislative halls These
and MANY olher very important traits of char
acter make the men that make States. | am
proud to say that Maine has given many of
her sons to the great West She has given a
Chamberlain and McCulloch to Indiana; a
Drummond and Fuller to Illinois; a Felch
to Michigan; a Howe to Wisconsin: a Pills
bury to Minnesota; a John Hodgdon, a Mer-
rll and Deering to Iowa; and a tribe of
Washburnes to give caste TO manv of the
Western States. These and MANY others
have left the imprint of their character and
craftsmanship deeply engraved on the in
situations of the West.
1t gives me great satisfaction to know that
with verp few exceptions the law makers of
iiaine, both State and national, have been
eminentlv conservative in their enactmants
They have proceeded on the principle that
everything old is not necessarily bad, and ev-
erything new is not necessarily good |,
gives me great pleasure to saw that at least
two of her sons have gained to themselves
and given to the State national reputation
refer to the Hon. VIM Pitt Fe.senden a.
u. S. Senator and secretary of the national
treasury, and TO the Hon. Nathan Clifford as
attorney general and justice of the Supreme
Court Of the United States.
Now, gentlemen, in bidding you bood-bye,
say from the innermost recesses of my
heart. God bless you each, God bless YOU ali,
God bless the good old State of Maine on
whose soil | was born.
Yours very truly.
LEVI J. HAM.