The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-01-07

BY BEN: rERLEY pooRE.

Senator Fessenden, denying the inti-
nation OF the Senator from Maine that
he had selishly demanded that the
New Engiand trade of importing and
crashing linseed he utterly destroyed
for the benefit of the crushers of seed
and manufacturers of oil at the West.
After Mr.. Wade had raved and ranted
for half an hour on this theme, deny
ing in an angry tone that he was self
ish, he sat down. Mr.. Fessenden rose
and said, in his clear, cutting tones,
tat he had never made any such
charge, and he then went on to remark:
"My friend from Ohio is in the habit
of telling us that his motives are per-
fectly pure; that he always acts accord
ing to his views of right, and that he is
very certain that he is right on all occa-
sions; and / am perfectly willing TO
concede it to him. l concede now and
hereafter all that he claims for himself
of perfect purity and perfect knowl
edge of everything exactly as it should
be. He cannot claim it any broader or
give it to him."
eThe Presidential canvass of 1896 was
bitter one between the friends and
opponents Of Andrew Jackson. Judge
White, of Tennessee, was the Southern
candidate, but the Northern States re-
fused to give him their support, and he
received only the twenty-six electoral
votes of Georgia and of Tennessee.
Daniel Webster was formally nominal
ed in Faneuil Hall, and the nomination
was seconded at most respectable
meeting of New Workers, but he receiv-
ed only the fourteen electoral votes
which Massachusetts, then gave. Henry
Clay, the popular favorite, had not re-
covered from the effects of his alleged
bargain with John Quincy Adams,
which had made him Secretary of
State, and his friends joined in the
support of Gen. Harrison, who receiv-
ell seventy-three electoral votes, and
who swept the country four years later.
From 1886 until 1852 Mr.. Webster
had high hopes that the people of the
United States, recognizing his patriotic
services. would elevate him to what he
regarded as the highest and most hon
orable position in the world. He was
a great believer III printers ink" and
he first established what is now known
as the literary bureau" of an asprant
for the Presidential chair. In 1886
Colonel Samuel l.. Knapp wrote let
ters for several papers, in which the
popular incidents in Mr.. Webster's life
were given. A few years later Colonel
Knapp compiled pamphlet life of Mr..
Webster, who furnished him with the
facts, and another pamphlet was pub
lished in 1S41. In 1850 Charles w.
March published his delightful reminis-
cences of Mr.. Webster's Congressional
career, and there were at least two
pamphlet campaign lives published
soon afterward. Mr.. Webster used also
always to see that reports OF his
speeches, in and out OF Congress, had
proper circulation, and he furnished
many little incidents concerning him
self to the press for publication. No
public man at Washington during the
past fifty years unless it were Charles
Sumner) took such pains to have him.
self, his services, and his movements
advertised.
Mr.. Webster's great mistake in his
canvass for the Presidency was that in
his desire to obtain Southern votes he
estranged Northern friends. The
South petted him. used him and turned
their backs on him, although he did
everything within the power of his
great intellect to prove his allegiance
to them.
The official histories of some of the
veteran clerks in the departments at
Washington show long years of faith
full and scantily remunerated service.
When the seat of government was re-
moved there from Philadelphia in 1900,
number of clerks were with difficulty
persuaded to accompany in stages the
wagons in which the books and papers
were transported. One of these was
Mr.. Lamb, who had been appointed to
bis clerkship in 1894, and who re-
NAMED at his desk in the First Comp
troller's Office until removed by death,
in 1887, after forty-three years of con-
tinuous service.
His son, John Y. Lamb, who was
born at Washington in 1919, was APP
pointed to succeed his father in 1887,
and he remained at his desk until his
death in 1880. He was always at work
chose who knew him said) an hour be-
fore Office hours commenced. In gong
to the Office and in returning home he
invariably chose the same route, and
on Sundays he always went to the same
church and by the same way. His
home, his Office and his church were
the only places to which he ever went.
He often remarked that he had not
been to the Capitol for thirty years.
Mr.. Lamb had the entire charge of
what are known as appropriation
ledgers," in which are entered, under
their proper heads of appropriations,
all warrants paying money into and out
of the Treasury. He manifested the
greatest interest in this work, perform
ing it invariably in the same careful
and accurate manner While at the
Office he was very rarely absent from
his room, and he often declared that he
never was so happy as when sitting at
his desk, hard at work upon his books.
With him his work was an all-absorb-
ing passion. He loved his books al
most as much as if they were human
beings. He always covered them with
piece of oil-cloth after his days
work was done, and the tears would
spring to his eyes if by any accident
they fell to the floor and became rum
pied and soiled. During his last i'll
ness he constantly imagined that he