Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-11-23
PRINTERS IN CONGRESS.
Senator Preston 3, Plumb. of Kan
sas-FrOm the County Print
ing Office to the United
States Senate.
from the osborn Farmer.

Although the membership in the
Fiftieth Congress boasts the presence I
in both house and senate of an ex-
ceptiOnally large number Of public /
men who commenced life as printers,
probably none of them present in |
their careers more extended and /
thorough experience in the art and |
mystery of printing than Senator !
Preston B Plumb, Of Kansas.
Senator Plumb was born in Della ]
ware county, Ohio, October II, 1887,
and is therefore 81 years of age. His
parents were pioneers in the then
wilderness of Ohio, who emigrated
westward to seek a home, and young
Plumb was reared, in the American
fashion, on a farm, aiding in the per
Torrance Of all the labors and duties
incident to farm life IN the early days
Of our struggling western civilization,
which has since achieved the greatest
triumphs and marked the glorious
/ progress Of the Star Of Empire He
received the ordinary advantages of
rudimentary common school educa-
ton, such as was Obtainable in those
days the log school house of the set
/ Element, but anxious to aid his par
ents to the extent Of his ability, either
! by contributing his mite to household
expenses or relieving his parents Of
the burden of his own support, he
determined to branch out for himself.
This opportunity was presented in
/ the establishment Of a country print
/ ing office at the nearest town, equip
ped in the primitive fashion of the
day, and here the lad obtained en-
ployment as devil receiving for his
first wages what he could gather from
the proceeds of Office waste and
sweepings. He was sturdy little
fellow, strong in purpose and Of in
dustrious habit which never knew ne
Taxation. He did all the chores.
lighting fires, sweeping the Office,
stirring the composition for rollers as
it boiled in the pot, helped cast the
rollers, ''rolled" the job work and
edition, learned the boxes, distributed
the 'pi, - until he grew big enough to
stand at the case or ''pulI' the press,
as occasion demanded, passing
through all the gradations from the
''deviI' and apprentice until he reach
ed the sublime degree of Jour"
But through the avenues and chan
nels of information afforded by the
country newspaper and It's limited ex-
change list, young Plumb became in
terested in the exciting political issues
involved in the Kansas and Nebraska
question, then beng widely debated
in Congress and agitating the cOun-
try, and his surroundings thereafter
became lrkesome and oppressive, The
narrow field In which he then toiled
seemed to be too restricted, and he de-
termined to break away and seek
fame and fortune in the farther west.
Gathering up his little belongings,iand
few indeed they were, he babe adieu
to friends, kindred, and home, and
set ''out" upon a tramp"
/ He worked his way with tribula-
ton after the manner of the peripatetic
/ typo until he finally reached Kansas,
where he found employment as a
'jour," and by dint of application and
/ good habits actually attained the ele-
waited position of foreman and editor
of a country newspaper before he had
reached the age Of % OF course
Kansas presented wider opportuitie s
for the enterprising publisher
than the older settled communities
Young Plumb had managed, while
working at the case In Ohio, to Dor
row and read various legal text books
and was reasonably well up In Gle
mentary law He improved his op-
p0rtunities in this regard after his
location IN Kansas, and was elected
IN 1859 a member Of the Leavenword
constitutional Convention, a body
memorable in the history Of Bleed
ing Kansas
Meanwhile, however, he had APP
{ piled himself diligently to the furth
er study OF the law, and the reward O.
? burning the midnight oil resulted II
e his admission to the bar in 1861. H,
was elected a member OF the Kansas
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