Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-12

gress while the bill was pending and
pcred over them. She read all the cor
tributions upon the subject from railroad
men to the newspapers. Sne went
through the volumes Of testimony taken
by the Cullom committee. and so Il hsp-
pened that Colonel Morrison, who had
hardly done more fhsn read the law once
or twice, and had never studied the mat
ter enough to venture 8 speech upon it
when the bill wac before the House,
stepped out Of Congress snd into
the commission qualified to do his
part in mskiDg the very creditsble
record achieved in the first year OF regu-
lating Interstate commerce. All sorts of
dire forebodjngs were uttered when the
law went into effect. They have not
bsen realized. And nobody, except Col
onel Morrison, knows how much Is due
for this happy Inauguration Of doubt
full experiment to the sixth and silent
member Of the commission.
On the day that the olOod-ot-the' mar
tyre telegram wss sent from Waterloo
Colonel Morrison WAS asked about his
plans. II was suggested that the admin.
istrstion would probably find some hon.
orsble position to s1it him, possibly q
foreign mission.
"No," he hastily replied. az don't
want TO go anywhere. 1 expect TO come
back here to Waterloo and live as soon IS
nv congressional term Is out. l shall
get along very comfortably among my
old neighbors. The administration hasn't
anything to tempt me "
And that was undoubtedly his intention
at The time. The Interstate commerce
law had not been enacted, and even when
it WAS Colonel Morrison discouraged
the idea Of becoming member CT the
C mmission. 1t is said that the first
time the matter was broiched to him
he frankly replied that he didn't believe
rs WAS the right kind OF man for the
gyerk, and admitted that while the bill
vas pending ne had never been aole to
quite make up his mind whether it was .
q cd thing or not "But," he added,
"there is Judge Cooley, of Michigan. He
has investigated these questions. II the
President Wsats q thoroughly capable
commission I should think he would
take such 8 msn" That was the first
suggestion Of Judge COoley's name.
Afterwsrd Colonel Morrison came to
Loo with more favor on the proposition
that his name should be considered, but
ne never mentioned the matter to thu
President. When he was informed that
he list had been made up and he wss 10
be- one of the FIVE, he, for the first time,
had something TO ssy ard it was to urge
that Judge Cooley should hsye the lfng
term and be made the chairman Of ire
commission.
THR WASHINGTON HOME.
The trait which has kept Gel. Nor
rison's nome in one locality for x'yHtWo
years and ak months crops out in Wash
iagton. He lives in the hotel where he
took lodgings for the session years ago,
During long period he had, winter sf-
ter winter, the same suite Of rooms on
the T street front oi'the willard.
In one OF Col mel Morrison's later cans
vsssses his antagonist s3id to the
voters of the Eighteenth district
Here is Il man who has drawn
over $50 COO from the United
States Treasury. Isn't it time that he
should stOp?" This WAS view Of his
public career that the Colonel had never
before taken. II overwhelmed him for s
few moments. "SIxty thousand dollars /"
very simple problem in arithmetic
shoWed him that the figures couldn't be
dlspu ed. The sum IS large one estimated
lly the Monroe county stsudArd.
G, lionel Morrison thought Of the modest
cottsaC in Waterloo aud mentally inver-
toried mis- other possessions. He was
puzzled. He went to Mrs. Morrison, as
he usually does when he learrs something
that astonishes him. She said the hgures
were all right
"But what has become of the $780,
o00?" argued the Congressman. "Where
has I'll TINT money gone. That is what l
csn't understand"
Mrs. Morrison took p per and percil
ard by very brief calculation showed
the Colonel that he had paid out for hotel
bills alone In Washington during the time
Of his congressional service owl $25, 900
"Thapu do" he said. "IIWouldn't
have believed it,"
Mrs Morrison might have gore little
further and shown Whist steadfsst refusal
of railroad passes during his Congress-
iolsl career cost him. This is somethip g
that the Colonel never talks about. Few
Of his nest intimate friends know Of the
isct that while in Congress Morrison 81,
ways paid his way. He would accept nc
gift Of transportation for himself or fcI
any one connected with him.
Morrison went through the Mexican
war as private IN Colonel Bissell's regi.
:, |
twenty when he enlisted. He and Sene-
tor Colum and General Logan were In
the Illinois Legislature together, and
Morrison WAS Speaker of the House a.
the time Stephen A. Douglas wss chosen
Senator. Morrison was In the Legisla
rure from '5i to go Cullom was the
next Soesker Of the Illinois House. L0
gan and Morrison went into the war il
'6l simultaneously, each at the hasd of {
Southern Illinois regiment. Morrison'I
was the Forty-Dinth. He fell in leading {
charge at Fort Donelsop, Of which Gen
eral Grant said;
There was no actual fighting during
> this time except once, on the 18th, il
front of McCIernand's command. Tha
General had undertaken to capture bat
terry OF the enemy which Was annoying hi
= men. Without orders or authority hi
sent three regiments to make the assault
, The battery was the main line of the enc
, my, which was defended By his whole
: army present. OF course the assault wss
failure, and of course the loss on oul
side was great for the number of men en-
gagged. In this assault Colonel William
R. Morrison fell, badly wounded.
"RBBEL LEAD" IN POLITICS.
} The wounded at Donelson overtaskeC