The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-03-22

ing that bitter struggle between the fac
tons were Invariably in favor of recon-
ciliation or compromise. In the hottest
part of the conflict he perceived the in
evitable result of the relations thus ere
ated, and predicted the political losses
and defeats which thereafter occurred.
While he is easy going in politics toward
matters of no significance, he has the
convictions of Lincoln and the courage
of Grant In regard to any question
which involves moral principle, no
matter how small
To Gen. Tracy is due the chief credit
for having created our present system of
internal revenue laws, a system which
collects q maximum return at a mini.
mum expense. In the early part of the
war these laws were based upon the
principles of criminal jurisprudence.
When q man was detected defrauding
the government he could not be punished
until jury had determined first that he
had committed the act charged, and
second that he had done so with intent
to defraud. The question of intent
offered large loop hole and was eagerly
seized and utilized by wrong doors and
sharp attorneys. Where there were
touching circumstances, such as the
prisoners sickness, poverty or domestic
distress, it was often difficult to obtain
justice. When the laws were to be re-
vised, Gen, Tracy was called in as lead
ing counsel. He cut the GOrdian knot
and established a new system of limiting
the duty of the court to determining
whether the prisoner committed the act
charged against him, and leaving all con-
siderations of clemency to the treasury
department. The moment the new sys-
tenn appeared it was pronounced uncon-
stitutional by eminent lawyers Never
validity and complimented Tracy's work
as a stroke of genius. The result of the
system was to greatly facilitate the col
lection of the internal revenue and to
compel wrong doors to more than pay the
expenses of their prosecution by the gov
eminent.
In spite of his busy life in law and
politics, Gen. Tracy has never outgrown
his love for the country and its special
features. Even when starting his pro-
fession and tempted to sell his farm, he
steadfastly refused, preferring to econo-
mize in the metropolis rather than cut
the tie which bound him to his birth
place. AS he prospered in his vocation,
he improved his home (Which was and
Is in Owego), and bought adjacent land.
Along with this he substituted the high
est bred stock for the common animals
of twenty-five years, and when the
movement took place which imported
the finest productions of the stock farms
of Europe to the United States, he was
one of the first to take part. He went
so far as to surprise his neighbors in
Tioga county, N. Y. His poultry yard
contained the best Plymouth rocks and |
leghorns; his pens were occupied by |
Yorkshire prize pigs or their descend |
ants; his stables were filled with Jerseys |
and Holsteins, and his fields were !
tramped upon by the finest breeds of |
trotting horses and farm horses extant. |
In this work he has taken medals and |
received honorable mentions numberless |
from state and county fairs In fact. SO
great is his fame in this regard in Owego
that it has obscured his renown as
lawyer, judge, soldier and politician.
On one occasion he drove down the main
Of that town. passing a
farmer and a gentleman from New
York. The latter, as the general bowed
to him, said to the farmer: There's one
Of our greatest men," eyes," answered
Tho lotto,. SGT -ool-,,, Tracv,o fba .r,.oot o.&
man for hogs there 10 In this countryi"