The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1890-10-16
OUR REPRESENTATIVES,
In Congress- 1858 to 1859 Eighth

for Conqressi but Judge li0stetter was the
RenatOr from Stark that session, ana he
opposed II violently, lie belonged 10 The
Jhoksonihn school, aud was uneomprpm'
iaing- saying Ia q speech, that IN must DO
| Wayne ana Stark, or STARK ana wayne
/ damned II no would over consent W vote
Il for anything elae,h ana 40 there was no
i yielding on his part, No II WAS made, The
| Inhabitants OF tho two counties are
| homogeneous people, mostly Pennhylyan'
/ ians ana their descendants, aud they
/ didn't like tho Idea of being associated
i with fanheedom,
/ George Bliss, who served the district
/ from 1909 10 1886, was born In Jericho,
/ Vermont, January /, 1873, lie came 70
| Ohio Ia 1899 and graduated from pennlhpn
| College, Granville, lie studied Law. with
d, K Cartier ia Akron, aud after being
Il admitted ~ the bar, Was taken by hlm
into partnership, As trm, they were
i quite sueoeRaful,
On tic election Of Judge Wade 10 the
United States Senate, Goy,Wood appoint
| ed liliHh hia successor, which position he
i held until change in the State oonAtltu'
| ton la 1862 vacated the oiilee, Ito made
i an able Judge, Soon after hlh retirement
/ from tho bench, lao removed 10 Wooster
| aud formed q partnership with John Me-
Sweeney. Ia 1869, lac received the nomln
alton for Congressman from thelblh dis
| tflet and was elected Ills opponent was
Darius Lyman, o member OF lhe lhifd
party, then known aa the Free Soil party,
| Ii Ia proper 10 state for the Information Of
those Ignorant OF the political movements
| OF that day, that 40 the Whlg party Loaf
support the Free Soil party gained The
| Free Soil party then held the same rela..
llOn 10 tile two great parties, WhiR hnd
Democrat, aa does the Prohibition party
Of today. The present Republican party
IN made up Of what was left OF the Whla
party, united with tho Free Soil party,
The apportlonment under the census OF
1850 Increased the ratio OF representa-.
tlon, and 40 Wayne and Stark alone had
not the numerical strength required, u
became necessary 70 make u now deal,
aud they became separated, much 70 their
dissatisfaction, Tho result was, Portage,
Stark and Summit became the 18th, and
Wayne was made part OF the 18th. Judge
llllna was elected u second term, and
served In the 8sth Congress, from Deoems
ber, 1868, 10 March .. 1865.
Judge Bliss was man OF ilno appear
nnoe, and Of acknowledged ability, lie
had q hpeoullarlty OF expreaalon, or rather
heataney In hls speech, oceaalonod by
twltoh Of the muscles OF one side OF the
face but II was never considered a dis
hla expression moro emphatic. He was
forclble npeake -arRumoniatlyo and In
lluontlal, whether before Jury, or prom.
laououa audience.
He married Miss Blah, Of Wllllamatown,
New York, who bore him i've children
one daughter and four aona. They, with
the mother now realde In Brooklyn, N. y.
Judge lllaa died In Wooater, October,
oath, 1893 from Pareain, commonly known
40 aoftoning OF tho brain,
nRNJAMIN y, LETTER
Was born IN Lolteraburg, Nd, October 10,
1873. His father was carpenter by trade
and OF limited means. His early educa.
ton was what the common school OF that
day afforded. Emphatlcally was ho q
golf-mado man, and whatever OF honor
and fame ho attained In aftor years was
through his own oxortlona and without
adyontltloua aid.
lie loft Ills parental homo whom about
twenty TO Walt his uncle, Jacob Myers,
owner OF the Myers Mills on East Mimi
ahlllen near Canton. Pleased with the
country, no concluded 10 remain, bis
uncle proiforing him employment at
whatever lhoro was 10 do about the mills
driving toam, attending In the mill or
keeping books. Bon, 90 ho was Familiarity
called, was stout and hearty, OF an accom-
modntlnR dlapoaition, willing 10 turn his
hand 20 anything that offered, Naturally
Of bright intellect, ho employed much Of
his leisure time In reading and study,
Hv had aomo experience In teaching
before leaving home, and the second VIM
tor In Stark, he was employed 20 take |
charge OF n school In an adjoining dia. |
trlot. Tho patrons OF tho school were
well pleased with hia ability, and whom
the present free school system went into |
operation, no was tho first teacher on
gagged In Canton.
While employed IN teaching, ho was
elected township clerk, and also Justice |
OF the lPonco, which oiilco ho hold FOR |
three successive terms. During this time /
A. Starkwoathor. On his admission 20 /
the bar, ho formed u partnership with |
Hon. George W. Beldon. Ho was alton
tive 10 business and did we'll; became /
active In politics, and In connection with /
Ed, Carney purchased tho Stark County |
Democrat, then owned by Col. Gotshall. /
ran II In partnership llttlo over u yoar,
whom not being able 10 agree, sold out TO /
MeGrogor u Son.
Mr.. Letter was, what IL called In tho po.
litlcnl parlanoo OF tho day va huatlor,n and /
In 1913 was elected 10 the State Legislature,
and again In N0. Az the latter sosslon, tho |
two parties were 80 equally divided, that /
there was bitter and prolonged contest /
for the Spoakorahip, Mr., Letter obtained /
possession Of tho chair by n coup do main, /
and nitor considerable flllibustering, with |
somo sacrifice OF comfort, succeeded In |
being made permanent Speaker. Ho was |
apt In acquiring the necessary knowledge |
10 become u pnrllamontarlnn, and was
soon popular presiding oiilcor.
In 1880, ho was candidate for tho Sem /
a. h.,N - IaNanNnI kuhlIa NhA hnIaVaa Il
OF the Democratic tlckot was elected.
This was n rebuff, and calculated 10 om'
bittor his feelings against tho party. Ho |
became luke warm In politics, and for SOW /
oral years mohsurnbly stood aloof
In the spring OF 1854, Senator Douglasa' I
bill, ropoallng tho Missouri compromise, |
caused great dissatisfaction ovor the |
North. Mr.. Letter was among those who |
woro hostile 70 tho measure, and out |
spoken In his denunciatlon OF tho Admin |
istration. While this state OF feeling was l
rifc, secret oath bound political organiE- |
alton known ns "Know Nothingsn sprang |
like Jonah's gourd into existanco. The |
writer Ia unable 70 state by what mighty |
magic this order succeeded In bamboozly- |
ing 30 many voters into the order, but |
they won't in--WhIRs 40 they were IN the /
Ak OF Micawber, "waiting for some thing |
10 turn p''-disaifected Democrats who |
wanted an excuse 70 leave the party-tho 4
floating vote who won't In from curiosity, |
and somo from n prejudice against for
oIgners and Catholics. Mr.. Letter was o |
chief among thom, and 80 manipnlated'
tho crowd that he secured the nomination /
10 the 8ath Congress as Republican and |
was elected, receiving In the district 8,798 1
votes against b,028 for Ebenetor Spalding,
Democrat.
His course In Congress-, meeting the ap- |
probation OF tho Republican party, ho was |
renominated nt tho district convention /
and reelected, defeating Gen'l Lahm,
Democrat.
During:hls entire service, he was mem
hor OF tho committee on Indian Affairs.
The remark has boen frequently made,
that Bon. Letter was the most thoughtful /
and obllglng Congressman ever sent from /
this distrlot, In remembering his constitu-