The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-05-03
Another Indiana paper had this
"If Bynum ever burns the grass,
He'll perish like every other (of his kind)."


The passage of the Morrill, pension bill by
the House probably ensures the enactment
of that measure as law, since the Senate is
more than likely to follow the lead of the
House in the matter of pensions. Mr.. Nor
rill, the author of this bill, is a native of
Maine, born in what is now the town of
Deering, and one Of the Morrill, family which
has given its name to the village on the
Deering plains. Mr.. Morrill's father was
Rufus Morrill,, who had tannery at Nor
rill's corner years ago. The present con-
gresham, having gained an education at
Westbrook Seminary and learned the tan
ner's trade of his father, turned his face
westward in 1857 and sought Kansas. 1t was
Bleeding Kansas" in those days, and only
few years before the anti-slavery people of
the North had been supplying emigrants to
that state with Bibles and rifles. The worst
border ruffian outrages had subsided when
young Morrill, reached Kansas in Marcn,
1857 but the power that was trying to make
Kansas slave state was still powerful, and
the only two parties were the Border Ruff
fan" party and the "Free-State" party.
Immediately fell into the ranks of the "Free-
State" party. He settled in Brown county
and put up a saw mill at place which he
named Hamlin, in honor of Hannibal Ham
lin, Of Maine. In October, 1857. there was an
election of members for the territorial legis-
lature, and when the votes were counted it
was found that the "Free-State" party had
majority for the first time. The young pro-
prietor of the saw mill at Hamlin found
himself member Of the legislature. He
under the bogus Lecompton constitution.
When finally the troubles Of Kansas and of
free soil generally were left to the arbitra-
ment of war, Mr., Brown enlisted tas prl
vate. in the Seventh Kansas regiment,
serving in the ranks from October, 1861, un-
til August 1862. Then, at the request of
Hannibal Hamlin, who was at that time Vice
President. he was made captain and COM
missary of subsistence. He served until
October 1865, when he was mustered out
the army he was elected county clerk of
Brown county, then he became clerk of the
District Court, and then state Senator, and
then, in 1882, candidate for Congress. He
was elected and has been returned regularly
since. Mr.. Morrill, is largely interested in
business in Kansas. He is president of the
First National Bank of Leavenworth and
also the head of the banking firm of Morrill,
and james in Hiawatha, the county seat of
SroWh rpanty AS o fhs H0se 0aD
sion bill which bears his name, and which
he presented as chairman of the invalid pen
sions committee, is regarded as very just
measure, and as one which goes as far as 1t
is wise and prudent to go.
Mr.. Reeds Pittsburg speech has been at
tracing an unusual amount Of attention
throughout the country. 1t is universally
commended by the Republican press of the
North; but there has gone up from the DEM
0CratIV pLooo oVuUIl UIy "a AaSo WAicn~
seems to show, in the language OF a promi-
nent Republican Congressman, that the
speech "has hit where somebody lives" AL
though a national law such as Mr.. Reed pro-
poses would not interfere in the least with
white rule in the local and state elections of
the South, and would leave the people of the
South the chance to work out their peculiar
problem as they please, the rage of the
Southern papers indicates that their cry
against the domination of ignorance does
not embody their whole reason for counting
out the negro vote. The truth is there is in
the South a very complete Democratic ma
chine that is being worked to great advant-
age in national politics. This machine gives
to the vote of a white man in the South
about three times as much influence as the
vote of an equally good white man has in
the North. Of course no body of men wish
to surrender such an advantageous and
profitable arrangement; and the Southern
leaders are undoubtedly logical in their fears
lest law which shall treat the North just
as it does the South, and which shall involve
in no way the question of the domination Of
ignorance in questions of taxation and local
government, shall be enacted. For when
federal election law does not involve the
question, "D0 you want negro legislature
to rule this state?" it will be likely to be
more difficult to enthuse the Southern heart
to rally to the support of the fine old Demo-
cratic machine on national issues.