The Portland daily press., 1891-07-06
hannibal Hamlin.

ftt - T.
Hannibal Hamlin died on the Foul th of
July, as did John Adams and Thomas Jeffer-
son. Observation-Disclosures the case of Adams
ana Jefferson was m emorable because fifty
years before they had si6 led the Declaration
Oh independence together, and because they
were each the ty pc OF the patriotic American
LOT whom no DAY of death could be more be-
coming than the nations birthday. Had
MT Hamlin been able to choose the day of
his own death, it would have been no pre-
sumption on his part had he selected the
Fourth Of July, as being the day eminenty
hitting to himself as we'll as to Adams ana
Jefferson. Mr.. Hamlin's admirers VIII no1
expect history to rank his craftsmanship
with that of Adams or jefferson but they
may Justly claim that his wise patriotism
was of the same sturdy mould as that which
animated the signers of the Declaration of
Independence. The period Of Mr.. Hamlins
mature life has been one of most extraordi-
nary changes and development in this nj
tlon. OF these events Mr.. Hanlin has been,
not a spectator, but part. When he began
public life the Union was composed of but
Y states; now there ale A. The people of
the nation were 100000; now there are
65,OOO,OOO. Then slavery was so firmly in
trenched among our institutions as to seem
TO defy even time; now men wonder that it
could have ever been allowed to exist a day.
AS the great events In the course of these
changes have swept before the public eye,
hannibal Hamlin has been found in the
midst OF them acting prominent and al
ways honorable part. he was pre-eminent.
~ a shrewd and successful politician and we
are inclined to think that his great abilities
In this direction have in the eyes of many
obscured his qualities of craftsmanship. The
man who stood out against his party for the
Wllmot proviso, and in 1856 swept Maine by
$4,000 plurality against his old party associ-
ates, was more than clever politician.
Mr.. Hamlin was from one of the oldest
and best families In New England, reyolu-
tionary family that sought Maine very early
In the history of its development. His
grandfather, Eleazer Hamlin, commanded a
company Of revolutionary minute men and
counted among them five of his own sons.
one OF Eleazor's sons was DR.. Cyrus Ham.
ln. physician of Paris, Maine, in the early
part OF this century. Cylls Hamlin's wife
was Anna Livermore, daughter Of Deacon
EllJah LlVermore, from whom the Andres
coggin town received its name. She was the
mother OF Hannibal Hamlin, who was born
at faris on the 9th of August, 1909 The
Hamlins were prominent people in Western
Maine, but this did not imply that they were
possessors of wealth. Their circumstances
were so moderate in fact, that Hannibal was
unable to obtain the college education which
uo
Hebron Academy for some time, and In that
ancient educational institution of Oxford
county, he obtained all the academic educa-
Loh winch he received. 1t was while stu
uent at Hebron that he had his first ex
perlence with thelaw. Some of the students
Oh Hebron, young Hamlin among the num-
Der, had gotten into trouble on account of a
harmless prank at husking, and were
Drought before very pompous but rather i
poorlylnformed justice of the peace When |
Hamlin was put on 20 the Witness stand the |
crowd were sg,scatly interested. The bright, |
piercing black eyes of the tall young student |
constituted quite as much assurance that
something good was coming as did the gen.
eral understanding that the young man had
been nosing about law books and might
know as much law as the Justice. in
response to the questions of the justice |
Hannibal testified that he had thrown no ear |
OF corn at the plaintiff and that he had in no
other way contributed to the pranks at the
husking. Then" said the justice, "did YOU
see any one else throw any ear of corn at the
PLAINTIFF" With perfect GOODNESS Hamlin
replied, "fhat is a question which your
honor has no right to ask me-" And then he
tn hi
numerous law points, interminged with
many Greek and Latin phrases and other
rhetorical devices bewilderlpg to the old
justice. He succeeded admirably, and there |
is said to have been a sly twinkle of Ham,
ms Dlack eyes when the old justice allowed /
MS TO step down and dismissed the court /
without timing him. Butyoung Hamlin's life
was not all husking frolics. His brother
who was to carry on the farm while he at
tended school, was taken sick, and he had to |
leave Hebron before he had intended. He /
was still young boy, less than 18 years old, |
but he was physically strong enough for the |
hard summer work of the farm. and for the |
long snowshoe tramps through the forests,
which he took as the assistant of one of the |
hard working surveyors of those days. The |
first considerable sum of money which he |
possessed was obtained by teaching district |
school. By the death of his father, a legacy
of $3.50 also fell to him, and with this money |
hes entered into partnership with Horatio |
King, late postmaster general, in the publ |
cation oi the Paris Jeffersonian, a Demo- /
cratic paper, subsequently, moved to Port /
land. Although his connection With the ma /
per was short, Hamlin learned to set type, |
becoming so proficient that he could put his /
editorial articles directly into type without |
writing them out. But the law was his \
chosen profession, and after few months |
he sold out his interest in the paper to his |
partner. and entered the law Office of Joseph |
B. Cole, where he obtained the greater part |
of his legal education. Before his adn's- |
sion to the bar, however. he spent a short |
time In the Office of Fessenden, Deblois &
Fessenden. Many years afterwards 1t was |
Mr.. Hamlin's melancholy pleasure to arise
in the United States Senate and pronounce |
eulogy upon his colleague from Maine, whom |
he named as one of the greatest of Ameri- |
can statesmen. and who was no other than
the junior member of this fl IN. Mr.. Ham
lin was admitted to the bar in 1923. About |
this time he married daughter of Hon.
Stephen Emery Of Paris. and sister of Hon.
George f. Emery of this city. Several years
ago she died, and later Mr.. Hamlin married |
her younger sister, who Survives him. Hay- |
ing been admitted to the bar, Mr.. Hamlin |
removed with his young wife to Hampden,
in Penobscot county, to practice his profess |
sion. In Hampden also, he begfn his polit-
ical career.
To the younger generation it may seem |
strange that Hannibal Hamlin could ever |
have been anything but a Republican. He |
was, In fact, leader of the Maine Democra-
cy for many years when that pais was in |
the flush of prosperity. The Hamlin family |
Of Paris were not Democrats but Wings. A |
curious story is told about how young Han |
nibal, a mere boy, came to have leanings
towards the Democracy. 1t is said that they |
took two Portland papers in the family of DR.. |
Cyrus Hamlin, one Wing and the other Dem |
ocratlc. The Wing paper was regarded as the |
best, and as soon as it came the elder men,
bers of the family always appropriated it. |
This left the Democratic paper for young
Hannibal, who unconsciously became imbued |
with its nrincinlaa and uo nm ordapt no,,,o