The Portland daily press., 1892-03-02

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result the tailor, whose name was Moore,
sold the boy the suit on credit. A few
months later the Sd dayTof July found
the youngster with Sl.2u, which he had
earned by hard days work on the neigh
boring farms. "John," said his father,
lyon still owe Tailor Moore seven dol.
lars" Eyes, father" .'And you have
$7.50@' "Yes." 'sWell, tomorrow will
be Independence Day, and if you want to
be free and independent man go the
first thing in the morning and pay that
debt. No man is free and Independent
who owes another money" Next morn
ing the debt was paid, and third OF a
century later, when the barefoot boy
had become governor of Illinois, it was
paid again in the appointment of Tailor
Moore to a somewhat lucrative Office,
which he held for many years and which
was his support in the declining years of
life. 81 give you this Office" said Gov
ernor Palmer to the ex-tailor, because
you are brave man. know you are
brave because you once trusted poor
boy to suit of Clothes"
Young Palmer still dreamed of an ed
ucation. Shurtleff college, Alton, was
then "a new school in which students
were permitted to maintain themselves
by manual labor John Palmer and his
elder brother Elisha, afterward noted
Baptist preacher and an antislavery
man of southern Illinois, supported
themselves for several terms by assist
ing in bricklaying, carpenter work and
doing chores nights, mornings and Sum
days while pursuing their studies. After
leaving college Palmer taught school,
peddled clocks and worked for cooper,
but at twenty-one years of age found
himself a law student at Carlinyille. He
was soon admitted to the bar at Spring
field. his license being signed by John
Young Scanmon, one of Chicago's early
and most noted jurists, who was also the
founder of the Chicago Inter Ocean.
When twenty-five years old-that was
half century ago-Palmer was mar
ried to Malinda Neeley, who, like him
self, was a native of Kentucky. Mrs.
Palmer's mother was a member of the
Beauchamp family, a noted family OF
French extraction, famous. throughout
southern Kentucky for their beauty.
Mrs. Palmers personal appearance
strongly indicated this French descent,
for even yet among the old people of
Carlinville one may hear of that lady's
brilliant black eyes, her tiny foot and
her raven locks. When she married the
future senator she was not quite fifteen,
and she was to him child wife like
David Copperdeld's Dora, but with
happier result, for she lived with her
husband forty years and became the
mother of ten children. Senator Palmer
has now in his household in this city one
of his daughters, Mrs. Weber, who has
all the characteristics of her mother, the
belle of southern Illinois half century
ago.
Shortly after his marriage young
Palmer tried and won a lawsuit. Chow
much do you charge me, John?" asked
the client. Give dollars" "Well, as
you are family man, suppose you
would just as soon take pay in corn
meal" In few days Mrs. Palmer was
astonished to see two barrels of corn
meal dumped at her door, and, though
Senator Palmer doesn't say SO, it is
tradition in Carlinville that as his prac-
tice was at first not very extensive and
times hard the young attorney and his
wife lived for winter on corn mush
and fried hominy.
An evening with this "grand old man.
of Illinois is a rare treat. He is plain,
simple, approachable, intensely human.
Like that other Kentuckian who went
to Illinois to win renown-Abraham
Lincoln-he is essentially man of the
people. His memory is prodigious. He
remembers the names of the slaves who
were owned by his father in Kentucky,
inherited by his mother and soon after
ward disposed of. He remembers the
names of his fathers neighbors and of
all his schoolmates.
General Palmer's father kept few
slaves for a time, but the young man
never liked the institution of slavery.
All his life he has loved the downtrodden
race. 1t was through his efforts that the
colored children were admitted to the
public schools in Illinois, carrying test
case to the supreme court and winning it.
This life of seventy-five years, which
is still SO full of promise, has been full
of public service. Having briefly sketch
ed the ancestry and boyhood of this re-
markable man-with reference to two or
three of thousand incidents which help
to characterize him-let me summarize
his public career:
Born, 1917; admitted to the bar, 1889;
probate judge, 1913; member constitu-
tional convention, 1a47; county judge,
1S49; member state senate, 1859; re-
elected as an independent and anti
party on the slavery question, and re-
Al . 4 M M