The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-03-18
SENATOR MORRILL-A SKETCH
OF HIS NOBLE AND USEFUL

LIFE.
"Webb," in the Washington des-
patches, gives the following account:
Mr.. Morrill, was born April IA, 1910,
and came into the world almost with
the century. The census of the United
States at that time was: Whites, $780,
903, and slaves, 1.191, 1854. That was the
year when william Cobbett was SEN
fenced to two years Imprisonment in
England for condemning the fogging of
English soldiers and when the United
States established an embargo on Brit
ish vessels.
Mr.. Morrill, first entered public life
as member of the House of Represen-
tatives, when he was A years of age, for
the Thirty-fOurth Congress. He has
been continuously in public life from
that day to this, and every day of bis
record has been day of honor. He be-
gan his Congressional service in the
tempestuOus times of slavery agitation
December 3d. 1855, 26 years ago. Par
tisan acrimony was then intense, grow
ing out of forced compromises and
fugitive slave legislation and tariff con-
troversies. His first experience was in
the long session which began at the time
before mentioned, and continued with
out results on the bitterly confessed
Military bill for more than eight
months.
The stormy times which witnessed his
introduction into public life continued
for a very considerable portion of his
entered public life the war was raging in
the Crimea; Sebastpol has fallen.
Joseph Hume, Charlotte Broote (Currer
Belly, Lord Raglan and the famous Sam
uel Rogers died. These events were not
only not in generation of those now in
public life, but they occurred long before
the memory of those who now consider
themselves leading statesmen.
Senator Morrill, is of English descent.
His ancestors first settled at Salisbury,
Mass, in the early part of the last cent
ury. The family later emigrated to New
Hampshire, and in 1895 his grandfather,
with his five sons and two daughters,
went to Vermont and settled near Straf-
ford. During the British invasion from
Canada in the War of 1912, the Senator's
grandfather, mastering his four sons,
one of them, Colonel Nathaniel Morrill,,
the Senator's father, marched to join the
the American forces operating on Lake
Champlain. Owing to the British
vessels having cut off communications
they failed to reach the army on the
other side until the close of that brilliant
and victorious conflict, but engaged in
the pursuit of the feeting English.
When Senator Morrill, came to Wash
ington in 1856, although New England
President sat in the Executive Mansion,
the leaders south of Mason and Dixon's
line dominated public affairs. Senator
Morrill, at once advanced to the front
rank in the parliamentary contests over
slavery, free soil, abolition and protect
i've tariff. Party rancor ran high and
social Intercourse was sectional. The
'black" Republicans and the New Eng
land abolitionists were despised by the
Southern leaders, and the Northern
Democrats were willing to occupy
neutral ground in order to share in the
lOaves and fishes of executive control.
The society of the Capital was then
broken into sets, and at entertainments
at the Executive Mansion, where all met
on common social plane there was
more or less restraint on account of the
intense feeling between parties on the
national issues. The Republicans had
come into power in the executive and
legislative branches of the Government.
The Southern Senators and Representa-
tiyes and their States had seeded from
the Union and war was imminent
The necessity of revenues to meet the
eXigcncics of a conflict Of arms brought
Mr.. Morrill, to the front rs the protector
OF the Morrill, tariff of 1861, which was
one Of the first of the war measures in
defence Of the Union. IfSenator Morrill,
had no other title TO fame, it would be
more than many men can boast to have
been the author of the Morrill, tariff,
Under the operations of that measure,
with its adaptation to the needs of a