People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-05-30

was elected sheriff, and the next year
was murdered by noted despOradO
whom he had gone to arrest. His
mother was left a widow with five
small children. Walter O., was then
but 2-years of age. He grew up with
but two or three winters schooling.
until l6 years OF age. By of hard
work and the assistance Of his broth
err he succeeded in entering the semi
nary at Corydon. Two years there
and one at Bloomington university
completed his education as far as
schooling was concerned. lie took up
the law.
In 1855 the Republican party was
formed and with it the first shrek of
war was sounded. Governor Morton
appointed him lieutenant colonel of
the Thirty-eighth Indiana, but be-
fore he saw active service he was ap-
pointed colonel of the Fifty-third
Indiana in 1861. Gresham's regiment
was orderrd to join Grant after DOnel-
son, August IL, 1863, he was appoint
ed brigadier general on the recon.
mendatlon of Grant and Sherman
and placed in command of the Match
ezdivisiOn. In the following spring
he was placed in command OF the di.
vision of the Seventeenth corps Of the
army OF the Tennessee which took
part in the campaign against At
lanta. AT Leggett's Hill, before At
lanta, he was struck by sharpshOOt-
er's bullet just below the knee. To
the day Of his death he never recover
ed the full use of his limb.
The war over, General Gresham re-
turned to his profession at New Al
bany, Ind, and in 1866 he was nomi.
mated for congress against NJ. C. Kerr,
but the district was heavily Demo-
cratic and he was defeated. When
General Grant became president he
appointed Gresham United States
district Judge for Indiana. When
Postmaster Howe died in April, 1883,
Gresham was rendered the cabinet pc
sition by telegraph and accepted.
Near the close of Arthur's term, en-
the death of Secretary FOlger, he
was appointed secretary Of the treas
ury, a position he held until 0cto-
Der, 1884. President Arthur, who had
taken him from the bench, had the
satisfaction Of restoring him TO the
bench at the close of his service by
appointing him to succeed Judge
| Drummond.
In 1888 Judge Gresham was made a
prominent candidate for the Repub-
lican nomination for president at the
Chicago convention. His liberal
views OF the tariff created against
him the antagOnism of the extreme
lprOtectionists at Chicago. Judge
Gresham with other Republicans,
openly dissented from the Mckinley
law and in 1892, after the nomination
of Mr.. Cleveland by the Democratic
convention, he, with other distin-
guished Republicans, renOunced their
allegiance to the Republican party
and advocated Mr.. Cleveland's
election. After Mr.. Cleveland was
, elected, in February, 1893, he sum-
moned Judge Gresham to Lakewood,
, n. j., where after consultation he
rendered him the position Of post
master general Of the cabinet he was
forming. Judge Gresham accepted
the trust March I. During his short
term as postmaster general, Gresham
: accomplished much. Letter postage
( to Canada was reduced and the'postal
convention with Mexico was signed
5 Another important service he render
: ed to the country was the re-estab-
lisnment OF fast mails. As secretary
: OF state in the present admiDistra-
ton, Mr.. Gresham has had to deal
{ with perhaps more vexatiOns, intrl-
!. cate AMI diplomatic affairs than has
= fallen to the share OF most secretaries
:. Of state. From his long judicial ex-
+. perience he was disposed TO view
e every question from the standpoint OF
4 exact and equal justice and the first
consideration with him was always
r absolute fairness; If his own country
I occupied false position in the mat
ter, he thought it was his duty to set
+. it right, even at sacrifice Of materi-
Y al interests, as it might appear at
4 the time.
n Such a course was certain to sub
r ject him to bitter criticism and he
n fully realized this in advance, but he
e was in no respect deferred from do.
/. ing what he thought was right. This
4 brought him face to face with the
{ great question Of the hour at that
4 time, the annexation Of Hawaii. He
J. had decided views on this matter,
{ even before he came into the cabin.
e ct, aud it was upon his recommends
ton that President Cleveland per-