The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-11-09

Flowing in His Bare Feet, Cullom
Worked His Way to
lei the Senate.
Talks About Abe Lincoln and the
Character of the Mar
tyred President.

Character of the Mar
tyred President.
| Shelby NJ Cullom, United States sem
ator from Illinois, is one of the most
| interesting takers among our public men.
| Plain and simple in his ways, there are
| no frills or furbelows about either HIM
SELF or his conversation. He calls spade
spade, and rs a story teller has many
of the attributes which were SO noted in
Abraham Lincoln. He grew up under
| the shadow of Lincoln, and his likeness
to the rlartyred president has been often
remarked. No ONE would call Cullom
handsome His frame is big, bony and
angular, his figure is straight, with shout
ders SO square that the arms seem to fall
from them at right angles, the whole act
ing as clothes frame for his frOck coat
His gestures are not graceful, and his
face in repose is severe. When he talks
however. a smile creeps out of the cor
ners of his eyes and the lines of his feat
ures soften. Cullom has lots of personal
magnetism. There are few who have
had as remarkable career, and few SEN
ators whose lives would be more inspir-
ing examples to the boys of the United
States, writes Frank G.. Carpenter, in the
Times Herald.
His family was Scotch Irish, and his
ancestors came from Maryland to Ken
lucky. 1t was there that Cullom was
born, and when he was a baby OF 9
months his family moved to Illinois.
| They rode out and through the stumps
| in canvas-covered wagons, and Baby Gull
| lonl, wrapped in feather betls was rocked
by the jolting of the wheels. Father Gull
lom settled within about fifteen miles of
| Peoria, taking up 500 acres and choppjng
farm out of the forests. Baby Cullom
/ crept over the log floor and toddled about
the clearings year by year, until ne be-
came old enough to go to school. His
first lessons were studied in log school
house, and working on the farm and
studying at school made up his boyhood
life.
After he had finished his schooling at
the country schools young Cullom con-
cluded that he wanted a better education
His father was hardly able to send him
to college, and Shelby had to look out
for himself. How he succeeded is best
told in his own words. Said he "
II was II years old at this time
thought 1 ought to be better educated,
and / looked about to see how Z could
make some money to pay my way through
the academies. I saw an opening in a
country school near where I lived, ap-
piled for it and got it. My wages at the
start were s1S month, and l must have
done pretty we'll, for at the end OF the
second month they raised me to $40, and
I received this for the remainder Of the
wear. 1 boarded with the scholars and
saved nearly every cent Of my munificent
salary.
81 made something after school was
over by blowing. got 81. IS an acre for
| it. 1 borrowed five yoke Of oxen OF my
father, and went to breaking up land for
| the neighbors. We plowed a furroW
eighteen inches wide and hitched from
| four to five yoke Of oxen to the pillow.
| We fastened the plow to wheels and set
| If for the proper depth. walked outside
and yelled at the team. It is not an easy
matter to drive oxen, | can tell you, and
a. great dead of the lung power which
have today was, venture, developed just
then
"Bv the way the senator continued,
with a twinkle in his eye, "a rather queer
thing happened in connection with that
blowing. You know they talked little
of me for President four years ago, and
some of nv friends in Illinois thought I
had a chance for the White House. One
Of these was farmer for whom I had
broken land in my boyhood. He wrote
| to me. recalling the circumstance. He
said he had print of my bare foot. when
| I had made at that time in clayey
striD of his land. He said he had cut it
out and kept it, and that he was going
| to frame it as the foot of a President.
esAnd did you plow in your bare feet, !
senator?'
yes suppose so, replied Mr.. Gull
| lom. Eve did great deal of our farm
work In our bare feet in early days. It
| was more comfortable than Wor king with
shoes. though now and then one was LA
| Bile to raise stone Drulse or snag OH 9
toe nail against root. @
Where did you go to school s &.
EFT was at a seminary at Mount Morris,
in northern Illinois, Il replied Senator
Cullon1. 41There was big Methoi1is In
sfifrtion there at the time, and It was
I ~, i1arnd :, uerv ennd school "a studied