Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1896-02-05

engage him by yearly retalners, which
were uniformly declined. He has
fought for corporations against corpora
tions, but to the people his services
were at command whenever corporate
oppression was to be attacked and cor
porate wrongs redressed.
The success which attended him from
the beginning of his law practice gave
him prominence before the public, and
in 1867 he was elected to the legislature
as a Republican from the strong Demo-
cratic city of ST. Paul. The next year
he was appointed United States district
attorney, and held that Office until 1873,
when he resigned, having been nomi-
mated as Republican candidate for gov
ernor of the state. The circumstances
leading to his nomination afford a
striking instance of the power of in
telligent effective oratory. The rail-
road corporations of Minnesota had
been given not only the most generous
franchises, but had received from the
state and nation lavish grants of the
public lands. The aggregate was enor-
nous, and the fear was entertained
that such vast landed monopolies,
coupled with unregulated powers, car
ried within themselves serious
menace to the prosperity Of the state.
Mr.. Davis shared this belief, and in a
series of addresses so wakened and con-
centrated public opinion upon the me-
cessity of subjecting these corporations
to state control that in the following
year he was elected governor
almost by reclamation. During his
administration, the reforms that
he had advocated having been
made effective, he declined a renomi-
nation, and at the close of the term re-
turned to the practice of his profession,
and to his place at the head of the bar
of the state. In this he continued, TAX
ing no part in politics on personal &C.
count, but lending his aid in all polit-
ical campaigns, until, in 1887, follow
ing unanimous caucus nomination by
his party, he was elected to the United
States senate, and in 1898 was re-
elected for the term which he now
holds
The career of Mr.. Davis in the senate
of the United States has confirmed the
expectations formed upon his abilities
as lawyer and as displayed in the
public positions Heretofore held. He
has risen by rapid steps to the rank of
a statesman of the higher class. His
first speech in the senate, forced on him
against senatorial traditions by the ne
cessities of the case, occurred soon after
his taking his seat upon the bill for the
admission of South Dakota as state in
the Union. The Democratic policy had
been either to prevent the admission of
both Dakotas, or, if that failed to force
their admission as single state. In a
speech of extraordinary research and
intense earnestness of delivery, he dem
onstrated by history, precedent, law
and justice the fallacy of Democratic
arguments and policy, and gained his
cause, not only in the senate but in the
Democratic house. His argument was
unanswerable, and no serious attempt
was made to answer it, and he had the
satisfaction of seeing in the admission
of North and South Dakota as separate
states the reparation of an injustice
from which those commemorative had
suffered many years, to their serious
detriment.
Among the most important services
he has been able to render the country,
and especially the Northwest, has been
the reform instituted upon his action in
the application Of appropriations for
government works. The case in which
it was first applied was in the building
of the mammoth lock and other inn
provements at Sault Ste. Marie, involv.
ing several millions of dollars. It had
been the practice since the beginning of
appropriations for public works to make
} such appropriations for single years,
and to let separate contracts for each
appropriation. The result Of this pol.
10y was vastly increased cost, most dam
aging delays, and whenever party OF
other necessity curtailed or prevented
appropriations, heavy percentage Of
loss for maintenance and repairs.
It is estimated by experts that Of the
hundreds of millions spent by the gov
ernment on public works during the
last so years, nearly 20 per cent has
been wasted on the items last men,
toned. The reform proposed by Sem
ator Davis, and adopted by congress.
consisted in making the appropriation