Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1896-04-01
OF Madison County.

Our candidate is MIR. Cahoon.
This truthful sketch of him is the
reason why we seek his nomination.:
Ben amin Benson Cahoon was
BON at Smyrna. Kent County,
Delaware, July Z. 1916. His
grand father. john Cahoon. was a
soldier under George Washington
in the revolutionary war. The
father. VIM. K. Cahoon. was man
of superior Judgment and of high
moral character. but of limited
means. The mother died at the
age of thirty three. The parents
were Mcthodists.
Mr.. Caloon went to the common
schools and worked ON the farm
until he was twelve years old.
Next, for three years, he worked
ut the printers trade. At fifteen,
he, i'll July, 1861. entered the tnlon
army, ant ut nineteen saw, as Il
Union soldier. the surrender of
Lee to Grant. after having par;ici-
patcd in the battles fought by the
army of the Potomac. He was
wounded at Gettysburg. 1t was in
the army and for his country, Mr..
Cahoon contracted the deafness
from which he has ever since suf-
fcrcd. Notwithstanding that, in
spite of his limited education and
weighted by poverty, Mr.. CahoonS
Success is an example of what a
brave American youth with good
brains, great force and Il high pur-
pose may achieve, even is strang
er, in Il new country. where the
political sentiment is adverse to
him. We asked him the secret of
his success. He replied: ''lIigh
aims, hard work, opposition. love
of study and keeping the mind
open to conviction. From nine
teen to twenty-five he taught coun-
try common schools (of which he is
a great supportcr) reading law at
night. Admitted to the bar at
twenty-five, he at once, in July,
1868. came to Missouri and with no
acquaintance whatever there. set
tied at Fredericktown, in Madison
County, where he has ever since
resided, engaged chiefly in the
practice of law. When he arrived
there he had s6.25, and was
then, as he has ever since been. a
staunch Republican. He at once
showed his high moral courage by
then, as has ever been character
i>tic of him, advocating, in advance
Of public sentiment, in the fall Of
1868, the cnfranchisemcnt, at the
same time, Of the negro and the
then disfranchised cx- Confcdcratcs.
The speech gave some of the latter
otfcnsc and some indignant Demo
Gratis declared Mr.. Cahoon could
not live in Flcdcricktown, and
should be starved out. He replied:
I'VE will see. | am not depend
ant on law for Il living. can saw
wood" Buying cord of wood
and buck saw, he in Il day, cut,
split and carried into his Office that
cord of wood. The adverse parties
declared the man of that stripe
could not be starved. The grit,
tenacity OF purpose, fixed convic-
tions. great moral courage, clo-
quence, industry and real genious
of the man speedily won a way
for him. He quickly became a
leader at the bar and acquired Il
competence. He never catered to
local Democratic sentiment which.
from the outset, in Southeast Mis-
souri,, until 1894, has always been
against him. He always fought
that sentiment, hitting from the
shoulder, declaring it kept Missou-
ri in the background and did rot
develop the State. He analyzed
and profoundly studied all ques-
tions. refusing to trust to his re-
markably quick intuitions. His
maxim has always been: ''Work,
stick, reverse your error and re
| s,sme your Judgment" The result
is he has been, not alone a student
but Il tirclcss, practical worker.
He is at home on the farm (be
cause, besides being lawyer he Is
Il successful farmer), in the law
Office. in the students closet, III The
philosophers chair, as Il leader Ct
nen. Il practical business man ane
as II builder Of his community. NJ
man in Missouri is better equipped
mentally. He is cosmopolitan. n