The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-04-03
COL. w. L.. MORRISON.

The Man W no is Likely to he the Demo.
cratic Nominee for Presidcnt-fhe PiO-
in the Tariff Reform Fight-An
Able. Brave and Generous Manson.
Pleasant stories of Him.
He is natural manager, Just as he
is natural leader of men, is his
whole career, but especially the way
in which he first elected Michael G.
Kerr, and afterwards John G..
Carlisle, speaker of the House of Rep
resentatives against all the ntrenched
power of Randall and the projections
lists, indicates. But he will not dis
semble or tlatter, any more than he
will compromise with dishonor or dis
honesty. When he was running
against Logan for the senate in 1885,
he lost the vote of a Democrat in the
legislature just because he would not
make believe to condone one man s
rascality. He had been holding out
against Morrison, although Morrison s
managers were appealing to HIM to
vote for him as the caucus nominee,
but he finally yielded and promised to
vote for Morrison if Morrison would
only speak to him and treat him
kindly. Gen. Palmer, Low in the sen
ate, told Morrison about the man as
they were going from Chicago to
Springfield, and said to him:
Nov Morrison. when you get to-
Springfield you'll see him, won't you?
Meet him half way and shake hands
with him. Z"
No." said Morrison II will do no
such thing. He is id thief, and
will have nothing to do with him..
NoE to be elected to the senate?'
Not to be elected to anything
replied Morrison.
Morrison has always been such Il
fighter, to this day loving his friends
and hating his enemies with unusual |
fervor that it was quite characteristic !
that his career began with his service
as a private through the Mexican war
when he laid the foundations of his
reputation distinguishing himself as
much as private could al the battle
of Buena Vista and elsewhere Like
many other vigorous and enterprising
youth fond of outdoor life and seeking
adventure young Morrison went to
California across the desert andSierras
as an Argonaut. He did fairly we'll as
miner but he wearied of the life and
after two years came back home and
soon entered politics of course as d
Democrat like his father and his
grandfather before him and was short
" elected clerk Of the circuit court for
his native county. While he was hold
ing this office the Kansas Nebraska
bill passed congress under the spur of
Stephen A. Douglas and the leading
Democrats of Illionis opposed it and
its author. Morrison had never met
Douglas but he believed in the Doug
las principles and to show his loyalty
resigned his clerkship and took the
stump for Douglas and was nominated
and elected on this issue to the Illinois
legislature in 1854 and re. elected inI
1856 and 1858. getting his early political
education and development largely in
those exciting years. OF course Doug l
las was gratitied by the support that |
Morrison gave him and in turn en-
couraged him in every possible way !
and they were fast friends until )
Douglas died. !
Morrison, like Douglas, was war
Democrat He did not think it neces-
sary like Logan and other Illinois
Democrats. TO become Republican.
but he did think it necessary to fight
for the Union, as soon as the news of
the battle of Bull Run arrived he at
once tendefd his services to Gov. Yates
who gladly accepted them and promtly
issiond him to raise regiment
he 10th Illinois volunteers. which he
lid in his own neigLburhood, and
chiefly at his own eXense, and it was
It it's commander that he got his title
# colonel.
Col. Morrison and his regiment dis
inguished themselves under Grant in
he Mississippi river campaign, and at
Fort Donelson, he was wounded, al
most to death, while engaged in max
ng charge, with two other lllinos
egiments. His wife went to the front,
nd got to him just in time to save
i'm by her careful nursing. She was
na,ly able to take him home on
rutches.
There he stayed until he got the
ews of the terrible losses of his regi
lent in the battle of Shiloh, II killed
nd 80 wounded out of the survivors
t Donelson, and then, while still on
rutches and so feeble that his wife '
nd all his friends protested against it, y
g insisted on taking the first boat down q
he Mississippi and took command of
is regiment as it marched toward
,orinth, and kept in until after the