The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-07-07
OUR CANDIDATE.

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Welsh Quaker family, who were
among the early settlers of Phila-
delphia. His mother was a daughter
of the Rev. d. Barclay, a Scotch
Presbyterian minister.
When ii years old his father died.
AT 10 he entered upon an apprentice
ship of two years to the carpenter
and joiner trade. When his term ex-
pired he worked at his trade, taught
school and occasionally was employed
at civil engineering, till he entered
college. While engaged in the latter
vocation, in the spring of 1855, he
assisted to lay out Omaha, in Ne
braska. In the fall of that year he
entered the junior class of Jefferson
college, having, in the morning and
evenings, while teaching and working,
steadily pursued his literary studies.
He had been entered as a student of
law before he entered college, and
the Hon. w. P. jerks, who was his
guardian, had from early boyhood
directed him in his legal and literary
reading. He graduated at Jefferson
college in the class of So, and in
February, 50, was admitted to the
bar in Jefferson county, having finish
ed his legal studies under his elder
brother, P. w. jerks.
At the September term, SO, he led
in conducting hts first case in court,
and, strangely enough, his opponent
was Hon. I. G.. Gordon. He won the
case, and thenceforward was employed
in most of the important cases in his
own county and his name soon be-
came familiar in many of the courts
of western and central Pennsylvania.
When not engaged in the courts
his life has been one of constant
study and preparation. He never
sought public position, but was
known as Democrat. In the fall
of "a he was rendered the Demo-
cratic nomination for Congress in
the Twenty. fifth district of Penn
sylvania against Gen. Harry White.
The district was heavily Republi-
can, but his personal popularity
and the tidal wave elected him to
the Forty fourth Congress. Speak
er Kerr appointed him chairman of
the committee on invalid pensions.
A mastery report on the condition
and working Of the pension bureau,
derived from all investigation by
order Of the House, he soon made,
and followed this by a bill which
was calculated to prevent future
abuses. Bounty land warrants,
which, before this, had been per-
sonal property, had become the
plunder of dishonest ring which,
at one single time, had seized upon
over 10000 acres of land, were
changed to reality through his
efforts and so guarded that only the
rightful owners, their legal heirs or
assigns, could obtain them.
The legal prominence he had al
ready attained led the House to Sc
lect him as one of the seven mana
gers on the part of the House to
conduct the impeachment of Secre-
tary Belknap, the others being
Messrs. Lord Knott, Lynde, Nc
Mahon, Hoar and Lapham. On
the trail, before the Senate, the de-
fendant was represented by three
leading lawyers of the nation
Hon. Jeremiah S. Black, Hon.
Matt. H. Carpenter and Hon.
Montgomery Blair. Mr.. jerks was
selected by the managers as one of
the committee to draw the plead
ings. He was afterward appointed
to make one of the arguments on
the question of the jurisdiction of
the Senate to impeach after the
officer had resigned and subsequent
ly, in consequence of the illness of
Mr.. Lapham he was selected to dis
cuss the facts. His legal attain
ments were, on this trial, made
conspicuous to the Senate and the
nation, and conceded to be unsur-
passed by any in the cause.
Soon after the meeting of the
second session he was appointed by
speaker Randall one of the commit
tee of IS to investigate the conduct
of the elections in Louisiana, and
on his return was appointed, by the
chairman of the Democratic caucus,
with Mr.. Field, of New York, and
Mr.. Tucker, Of Virginia, to repre-
sent the Democracy of the House
in preparing, representing and dis
cussing the facts and the law before
the electoral commission.
Mr.. jerks was appointed assist
ant secretary Of the interior July
Ist, 1885, which Office he resigned
May 18th 1886, to accept the posi-.
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