Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-01-19

| dered the position of speaker, which he
declined, preferring TO take mis- place
on the floor. He was also a represen-
tatige TO the legislature from Lewiston
in 1868 and 1878.
In 1873 Dingley was nominated as
the republican candidate for governor
OF Maine by vote OF two to one
against two popular opponents and
was elected by about 10000 majority.
In 1874 he was reelected by over IL 900
majority, declining third nomination
in 1875.
He was one of the delegates at large
from Maine to the republican national
convention in 1876 and served on the
committee on resolutions and was one
of the subcommittee of FIVE who
drafted the platform.
He actively participated in the presi-
Dental campaign of 1876 and in the
state conventions of 1877, rs, '79. In
1S19-S0 he was chairman of the repub-
llcan executive committee In 1881
Dingley was nominated by the repub-
Hcans Of the second congressional dis
trict Of Maine to fill the vacancy in
congress caused by the resignation OF
William +. Frye. He was elected by a
majority of over 5000, nearly twice as
large as ever before given to any can
didate in that district. He served on
the committee on banking and cur
rency, and as member of the select
committee on alcoholic traffic, and dur
ing the session he presided several
times over the house in committee of
the whole. Mr.. Dingley's first speech
IN congress was made April %, 1882, on
protection to American shipping, the
house being in committee of the whole
on the bill to create a tariff commits
sion
Under joint resolution introduced
into the house by Mr.. Dingley and
passed Aug. Z, 1882, he was appointed
a member of a joint committee to in
vestigate the conditions and wants of
American shipbuilding and shipowning
interests. The report of the committee
drawn UP by Mr.. Dingley and unani-
mouSly agreed to by the committee
was regarded as very able and valu-
able document.
The committee reported a bill to re-
move certain burdens on American
shipping, framed by Mr.. Dingley,
which passed the house, but there was
not time TO reconcile disagreeing
between the two houses
before the forty-seventh congress ex-
PRED. While this bill was under con-
in the house ne made a
speech on the revival Of American
shipping in reply to Congressman Cox,
which placed him at once in the front
rank of congressman and gave him a |
reputation.
In 1882 he was reelected as a con |
gressman-at-large for the forty-eignth |
congress. At the opening of congress
in December, 1884, Speaker Carlisle |
him at the head OF The re-
publican minority on both the banking
and currency and shipowning inter |
terests. Mr.. Dingley at once re-intro- |
duced his shipping bill which was
passed by the house and sent to the
senate. The latter body amended it
by adding a provision for the encour- |
agement of American postal steamship |
lines, but subsequently the difference
was adjusted in conference and the bill !
was approved by the president on
June "a, 1884.
On Feb. 7, 1884, Mr. Dingley reported |
from the shipping committee his. bill !
to constitute a bureau of navigation In |
the treasury department and later in
the month it was passed in the house
under a suspension of the rules. Sub
the senate concurred and |
the bureau was organized.
Mr.. Dingley was reelected to the
congress from the second
Maine district in 1884. At the annual
meeting of the congressional temper
ance society in February, 1887, Mr..
Dingley was elected president. In
June, 1886, Mr.. Dingley was reelected
to the fiftieth congress and again
elected to the fifty-frst congress in
1888; to the fifty-second in 1890, the
nftythir in 1892, the fifty-fourth in
1894 and the fifty-fifth in 1896 by large
and increased majorities. In the fifty
second and fifty-thiTd congresses he
was an active member of the commit
tee on appropriations.
In forming his cabinet prior to en-
tering on the duties of chief executive
March 4, 1897, President Mckinley ten
dered the position of secretary of the
treasury to Mr.. Dingley but he declined
the oner, rreferring to retain his pc
sition as chairman of the ways and |
means committee and floor leader of
the republican majority of the house.
Under his lead the house within six
teen days after the fifty-ffth congress |
was convened in extraordinary session |
on March Is, 1897, by President Nc
Kinley, passed a bill revising the
tariff. Mr.. Dingley was a Congrega-
tionalist in religion. He was married |
June II, 1857, to Miss Salome McKen-
ney of Auburn, Maine. They have had
six children, Henry NJ, Charles L. |
(deceased), Edward N, Arthur G., and |!
Edith Dingley.