The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-04-15

lower house of congress at the same
time with John Sherman, in 1855, dur
ing the administration of President
Pierce. He took his seat in the SEN
ate for the first time in 1867, while
Andrew Johnson was president.
Next to Mr.. Morrill,, in point Of con-
tinuous senatorial service, are John P.
Jones, of Nevada, and William B. ALI
son, of Iowa. Jones and Allison have
each served twenty-five years, but, as
the title of father of the senate can
not be shared by two men, it will be
held temporarily in allegiance. William
Stewart of Nevada is the, only senator
who was a member of that body when
Morrill, first entered 1t. But Stewart
left the senate in 1875, and did not re-
turn until 1887.
Mr.. Morrill, first took his seal as a
senator at the meeting of the fortieth
congress. 1t was the first congress of
the reconstruction period. Most of the
states recently in rebellion were repre-
scented by carpet-bag statesmen, and a
sorry lot they were. But there were
many able men in the senate at that
time. Among the leading democrats
were James A.. Bayard of Delaware,
father of Thomas F. Bayard, who sue
ceeded him in the senate and after
ward became secretary of state, and
then ambassador to Great Britain;
Thomas A. Hendricks Of Indiana, and
Garrett Davis of Kentucky. On the re-
publican side sat many of the founders
of that party-the men who gave it
strength. courage and responsibility.
Charles Sumner was there to speak for
Massachusetts, and Mr.. Morrill's col
league was George F. Edmunds. New
York was represented by Roscoe Conk-
ling and e. D. Morgan; Pennsylvania
by Simon Cameron; Ohio by Benja-
min Wade and John Sherman, and
Michigan by Zachariah Chandler. The
senators from Illinois were Lyman
Trumbull and Richard Yates. James R..
Doolittle was there from Wisconsin;
James w. Grimes and James Harlan
from Iowa. while the republican COL
league of Hendricks of Indiana was
Morton, who had been the wal gov
6TuOr OIL IuC tIooolCl oLdJC. mOSC OIL
these men have passed into the great
hereafter, and while Mr.. Morrill,
ranked with few of them intellectually,
he soon managed to secure a prominent
place in the senate, and he was able
to hold it while he lived.
Mr.. Morrill, was not an educated man
that is to say. he was not a man of
o-.-J zD&c D,,4 -I-k l. Y.--
he knew well, and he never ventured
into the discussion of questions with
which he was not entirely familiar.
He left school at Is years of age to be-
come a clerk in a country store, and
until he was elected to congress his life
was devoted to mercantile pursuits. He
lacked the martial spirit. Indeed, he
was in principle opposed to war, and
he took no part in the struggle with
Mexico or in the civil conflict between
the states. He turned his attentions
early to questions of finance and taxa
ton, and while a member of the house
became chairman of the ways and
means committee. In the senate he
served for many years as chairman of
the finance committee.
He never made any but "set
speeches." and only on rare occasions
did he participate in the rambling dis
cussions which so much Of
the senate's time. In private life he
inclined to be taciturn, and he
had no "chums" in the senate. Every
body respected him, but he always
kept his fellow senators at a certain
distance. That he was a scrupulously
honest man there a be no doubt.
He died comparatively poor, though
his opportunities to accumulate wealth
by corrupt practices were practically
He constructed legislation
which enabled other men to plumber
the people, but in this he declined to
share.
In later years Senator Morrill, had
devoted most of his attention to the
work of improving and beautifying the
city Of Washington. He took a deep