The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-03-17
UNDER WHITE DONE.
a Chat with Senator Witnee
About Early Days in Maine.
SCOTCH-TRISH STOCK TO WIN.

Week of Legislature Opens-McGiH-
vray S Scheme to Change the Pie Coun-
ter into an Abstract Office " isconsin
Falling Behind in Clay Products; Why?
Geological survsy Matters.
Madison, Wis, March III found
Senator Withee of La Crosse sitting
alone on a sofa at the reunion of the
1896 members OF the present leg
islature the other evening, given by
George B. Burrows, who was then
speaker.
Mr. Burrows, who is wealthy lum-
herman, has a long record in public af-
fairs, anG one of his best sides is love
Of the old things" He came from Yer
mont ever SO many years ago, and he'll
drop everything at any time to tell you
about his boyhood, and the snow that
drifted in the window On his bed; and
the turnpike that ran past the farm.
He has extensive offices, one room CT
which is as big as a small hall. It
was once his sons gymnasium. The
boy graduated at Harvard and is now
a New York lawyer.
All Come from New England.
Ex-senator Burrows is president Of
our New England society and when he
sits down to the annual banquet with
Rev. DR.. Butler an octogenarian, to ask
a blessing of The God of Our Fathers
and Judge f. w. Keyes to tell of boy
ish pranks down east he is supreme
ly happy.
On the evening in question there were
cards for whist, and the ever-present
billiard table; and an orchestra and a
monograph, and q most excellent
spread on long table. The coffee was
sul"emely good; in fact, Charles Pts
ter (Who was at the reunion a year
or two ago) says Mr.. Burrows caterer
can make better coffee than can be haG
at his million dollar Milwaukee hos
telry. There were about thirty present
the "old gUard"-and though they
were men ready enough to jump at
each others threats to get a pet bill
through in legislative Whirl, all was
peace and comfort.
There was no liquor serVed-nOt even
wine, which leads me to say that this
legislature, with all it's faults, is the
most orderly body we have had of re-
cent years. The saloons are complain
ing bitterly. Probably not over a third
of this legislature go to drinking
places at all The Milwaukee delegation
and the others drop in of an evening,
but the "clubs" that were formed four
years ago, the registering and the sus-
picions of graver misdeeds are pleas
antly absent at this session.
Pen Pictu:e of Senator Levi Withee.
TQ,1t of ha T,oC
lumberman who is worth millions. AS
everybody knows, Uncle Levi Withee'
is careless in personal appearance and
doesn't seem to care if he doesn't care.
He may have on a necktie or he may
not. But there is a warm heart under
meath He looks older, but he is only 81.
We fell to talking about Maine, where
he came from. Mr.. Withee was 10
when he Travelled west. His home was
on the Kennebec, thirty-six miles above
Mr.. Blaine's Augusta home. Mr..
Witness grandfather came to Norridge-
Wock in 1907 from New Hampshire, and
the great-grandfather was fresh from
Londonderry not long before that AS
far as the senator knows all the
Withees in America are from this an
ceStOr. The name is sometimes spelled
Withers: and General Withers of Ken
lucky was cousin of his father.
Thus the senator was of Scotch-Irish
stock, said to be the best in the world.
No one ever saw a commonplace
Scotch-Irish man. They are not always
good nor wise, but each one has stuff
in him, and ideas and mind of his
own.
MY youth was work and folly, too
much of it, he said. II had no edu-
cation, everybody knows that, but
what's good in me I owe in full to my
mother. It is no exaggeration to say
she was a wonderful woman. l came
west in 1853, to La Crosse. 1t had then
500 people,. and 1 have been there ever
since. Hard work was my life for a
long time. For thirty years I worked
on the river
Thirty Years Near the Logs.
But, SENATOR I said, that brings it
down to recent times, down to 49,
That's right" he said II wasn't
working for others all that time, but I
was close to the logs every year."
Senator Withee has a sister living but
his brothers and parents, who came
west, have passed away. One of the
brothers was located in Illinois when
he came. He goes back to Maine occa-
sionally to see the scenes of his boy
hood. There are some cousins there
still, but the senator says when he
strolls in the village cemetery he finds
the names of lots Of people he once
knew Speaking of the good old
times he remarked the advanced age
to which people lived in those little
communities. Young children had less
chance than they have now with the
advance in medical skill; but when
adults got to a certain age they seemed
to hold on wonderfully. People led
simple lives, went to be early and there
was less wear and tear than in our
modern life
A Young Withee Princeton Bound.
Senator Withee has but one child,
boy of IS, and the light that came into
the old mans eyes as he spoke of him
showed where his hopes lie He is
splendid big fellow Of #. in. The
boy has travelled widely with his par
ents-been in every state in the Union,
and broad Fl ia now St IIdv;no AT the