Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-04-03
THE LATE PHILETUS SAWYER.

asked him how much he had He replied
that he had $4,000 secured in his belt,
! but the amount in his pocket he did not
know. Upon counting it he found it was
/ just S199. His brother handed him 81
with the remark: Now remember that
when you went to the West you had
| just $1,000" Years afterward, when this
! brother was an old man and was visited
| at his home by the younger man. then a
! United States senator, and poSSeSSOr of
an ample fortune, the latter, thinking
| that he saw some signs of depression
or uneasineSs about his brother. asked
! him if he was in debt. The brother con-
! Tossing that be was to the extent of about
! $1,000. from the falling off in the profits
Of the farm and because of his advanc-
| ing years, the senator quietly bought up
! all the claims of the creditors and de-
/ livered them to his astonished host with
| the remark: Il am not giving you this;
| | am paying my debt to YOU What
! debit he inquired. DO you remember"
said Mr.. Sawyer. giving me 81 when [
started for the West? This is that 81
about that amount with it,
All. said the brother, seeing. the
| twinkle in the senator's eyes, L wish
had given you SO or SO more
Settled in Fond du Lac County.
| Mr.. Sawyer returned to Wisconsin and
settled upon farm in Fond du Lac cOun-
! ty, but after two years Of short crops
sold that and going, to the pineries of
/ the Wolf river, at Algoma, now the city
| of Oshkosh, he began numbering and OPP
Grating a sawmill until 1850, upon CON
! tract by the thousand feet Then be
rented the mill and operated it upon his
own account with reasonable Success un-
f, I'll 1853. when he formed a partnership
and purchased the mill. In 1862, he pur-
chased the interest CT his remaining part
ner at an advance of $4,000 above his
l original capital in the business. Durin g
the year 1So2., his son. e. Z. Sawyer,
was taken into the business and since
that date the firm has been p. Sawyer
& Son, their mill at MenomoDie turning
out 10000 feet of sawed lumber daily.
In 1868, Mr.. Sawyer explored the head
waters of the Wolf river, bought up
large tracts of the finest timber land at
prices which a few years later would
have been merely nominal and by the
formation and work Of the Keshena I'm
prOmevent company, brought into market
millions of feet of the best timber in the
state. The earnings of the enterprise in
creasing, needful improvements were
made as required and handsome divi-
dends were paid.
Went Into Politics.
In 1910, and subsequently,. he was re-
peatedly chosen an alderman of the city
to serve III the state Legislature as a
Republican representative. He declined
any further offices until 1861, when he
was again chosen to the Legislature. In
1862 he was solicited to be the Repub-
lican candidate for Congress from his
congressional district. but declined. In
1864 he served as mayor of Oshkosh.
and IN the latter year was elected to- the
Thirty-ninth Congress as a Republican
by about 5000 majority in a district or
dinarily doubtful.
Mr.. Sawyer took his seat on the FIRST
Monday of December, 1865 The Cen.
greSs into which he entered was cor
fronted with the problems of the recon
struction Of the federal Union, together
with those pertaining to the national
finances and currency, the great changes
in the industries Of the country conse-
quent upon the close of the war and
the debt Of gratitude to its surviving
soldiers, to be at least recognized by pen
sion laws. There was work enough t0
be done not only by statesmen but by
men of clear-headed business qualitica-
tons and financial skill and sagacity. As
to Mr.. Sawyers discharge Of his duty ia
dealing with these problems, James G..
Blaine we'll said of him in his Twenty
Years in Congress-" 'eIt is easy to sup
ply superlatives in eulogy of popular
fayorites; but in modest phrases Mr..
Sawyer deserves to De ranged among the
best of men-hOnest, Industrious, gener-
Gus, true to every tie and to every OBJ
legation of life. He remained ten years
in the House, with constantly increasing
influence, and was afterwards promoted
to the Senate" The reason of this in
! fiuence, unnamed by Mr.. Blaine, was not
his ability as debater-for he made no
! speeches, although he worked on House
committees and elsewhere most faith
fully-but in his personal character and
in his possession in an unusual degree
! of common sense, which amounted in
reality to profound sagacity, not alone
! in matters of business and finance but
in political management; of a genial
manner which made personal friends
| even of political enemies. and of a re-
markable faculty of persuading and con-
vincing others of the correctness of his
| conclusions.
Elected TO the Senate.
Retiring from Congress en- March 4,
] 1915, he found his private business still
prospecting under the management of his
son. He was member of the executive
committee of the Chicago, st. Paul, Min
neapolis & Omaha Railroad company I'M
til $780, when he severed his connection
with it and prepared to visit Europe
with mis- family. This plan was aban-
doned, however, and when the Wiscon-
sin Legislature of 1881 met, and the Re-
publican members assembled in caucus
to agree upon a senatorial candidate,
Mr. Sawyer was found to be the choice