Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1900-10-04
Sketch of His Career.

Four years ago Gen. Palmer was the
candidate for president on the national,
or gold, democratic ticket. Gen. Buck
ner was the vice presidential candidate.
Gen. Palmer and his supporters knew
there was no chance for him to be elect
ed on the gold democratic ticket, but
there did seem to be a chance of dividing
the democratic vote and, this was con-
sidered the next best thing. The two
gold democratic candidates made an ex-
tensive tour, talking against the free sill
yer ticket. At many places in the doubt
full states they were hooted and reviIed
by those who had remained steadfast to
the democratic platform.
Palmer was OF an old school of Illinois
politicians, to which Stephen A. Douglas,
Abraham Lincoln, Gen Shields and men
of that character belonged. He was a
Kentuckian. having been born at Eagle
Creek, Scott county, September Is, 1877.
In 1882 he went to Illinois and in 1910 he
was admitted to the bar. When he was
16 years old Senator Palmer entered the
Alton college, which was started about
that time on the manual labor plan.
He remained there a year, and then
taught school in Fulton county. Soon
after he went to Carlinville, Ill. where
his brother, a Baptist preacher, was liv-
ing. There young Palmer entered the law
office of John s. Greathouse. In 1S43 Pal
ner was elected probate Judge of Macou-
pin county. When the Mexican war
broke out he raised company to fight
the Mexicans and rendered his services
to Col. E. D. Baker. However, Capt.
Palmer'S men were not needed, and he
lost the distinction of being a Mexican
was veteran. Judge Palmer's first fight
for the negro was in 1847, when he was
elected member of the constitutional
convention. When the Missouri compro-
mise was repealed in 1854 and the exam
sas-Nebraska troubles came the peo-
pie in the north became alarmed over the
threatened extension of slavery. An eX-
ira session of the Illinois legislature was
called and Senator DOUGLAS deter
mined to have an Endorsement of his
course. Then came the first contest be-
tween the Little Giant and Palmer.
Mr.. Douglas was successful and for Pal
mer's part in the contest it was decided to
defeat him in his own district The con-
vention declared against any man who
should oppose the Kansas-Nebraska act.
Senator Palmer made the race as an in
dependent democrat and was elected.
Palmer was the chairman of the first
Illinois republican convention, which was
held in the city of Bloomington, and was
a delegate to the national convention in
Philadelphia and nominated Fremont.
Entering the campaign of 1856 with Lin
coin and Trumbull he resigned his place
in the senate on the ground that he had
changed his politics since his election
and could no longer act with the demo-
Gratis When the war broke out he or
ganized the Fourteenth Illinois volunteers
and was made colonel. At the battle of
Stone river he distinguished himself and
era1. He remained in command of his
division until the battle of Chickamauga,
where his command remained unbroken
and fought to the end. After the battle
of Peach Tree creek and the investment
of Atlanta came the controversy over the
question of rank between Gen. Palmer
and Gen. Scho1eld, which resulted in
sending his resignation to President Lin
coin. It was never accepted and in 1858
he was appointed to the command of the
Department of Kentucky. The election
of Gen. Palmer to the governorship,
his controversy with President Grant
over the sending of troops to Chicago,
his separation from the party he had
helped to found, his assumption of the
leadership of the democratic party in
Illinois and the magnificent campaigns he
made for governor and for senator are
all matters of recent history The sena-
toria1 race between Gen. Palmer and John
A. Logan in 1890 was the most exciting
in the states history and after weeks of
bal1oting Palmer was elected by the votes
of three populist members of the legisla-