Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-11-30
IE FALLS MORRISON CO. MINN, FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30 1900

or 5, 1893. The campaign issue was then
new. being whether the state could
control the charges Of railroads. Gov.
ernor Davis asserted this right and
such legislation was enacted and en-.
forced during his term of Office. Dur.
ing protracted senatorial contest Al
that session Governor Davis was paa
OF tho Candidates but Chief Justice.
Mcmillan was finally elected. llwas
at this time that thegreat 'srssshopla.s
plague devastated Southwestern Min.
nesota and Governor Davis raised over
Sl00,000 in money besides supplies for
the victims of the plague. s,r' 10
Governor Davis declined enomiua.
tion aud resumed the practice Of law.
His successor, Goveruo: Pillsbury. re-.
tanned him to argue in the United
States supreme court the case Of tive
state Of Wisconsin against the city OF
Duluth end the state of Minnesota TO
restrain the opening Of the present
Duluth ship canal through which all
the commerce OF that port now passes
Mr. Davis won the suit for Minnesota
He continued in the ractice OF law
until 1887. also giving considerable nt.
tention to politics. IL 1854 he headed
the Blaine delegation to Cnicaeo where
he made one OF the nominating speeches
for that candidate.
During 1886 many OF the state news.
papers advocated his election rs United
States senator AID when the irvlsiu.
ture OF i3oi met senator A4cAlllIAu
withdrew t,s u candidate for re.electlon
and Mr.. Davis received every vote.
Authority on Iu,.rnnIinna. Law.
. Senator Davis first chairmanship in
the senate was OF the committee on
pensions, which he held throughout his
first term. He WAS the author of the
pension law of 1890 which tcrmina' Ell
the demands for excessive pension leg
islation and also satisfied the old sol.
diers. As member OF the committee
on territories Senator Davis led The
fight for the admission Of the Dako,us
to statehood, making his first speech III
the senate Oh that subject.
AS student and an authority on in.
ternational law Senator Davis fur.
nished briefs to President Harrison
and Secretary Of State Blaine on tho
Ohilian dispute and the Behring sea
controversy. His advocacy Of the new
locks at the Sault Ste Marie ship canal
carried to successful result legisla-
tion the wisdom of which has since
been amply demonstrated.
In 1893 the Republican Legislative
~ kho ~
of Senator Davis, but before the legis-
leture voted on the senatorship variuu5
influences interviewed and he was finally
elected by q majority Of /, although the
Republicans had majority OF II on
joint ballot.
i At the beginning of his second term
Senator Davis was placed Oh the com.
mittee on foreign relations, and when
Senator Sherman was transferred TO
the cabinet Of President Mckinley Sen.
ator Davis was placed at the head of
tina, important committee.
In 1866 many friends of the senator
pressed his name for the presidential
nomination. BIT before the state con.
vention to name delegates met he with.
drew and Mckinley delegates were
sent from Minnesota.
During the past four years Senator
Davis position as chairman Of the
foreign relations committee of the sen.
ate and later as one Of the Paris peace
commissioners kept him prominently
before the public Of all nations. He
was elected without opposition in 800
for his third term.
Senator Davis has been twice mar.
ried. His first wife was Miss Laura
Bowman, and, after she had secured q
divorce from him, he married, in 1880.
Miss Anna Malcolm AgneW.