The Princeton union., 1900-11-29
MinneSOta'Sr Peerless Statesman J
to His Eternal Rest Tuesday.

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to His Eternal
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4 8 great man is gone! The peerless
Cushinan x. Davis is no more! His
eloquent voice is hushed forever in the
stiffness of death' Mere words cannot
express my feelings. lam not given
to hero worship, but Cushman K. Davis
was one Of my idols. I feel as if I had
been bereft of one of my own little
family. For almost quarter of CEN
tus,,, ever sincerI have known him,
have been his personal and political
friend. There was a time when pow
erful faction Of the Republican party
in#the State was decidedly hostile to
the dead senator and his political am
billions. In 1875 at the close of his
term as governor he aspired to seat
inthe United States senate, but S. J.
e. Mcmillan was chosen. Well do I
remember the Republican State con-
vention held in the old opera house in
ST. Paul in 1880 to elect delegates to
the Republican national convention,
and the determined but unsuccessful
fight a few OF US made to send Mr..
Davis as q delegate; he was an ardent
admirer Of James G. Blaine as were an
Overwhelming ma aiority Of the Repub-
leans Of the State but the Federal
oflce-holders manipulated the oonven-
tion and a delegation was elected and
instructed for Mr., Window Again in
1884 the same element tried to prevent
Mr. Davis from going as delegate to
hesssRepublican national convention,
zand despite the opposition Of the dele
gates from the populous counties OF
Ramsey, Hennepin, Washington, Wi
mona and Stearns, Mr., Davis was tri-
u,nphantly elected. The men who
were opposed to Mr.. Davis were also
unfriend!y to Blaine and had, as they
thought, the pins set up to defeat Davis
and select an anti-Blaine delegation
But the friends Of Davis-they were
all from the ''rural districts held a
caucus in the Merchants hotel dining
room the evening before and arranged
program which enabled them to con-
troll the organization of the convention
the next day. The late Hon. Z. 3.
Clarke was elected chairman after a
hot contest, and then it was plain sail
ing for the friends of Mr.. Davis. Mr..
Clarke's speech Of thanks was brief
but to the point and evoked thunder
Gus applause. AS nearly as I can re-
member it was something like this:
81 thank you for the great honor you
have conferred upon me, and assure
you. gentlemen, / shall endeavor to
preside over your deliberations fairly,
and impartially 5,, the interests Of james
G.. Bld54ee' From the date of that
convention the tide began to turn in
Cushman K. Davis favor. and thence
forth his star was in the ascendant in
the political armament of Minnesota.
The country press of Republican and
Independent proclivities commenced to
urge his claims for seat in the senate,
and INCREASINGLY continued the agita-
tion in his favor until, in 1887, he was
chosen practically without opposition,
to succeed Senator Mcmillan. He was
reelected in 1893, and was again re-
elected in 1899. No man in this or any
other State had more loyal and devoted
friends than Cushman K. Davis. In
his room at the Merchants hotel after
he had been reelected to the senate
in 1893, while the tears coursed down
his cheeks he said to me, God never
blessed man with band of such un-
selfish, such loyal and unpurchasable
friends as I have had in this fight.''
On several occasions ne has told me
that he owed the country press of Min
nesota q debt of gratitude he could
never hope to repay. Less than two
months ago he said in my presence,
People pirate about a venal press. ]
am not q rich man, as you know, and
could not, even were I SO disposed
which am not purchase the support
of the press, yet in q political sense,
owe everything to the press, and espe.
cially the country press His friends
watched with pride and satisfaction
his brilliant career in the United
States senate. From the first day he