The Washington times., 1901-12-08
A FORMER SENATOR
NOW A DAY LAB0RER.
A FAMOUS POLITICAL OUTGASF.
The Extremes of Fortune which
Have Befancn n Once Great
Mantle Is Ending His
Days I'm Poverty.


as job printer; former United States
Senator, whose name within the genera
tion has been upon every lip. whose vote
! saved Andrew Johnson from being driven
in ignominy from the Presidency. bending
in his old age over a woodsaw, the man
who prevented the now ll-but- forgotten
name OF Benjamln +. Wade from going
| into history as the eighteenth President
OF the United States, ending his days in
poverty and obscurity. Such are the eN-
tremes OF fortune which have fallen to
the lot of former Governor AMI former
Senator Edmund G.. Ross, OF Albuquerque.
Governor Ross. as he Is known to his
neighbors. was born seventy five years
ago at Ashland. Ohio. near. both In place
and time. to the birth OF Senato.' William
d. Allison Of Iowa He is one OF the old
est printers living. He began learning his
trade at eight years of age. saeeforth
the printing oaice was his only school.
his journeyman's certificate his only d.
ploma.
The slavery excitement OF the early
| SOS found the young printer foreman Of
| a JOB ONCE in Milwaukee. OF New Eng
land Puritan ancestry and northern OGio
birth. he was naturally an intense Aboi-
zionist. The formation of the young hs-
publican party at Ripon. Wis, therefore
appealed to him with rare force. He soo1
after took an active part in bringing about
a meeting at Milwaukee for the orsauiza-
ton OF the new party at that place. He
shortly removed TO Kansas. and. with the
viEor of youth and ardor Of intense con-
viction. entered the fight for freedom in
the new territory. In 1856 he founded the
Topeka Tribune one Of the first news
papers west OF the Missouri River. which
was OF great service to the anti-slavery
cause. When the war began. the young
editor enlisted as T. private in the Elev-
enth Kansas Cavalry. He saw active serv-
ice through the war, and at Its close was
mustered out as lieutenant colonel. When
Colonel Ross returned to Topeka. the Leg
islature was in a deadlock over the elec-
tion Of Senator. His service to his party
and country before and during the war
stood him in stead. and the deadlock was
broken by his election tc the Senate.
Senator Ross In Congress.
In Congress Senator Ross was strong
party man. Throughout the long fight over
reconstruction he was strict radical. In
this he well represented the intense spirit
then dominant in Kansas, and was thor
oughly popular with the people and his
party associates in the Senate He was
obedient to caucus mandates. He had
shown no indication Of aspiring to leader
ship. His future was full of promise
When the Congressional leaders at length
determined upon the impeachment OF the
President they never doubted that they
could rely upon the Kansas Senator to
the utmost. 1t was well understood that
several Republican Senator'S were not
kindly disposed toward such a drastic
measure as impeachment and toward the
end of the trial Senators Fessenden. Fow-
Ter, Grimes. Henderson. Trumbull and Van
Wrinkle announced their opposition 70 con-
viction upon any Of the charges. and sew
eral others did not believe there was any
evidence to sustain several OF them. This
rendered it necessary to conviction that
every other Republican Senator should
vote for impeachment.
At this iuncture the attitude Of Senator
Ross became a source of much uneasiness
to the impeachment managers. After tho
Senate had been organized as a court to
try the charges, he had steadfastly re-
fused to discuss the merits OF the case or
to Indicate how he would vote. His only
statement was that he would hear tho
evidence and the argument. and would
then vote in accordance with his oath to
give the accused President fair and i'm
partial trial. Rumurs OF corruption and
undue influence began TO iy about Wash
irgton. Letters and marked editorials
advising s1r. Ross how to vote reached
him by the thousand. Trusted messen.
gers bore him significant messages.
Party leaders labored with him. Re-elec-
tion or political ruin were held up as tho
alternatives. But TO no avail. He ad-
hered to his determination to decide tho
case upon its merits. as best he could.
and refused to commit himself He was
torn between his antipathy to the Presl-
ient. his deep political prejudice. his am
and his desire to conform to the
wishes of his State on the one hand, and
the conviction slowly forcing itself upon
him on the other. that whatever the mis-
takes and follies of Mr.. Johnson. he was
not guilty Of the high crimes and misde-
meanors in office with which he was
charged. nor TO warrant his expulsion
from his high office. This refusal to COM
NIT himself in advance made Senator
Ross the marked man of that trial. When
tie vote was taken. May Is. 1865. the eyes
Of the whole nation we're upon him. It
Vas felt that upon his vote the issue rest
cd. And IL was true. When he Joined his
''insurgent" colleagues in voting not
guilty" furnishing the vote which acquit-
ted the President the fury OK the advo-
rates OF conviction burst about his head.
Upon him as n scapegoat the alleged po-
Iitical sins of the anti-impeachment Re
Dublicans were loaded. and he was driven
INTO the wilderness OF obscurity.
He Became job Printer.
Upon his retirement in 1871 the ex-Sen-
itor made several successive newspaper
ventures in Kansas. all OF which proved
and but short time suffced to
ind him again eking out precarious sx-
stence "at the case as in his early man.
lood. In 1882 he removed to albuquerque.
md shortly afterward became foreman of
he Job department OF one OF the local
where he remained for the
lext three years. Smarting under the
erce denunciation leveled at him by his
arty organs. leaders. and conventions.
ir. Ross made the mistake OF Joining the
party. with which he in real
ty had no sympathy. But the act stood
i'm in good stead in 1885. whel Presi-
leveland sought partially to reward him
Or his services and sacrifices seventeen
ears before by making him Governor OF
lew Mexico Upon his retirement in 1889.
ov. Ross fitted up a small job office in
IOtquerque. Much OF tne time NE was
le only workman employed In the
Imble routine of printing letter-heads.
rculars. and sale bills he spent the next
N years. Two years ago Gov. Ross sold
Is plant and purchased a small farm on
lie edge of the town. Here. in a little
exican adobe house surrounded by
ees, but otherwise typical Of the dull.
oomy. forbidding residence Of the
native. he is spending the
inset years OF life in which romance
I'd pathos have been most strangely
ended
When I called on him recently I found