Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-05-04

mess man, and while actively engaged
In farming he devoted his personal at
tention to the work. He knew very
many or the farmers of Madison, War
rem and Dallas counties personally and
their dealings with him were alive VS.
pleasant, for he had the reputation pf
being an upright man. Later he took
up his residence In the new town of
Dexter. In Dallas county, near his
Madison county line, and after q time
ne and a brother-in-law opened O bank,
They continued in the banking business
together for many years, Conger con-
tinuing his ownership Of the farms for
several years. AS a business man in
growing town of Dexter he was
very active and he was largely instru-
mental In making the town one of the
best or the small ones along the Rock
Island.
1t was in the year 1877 that the re-
publicans OF Dallas county, Iowa, first
discovered Conger. He had taken no
active part In county politics but his
friends and neighbors pressed him for
nomination for county treasurer, and
he was nominated n elected. He
was reelected w years later. While
serving his last year as county treas
urer he was nominated for state
treasurer, and served four years with
great credit to himself. While he was
county treasurer of Dallas county he
sold out his interests at Dexter and
made his residence In Abel, the county
seat, and after he had been state
II easurer he removed to Des Moines to
live. In the meantime he had become
interested In financial institutions in
Des Moines and elsewhere. At one
time his new ventures had proved
quite profitable, but later through the
biuhders OF associates he lost every
thing.
Thrco Terms In Congress.
Mr.. Conger was elected TO the Forty.
ninth. Fiftieth and Fifty-frst CON
crosses, receiving large m~ajorities
each time. In other years the Seventh
congressional district had been repre-
scented by T.. III. Gillette, greenbacker,
but Conger piled up n big republican
majority and the district has ever
since been republican. In congress Mr..
Conger developed rapidly. He applied
to congressional life the same lNsiness
methods he had applied in his private
affairs and In his offices as county and
state treasurer. He became at once an
advocate of liberal pensions to old
soldiers and was instrumental In Sc
curing some much needed legislation.
lie was placed on the committee on
coinage, weights and measures when
he first entered congress, and in the
Fffty-first congress he was advanced
to the Craftsmanship. 1t was while on
this committee that he had a great
deal TO do with the formation OF the
legislation regarding currency and es-
p~ecially silver previous to 1880. He
was the author of the "Conger lard
BILL a measure intended to prevent
deliberations OF various kinds. In his
first years in congress he did his work
entirely in committee, but later he be-
came a good man on the floor n de-
veloped a faculty for earnest argument.
In his college days Conger had been a
good speaker, but not until he had
served a term In congress did he mani
fest ability to go on the stump and
present the issue to the people.
After that he was in demand as n
public speaker.
In congress Conger made many warm
friends. One OF these was William Nc
Kinley. When Harrison became president
he appointed Mr.. Conger to be minister to
Brazil, which position he filled for three
years. lie fell In love with his work, but
on a change OF administration returned to
Iowa to engage In business, In 1856 Con-
ger was elector-at-large on the republican
ticket in Iowa, and after the election Of
Mckinley he was again appointed minis
ter to Brazil. n post which he sought In
order hat he might finish the work
he had begun there. lie had been In Bra
I'll but n short time when President Nc
Kinley asked him to go to Picking to be-
come United States minister to China.
The president desired an experienced man
at that place, and. while Conger at first
protested that he would prefer to remain
in Brazil, he finally accepted the mission
to China on tho earnest solicitation Of the
president and his cabinet.
Mr.. ongcr wa mrrried In 1866 at
Galesburg, H., &c Miss Sarah j. Pike.
Their daughter. Miss Laura, welded a
Des Moines man, who has since died,