Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1901-06-20
HAZEN S. PINGREE DEAD
He Met His End In a Hotel In
London.
HAD BEEN ILL FOR SOME TIME
Cause of Death Cnncerous Affection
of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of BnsI-
ness and Political Career of Mich
iKan's Former Governor.

ness and Political Career of Mich
igan's Former Governor.
London, June lex Governor II. s.
Pingree of Michigan died here last
night at 11:35. His son was the only
one present at the time of his death.
The attending doctor left Mr.. Pingree's
bedside at about 11:15, promising to re-
turn shortly. II. S. Pingree, Jr., who
had been watching at his fathers side
for four days and who had not removed
his clothes during that time, noticed a
sudden change in his fathers condition.
He had hardly reached the patients
bedside when his father died peaceful
ly, without warning and without speak
ing one word. Young Mr.. Pingree has
wired his mother and his uncle in the
United States not to come to London.
The body Of the late Mr.. Pingree will
be embalmed and taken to his home.
The diagnosis made by London spe-
cialists of the cancerous affection OF
the intestines from which Mr.. Pingree
suffered left practically no hope for
the patients recovery. Toward the
end of his Illness Mr.. Pingree suffered
great pain and weakened rapidly. He
was unable to retain nourishment. His
mind, however, remained fairly clear.
During the whole of Tuesday he was
practically kept alive by injections Of
strycnnine and drugs administered to
lessen his pain.
Pfngree's Career.
The death of HaZen s. Pingree re-
moves from American public life one
of the greatest political bosses" of re-
| cent years, though he owed his advent
and success In politics to one Of those
| civic revulsions which had for one of
| its purposes the overthrow of boss rule.
| On the topmost wave Of this movement
| In the city of Detroit In 1889 Pingree,
| Heretofore a mere citizen without a
| thought of politics, was borne into the
mayors chair by a majority which sur
prised his friends and astounded his
| opponents.
From that time until last year, when
| be retired as governor because he found
| 1t impossible to obtain denomination,
| Pingree was the boss of Michigan.
| He built about him a machine which
| ignored on more than one occasion the
old political leaders of the Republican
| party in the state and landed its leader
| four times in the mayors chair and
| twice in the governors seat.
| In politics Pingree had his own meth
DDS. He was original. In the first place
he came into politics by accident. Be-
| fore his nomination as mayor of De-
| troit in 1889 he did not know the first
| thing about politics. He was a Re
| publican because he was born In
Maine. Beginning life as a journey
man shoemaker, he had become pro-
| prietor of shoe factory, and his po-
/ litical duties consisted in sending a
! check each year to the campaign COM
mittee.
Pingree was nominated for mayor In
! 1889 because Cleveland had carried the
! city n year before by 5000 majority,
and nobody else wanted what was con-
sidercd an empty honor. 1t was thought
no Republican could win. SO soon as
Pingree realized this he became angry
and announced that he would be elect
! ed. And he was, by 5000 majority,
] after a hard fight, in which he pledged
himself to redeem the city from cor
poration rule If elected. Workingmen
supported him in spite of the fact that
he was a millionaire. In the campaign
he showed his genius for organization
and knowledge of the wishes of the
people. Elected, he fulfilled most of his
pledges.
Fight For Governor.
Then he made his fight for the gov
! ernorship, promisingEhat if elected he
4, al, \, a
done for the city. Opposed to him Were
all the veteran politicians. like Senator
Mcmillan, Alger, Bliss, Burrows and
| O'Donnell. But he beat them all and
got the nomination. Election as govern
or followed as a matter OF course. Nc
Kinley carried Michigan by $4,000 plI-
rality. Pingree's plurality was $1,000.
Pingree set to work to reform the
state. He found that Indiana obtained
about 81, 5o0,O 900 year in taxes from
railroads, while Michigan, with lar
ger railway mileage, had been getting
about 100000 from the same source
Pingree had bill introduced in the leg.
islature giving the various counties in
the state the power of local taxation
over the railroads and allowing them
to assess railroad property the same as
other property and collect taxes from
the corporations independently. The
railroads opposed this, but the people
approved, and the result was the pas
sage of compromise bill increasing
the taxation on gross earnings and
; doubling the amount of taxes received
Mr.. Pingree while he was mayor ac
complished many municipal reforms
among others forcing the gas compa
MES to lower their rates so cents a
thousand. establishing the public light
ing plant, organizing the Detroit rail
ways on a cheaper fare basis, lowering
telephone rates and breaking up q
number of sewer and paving rings that
were thriving when he came into office
His potato patch scheme for the relief
Of the poor of the city was extensively
copied and brought him much fame.
Mr.. Pingree married in 1872 Miss
Frances A. Gilbert of Mount Clemens
and they had two daughters and son
Maniia's Latest Census
Lieutenant NJ. l.. Gilchrist who has
completed a census for the Manila
board of health, gives the population
of Manila at 244932. divided as fol
lows: Filiplnos, 18I, 1851; Chinese, 81
567; Americans, S,562; Spaniards, 2.3S2
other nationalities, $50. The figures do
not include men belonging to the Unit
ed States army. There are 1S,463 build
ings in the city, of which 3,739 are