Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-06-08
CHARLES W. FAIRBANKS.
Something About Indiana's Aspirant For tn,
Presidency.

| rison earnestly and loyalty. and Fair
| banks was one of the first men In IN,
| state To offer his services to the commit
| zee as speaker. He made cNcclIcut
Shr III thronghout the camraign. an,
ms course attracted the attention of tn,
| party TO HIM for the first time From
| shat camnaign may be said to CATE his in
| iiuencc in Indiana politics.
Almost at the very beginning of his no
litical experience he made up his min,
| ,nat ne would bc Il United States senator
| lie made II his business to study III,
Samc. lie had formed relationships wit,
railroad attorneys and banks all over tn,
state and through them had come INF,
| touch with the county chairmen and 10
cal political leaders everywhere He no
gan drawing men to him. and when Ores
nam left the Republican party he took al
! the GrcSham support to himself. Their,
WAS transition stage in Indiana polite.
after Grcshams disappearance. and whel
Harrison became President and ret rc,
from active participation in pol teal man.
/ aScment Fairbanks forced to the from,
| very rapidly. He was one Of the Very
/ first to realize the strength of the Nc.
/ kinlcy movement in 1896 became recoc.
niZcd as the Mckinley leader i'll the bit
ter, night which took place for the con
! troll of the Republican state convention
and as reward for his services was
made chairman of the state delegation OF
| the national convention ut St. Louis
where he won --.s first national recogni
I ton as temporary chairman of the con
vcntion. Four years later he was chair
man OF the platform committee at the
Phiiadclphia convention.
fairbank = most conspicuous traits IN
/ politics are LOYALTY and c"nscrva ism. IL
Is man OF strong ATTACHMENTS and o;
much sentiment. He c,ings tcnacioiiSiy
to those with whom he was associated in
his earlier days. He has never forgotten
the little college from which he -gradii-
atcd. lie chose his wife from among tn,
students there. and he has kept up a
, close connection with every member OF
the little class of -. No one of them ev-
or comes to him for help that he does not
give it, Wherever he has ben able to do
! so and where they asked it nc mas found
/ places for them or for their sons or foi
their business partners. lie never let's
slip an ~" ortnnity To show his fidelity 4
his college citsS. lie a.ways lccnS an eve
out for indiaha boys who have left the
state 10 mac careers for themselves.
When John ! Wilson was making his
first canvass fo- the Senate in Washing
ton he was SuI p:iscd one day to receive
a letter from Fairbanks. whom he hal
never seen. containing $500 cheek. Il
I have never mt you. said Fairbanks il:
his letter. but | know YOU are an Indi
ana boy. and | want to see you succeed q. !
Senator Burton III Kansas is another In
diana nd whom Fairbanks has encour-
aged in his political ambitions. There l.
hardly Il far Yves en- state in which thcrt
are not men who are under obligations t.
/ the lfooSicr senator.
He has few Of the uua1itics which gave
Harrison stror: a hold on the people
Of Indiana. --arr'scn had a military rs
at the bar lie wa the grandson of u
President. and he was a profound stu
don't of public question. All tho s. tn ms
went to make the people of his state
proud of him Fairbanks was not a sol
dcr. he has no distinr 'iiShed ancestry
and as Il lawyer his sIcc - has been Won
as counsel in business affairs. lie has
seldom appeared in court. and takes lit
tie interest i'll great questions of state
He is cautious. careful and conservative
every whit as conservative as Ia,irso:l
Knit Ir.lil-p Harrison h, is
panionable and has a way OF making
friends. There are few politicians i'll in
diana whom be does not call by the I
first name or by a nickname. Harrison
was treat story-teller. Fairbanks
probably never told story in his life,
and Yet he is Infinitely more approach
able and companionable than Harrison
/ ever thought of being. He works Ike Il
| dray horse. an. he makes everybody
about him work as hard as he works him
| self.
| He has something of reputation as a :!
| orator. and he has voice W..ch won'h
a tract attention anywhere. But in thr
Senate he very rarely speaks at any
| length and II. never INDUCES in runiing
debate. Ills personal appearance IS strlk
| ing. He is over six feet in hei"ht ana
| built in proportion. He always dresses IN
ministerial black. and nobody ever SAW
him in public in anything but a irockcoa
with Il black tie: -
/ is and if he were to be elected FrcSidcn
| she would RAM high among the ms
| trcsses of the White House. She n
! elected president 0f tho Dan" ,crS or IN
/ American Revolution at tho last meeting
! in Washington. and she fills tnc blii.
There is a daughter. the vile OF an IN
| dianapolis physician. and there are I've
sons. one of whom WAS voltvltccr officer
| in the war with Spain.
/ President Mckinley has at MI
dcncc in senator Fairbanks. 1hctc Is u
! man in the Senate VINO is oftcncf az ny
1 White House or who is regarded ~ Tue
| CAPITOL as more closely rcllcctin' tiic "a
ministratIon's views me iie,iam, I'm IN,
| him because he Is safe and cautious an
! because he is IA Very good politician ana
keeps track of what is going on: nrr.
is no doubt whatever about fa,rpa iih,. :
| skill in politics For the past ten year
| he has made it his business. lie prop5i :,
has a wider personal acduaihtdncc nc
any other man N the senate. lie ne no 81
| receives a letter to which he docs no,
| make a personal reply; he Is c"ilS , y
| extending his connections ana aonlns , {
his list of business ana poiit - -. !.
| lie has men of influence IN "VcrH S,a,.
| in the Union and in almost every liill,ui
! tant city with whom he IS on c"ro'' !,
terms and WI" could De uercli ,,.a,,, ~,
| necessary to work quietly or strenuous, !,
| ~ III advancement. lie comes ncare'
ia having the skeleton of natoii''i IL
canization readr for deVciopIncn. IN IN,
| Inv other of the men whose names haN -
| hcen suggested for the Rcpubiican iio l
ination lie has started cary 70 uo ~ ~
| himself what was done Tor MciE,;u,eS =,
The wears preceding 1S?6, ana wiz WHY ,to
| cn,,rSc nc lacks the prestige WHICH ny
| kinley had won, through his cianip'o.
| lin Of the protective tariff ana ms ~
tcnsivc stamping tours throush the Gun ,hl
trv. he has at his disposal rnousn III i'.,
same kind of machinery that McN MI
h"ncfited hy to make his candidacy one :
be seriously regarded in case theie 81, ,,'u'
he a lively contest in tn" Rcpupll,."n cam.
ycntion among many-Ne" ioiN
mercial.
Opposition to inventions.