The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-03-21
HERMANN WAS HERE.
Met Old onstituents-Brethre We're
Kind-Something About Him.

Binger Hermann, at23 member
of the lower house in the Oregon
Legislature, at IS member of the
state senate, for I2 years member
of congress from Oregon, for six
years commissioner of the general
land Office of the United States,
and now candidate for the re-
publican nomination for congress
from the first Oregon district, ar
rived on the Westside train from
Portland Wednesday, and spent a
day among his old constituents
He left Thursday for his home at
Roseburg.
His presence in town made a
futter among his political brethren.
Hermann S in town. went from
lip to lip always with significant
expression. Of course they were
kind to the man who has spent so
much of his life among the great
men at Washington. They made
his stay as pleasant as could be,
and incidentally allowed signs to be
seen that an on1ooker would nat
ural1y interpret as indicating that
there is fair prospect that
the Benton delegation yet to be
named for the coming congress
ional convention of the republicans
is likely asInott to be for Mr. Hermann.
As far as known, Mr.. Hermann
told no one that he was candidate
for congress, but it is very certain
that his name will be before the
convention, and that he will have
a goodly number of supporters.
Few men in Oregon have had
as many of the good things in a
political way as has the states
man from Douglas. He entered
political life in his early twenties
He has been in many a political
race, and has been defeated but
once, at Albany when the late con-
gresham Tongue, after terrible
ballot battle, won out, over him
for congress.
Mr.. Hermann was born in West
Maryland, February 10, 1843, and
is now sixty years of age. His
father was DR.. Henry Hermann,
who led a colony into Oregon ter
ritory, arriving in the autumn of,
1858, settling in the Coqui1le river
valley, being among the very first
settlers in. the region. The coun-
try was a wilderness and in home
making it was necessary to clear
away the dense forest. The near
est postohice was 80 miles distant,
and there were no methods of COM
munication except by trail and
canoe.
Binger Hermann did not arrive
in Oregon with his father. At the
age of sixteen, with his mother and
the rest Of the family he came the
following year, arriving month or
two after the admission of Oregon
into the union, February 18th,
1860. For two years thereafter,
Young Hermann assisted in clear
ing the land for the family home,
and then begun to teach school.
His first school was the second
taught in Coos county. The few
pupils lived throughout the dense
forest region embracing the Co
guile river valley, and wherein
there are now perhaps twenty
school districts, with a population
of several thousand.
Later, he taught school in var
ious parts of Douglas county. and
then began the study of law in the
office of the late Governor Chad
wick. He was admitted to the bar
by the supreme court in the au-
tumn of 1866. The only surviving
Judge of what was then the supreme
court is Judge Boise Of the third
judicial district. At the same time
he was sworn in as a member of |
the lower house Of the Oregon
At that session J. II.
Mitchell appeared for the 6rst time
as candidate for the United States
senate. Governor A G. Gibbs was
the caucus nominee of the republic,
an party. The senatorial battle !;
was not unlike those that are
fought in the present day, and re-
suited in the defeat of both the1
caucus nominee and Mr.. Mitchell. |
In the last moments of the session
Henry w. Corbett was elected as
a compromise candidate.
Two years later, Mr.. Hermann
was elected to the state senate and |
served four years, from the district |
embracing Coos, Douglas and
Curry counties. In 1874. he was
nominated and elected to congress, !,
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