Mexico weekly ledger., 1904-10-27
Character Sketch Of The Democratic
Standard Bearer.
ALTON BROOKS PARKERs CAREER
Descended From Farmers and Pat
Riots, Judge Parker While
Maintaining "A High ia
rcer ON the Bench
Has CHUNG 10
His Farm.


him, and theirs before them, were
farmers, honest men who lived their
lives on their farms, c%ultiyating the
soil, raising crops and cattle. His
grandfather. John Parker, passed
from the old homestead In Massaehu-
sets and bought a farm in Cortland
County, New York, in 1893: and here
was born John Parker. and on May IA,
1852, Alton Brooks Parker, the Dem
ocratic candidate for President. Love
of the soil, Of crops, OF cattle, Of pure
air and clear well water are Unborn
traits Of this sterling American citi-
zen.
one day John Parker, who was a
man of studious habits, widely and
deeply read and gifted with rare MEM
DRY for the best passages in the works
Of best authors was summoned to do
Jury duty in Cortland. He took Alton
with him. The boy was so greatly
impressed with the proceedings that
he determined to become a lawyer.
Overcoming by diligence, persistency
and ability all obstacles, he not only
became a lawyer, but was elected by
81, 900 majority Chief Judge of the
Court of Appeals, the greatest gift in
the legal profession that can be be-
slowed by the people c. the Empire
State.
As soon as circumstances permitted
the Judge bought himself a farm Mt
Esopus, n. Y. Here he began raising
his now famous herd Of Red Polls, a
hornless cattle good in the dairy and
in beef.
Tn tba 6ra ,tI bo,7Sa he hoe a 0raat
library. Out of doors Alton Brooks
Parker is the farmer who seeks TO win
from nature every gift sought by the
husbandman; in his library the same,
rugged, hearty man seeks in volumes
of yellow calf parallels and ~precedents
to guide him in his decisions. And so,
by reason of his dual occupations, his
many friends call him the Farmer
Judge.
MEN AND THE CONSTITUTION.
To every man who loves his country
Ia country made great and powerful
by virtue Of institutions rooted in the
Constitution, guarded and shielded by
the Constitutional is pleasing, nay,
inspiring, to behold in this age of
wealth and corrupt political and finan-
cial organization, a man of simple orr
gin, removed from every favorable
condition save those Of honest and in
dustrious parentage, so battle all OBJ
stacles and so rise in the esteem, affec-
ton and admiration Of men that be
be called upon TO resign virtually q
life position, the most commanding at
the bar Of his or any other State, to
become the standard bearer of one of
the great political parties. And when
1t is borne in mind that the great
grandfather of Alton Brooks Parker
was one Of those farmers who left his
farm when the War Of the Revolu-
ton broke out to shoulder q musket,
that by the work done by these en-
battled farmers " erty and independ-
ence was won Tor all Americans, and
that the Constitution was the direct
outcome OF the self-sacrifee, heroism,
patriotism aud blood Of those farmers,
it is not to be wondered at that Alton
Brooks Parker, the great-grandson, is
now engaged in the battle to preserve
that Constitution from usurpatlon and
destruction. As the great-grandfather
fought that liberty might be secured,
so the great-grandson fights that lib
erty may ever be preserved by the
Constitution.
What the Constitution has enabled
Alton Brooks Parker TO become, so viii
the undecided Constitution enable all
other. farmers sons TO become in the
future years.
HIS EARLY STRUGGLES.
But what Of those early days?i
Young Parker was greatly in earn
est TO become a lawyer. His father
did rot possess the means to educate
him thoroughly for the profession; not
w~ithstanding, Alton perseyered in his
purpose. He was graduated at the
Cortland Academy when sixteen years
of age, and on that very day he start
ed out TO obtain a school to teach and
he obtained one in Virgil, thirteen
miles from his home. His first expert
enee as a teacher was extremely try
ing. Some Of his pupils were nearly
as old and as large as he. More than
n conflict of authority was neces-
sary before he could subdue and con-
troll his scholars, but this is the end
he accomplished. The year following
the young teacher obtained a license
or degree from the normal school of
his town, and through this credential
secured a position in the county in
which he now resides, Ulster County,
n. Y. His salary was three dollars
per day, and the position was as
principal of the school, which gave him
some leisure in which TO study law,
and, in fact, so industrious and ener-
getic was he that he held this posi-
ton but a year, when he became TWEEN
ty-one years of age and was ready
TO be admitted to the bar, having now
supported himself for the five years
just past.
As soon rs he was admitted to prac-
tice be became the Junior partner in
the office Of SHOEMAKER 4 Harden
bergh, Of Kingston, n. Y. He had a
strong friend in Augustus S~ehoonmak-
er, who took an interest in him and
encouraged him TO take a course at the
Albany Law School. The friendship
between SHOEMAKER and Parker be-
came still closer. Youn- Parker was
hardly a partner I'm the firm when he
took a lively interest in the political
fortunes Of Schoonmaker, who had
been county Judge, but was defeated
for reelection, and was SO discouraged
by this that he was about to give up
politics forever. Young Parker dis
suaded him from doing so, and he ar
ranged matters for SchOonmaker's