The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-07

His State Has Called
Him to Its Service.
Equal to Higher Office
| promise-Walter Q. Gresham and Benjamin
| Harrison. The FORMER content TO be
| the follower OF Morton; the latter would
| have been content To follow no man. Had
| Morton lived we may be sure Harrison
! would never have been President; but IL
| Is altogether probable that Gresham would
| have been. The two were antagonstic IN
| their natures-Gresham was as engaging
| as a generous and happy school boy and
| Harrison as cold as the icicle that hung
on Diana's temple. It only shows that We
| 90 not make Presidents OF our men OF
| magnetism.
In 1855 the Republican party wanted TO
| renominate James q. Blaine for President.
| That gentleman was opposed TO IL for two
| reasons-one. he thought he could not be
| elected and the other, he believed he would
| not survive exciting campaign, and no
| was probably right in both conclusions.
| John Sherman, Chauncey DepeW. Governor
+, Alger, Ben HARRISON ana Judge Gresham
| were candidates. Perhaps there were 9TH
| ers. 1t was ascertained that Mr. Blaine
| would not accept the nomination and that
| Harrison would not be dStaSteful TO HIM.
| Then Tom Platt nominated Harrison.
| Senator Fairbanks was in Chicago at the
| time doing all he could 10 compass the
| nomination of Judge Gresham. He toiled
: increasingly and came very nearly TO sue
! cess, but il was not TO be. Harrison was
/ nominated and Fairbanks contributed or
mis- means, his time, and his elOquence 10
| elect him. He was a potent factor in the
Indiana election of that year and the party
| never forgot it.
Fairbanks was now the most successful
| of lawyers of Indiana, and his practice was
| very lucrative Some of his fees were
enormous, and his services were in great
| demand throughout the middle West. lie
| had earned 4 competency. The wolf was
| far from his door, and he was ready 10
enter politics. There was just one office he
| wanted, just one he would have. That IL
| the office he now holds, but the Democrats
| was reelected. Fairbanks sought the
| minority nomination and would have got
ii but for a trick. When the next election
| came, Senator Turpie was chosen senator,
| but Fairbanks got the minority nominal
| ton.
cratic party got Mysteries and cut all sorts
| of caDers and shines. 1t was delirious for
| some months, and when ii got out OF the
spasm it found il had made a divided
| South and a practically solid North. Fair
| banks did his devoir in that campaign after
| a fashion the country admired. He had
| contributed greatly to the nomination or
| Mckinley, and now he had done even more
| for his election. His speeches had great
effect on the sane electorate. and he was
| in demand everywhere Ii now that
| he made a national reputation.
The last term CT Mr.. VOORHEES, as sem
ator in Congress from the State of Indiana
| was about to expire in both branches. Mr..
| Fairbanks sought the office of senator and
was chosen to it, He became a member
OF the Senate the day William Mckinley.
an altogether kindred spirit became Pres
ident of the United States. The Pres
| ident had the utmost confidence in his
brother Republican and brother Methodist
| from Indiana. They were earnest men,
| they looked on life a serious thing; they
! devoted long. patient, and laborious thought
| to public matters. viewing them from every
| avaiIabIe STANDPOINT. They were both Re
| publicans TO the marrow. They believed In
| the party of Lincoln, of Sumner, of Wade
| They abOminated the Democratic party as
| the widow of slavery and the servant of
! economic heresy. They believed in the
dogma of protection and other species OF
| paternalism. and, with a single exception,
| it is probable that no man had more in
| fuence in the councils of William Mcktn-
| ley than Charles w. Fairbanks.
| During his whole career at the bar Sena-
tor Fairbanks refused TO seek political pre-
ferment, on the conscientious grounds that
| his time was not his own, but had been
bought and paid for by his clients. Ii Is
true that he made frequent speeches in
holly contested political campaigns. but
none of them was at the expense of a client,
and, perhaps, ii is not improper 10 say that
no speech of Charles w. Fairbanks ever
cost the Republican party a cent. He al
ways paid his way. No political committee
ever lost anything by this man.
And il was the same when he entered
the Senate; He declared that MS time be-
| longed TO his country, that he had pub
| lie duty to perform, and that IL was not his
| purpose TO serve two masters. To this end
steadfastly refused all retainers. He is
wealthy man. but by no means the multi
millionaire he has been rated by some peo-
| pie He is economical in his personal eN-
| penditures, but he is exceedingly generous
with his purse. He never counts the cost
| when a legitimate demand is made on his
charity or his generosity.
When Senator Fairbanks got to the SEN
ate there much of faction in Repub-
| lican politics in Indiana. Benjamin Harri-
son the States most illustrious citizen
and ablest man. General Harrison never
nnfli 10 tod Iao hslf "a
could not COmbativeneSsi COmbativeneSsi
| Combativeness, was stamped all over that
strong countenance-mentally, morally,
physically, Harrison was a fighter Such a
man was bound % have enemies. He could
not get along without them. They were as
much a part of him the spots part
| OF the leopard OF the pigment cell is q part
| of the Ethiopian. Next TO Morton he was
Indiana's greatest son, and intellectually
| he surpassed even Morton. Thus IL was
bound TO be-after Harrison left the White
| House-that the Republican party OF Indi-
| ana divided into Harrison Republicans
and anti-Harrison Republicans. Though he
| supported the Harrison administration cor
| daily, Fairbanks was never what was
| called a Harrison man. and he got to the
| Senate over the opposition OF many Of that
| faction.
But the Republican party of Indiana is
to-day united as IL has not been since the
close of the big war of 1S6l-65. Faction has
vanished. and the man who did IL is the
senior senator from Indiana.
I do not believe Mark Hanna has ever
had the presidential bee in his bonnet.
| There is a circumstance that confirms that
! opinion 1t is this-if Mark Hanna had
been a candidate for President he would
have made an organization that would have
| been irresistible, and the nomination would
have been in his grasp.
| Had Mckinley lived / verify believe the
| Republican nomination for President in 1904
| would this moment be IN the grasp OF
| Charles w. Fairbanks. / believe he rs the
| man William Mckinley hoped would sue
| coed him-n0t that he loved Fairbanks more
than he loved Hanna. but that he knew
Hanna did not desire the presidency.
| 1t would be a sound. a conservative. a
safe administration this HoOsier senator
| would give the country There would be
| nothing startling. nothing brilliant, nothing
| audaciOus. nothing strenuous about H. It
would not remind you Of Jobs war horse
| full OF ginger and thunder and lightning
| jumping couters. rattlesnakes and brass
| headed swapping turtles. IL would be
nothing of that sort. but you would think Of
old Dobbin generously fed on oats. gong
the hatfooted walk, and reaching the
destination safely and exactly on time and
| having the confidence OF everyone. whether
he thought there was a better boss than
DObDin or not. S-ANOYARD.
The Retort Courteous.
New York Tribune.
The late William L. Elkins. the street
rHaHN .NTHH 81