The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-22

O'Clock ...........661l O'Clock ..---.-----So
o'clock -7ol2 o.cIock -sq 81
,9 o,cIIock ,cI0cz o,eioc1 eiocz .s5
Wind, y miles an hour, southeast, at
2 p m
under the eve of a conscientious
father and at the knee of a plous
mother that his boy was taught that
life was real and that nothing was
desirable or honorable that was not
acceptable to God. He went to the
neigh hborhoOd schools until he was
sufficiently advanced to enter college,
and in the eyes of Loriston Monroe
Fairbanks there was but one college
in the commonwealth, and that the
Ohio Wesleyan university, at Della
ware, Ohio, not far from Union coun-
ty. The boy entered that institution
an eager seeker after knowledge. He
had learned the use Of tools and did
odd jobs to help his father pay his
way. He lived frugally and studied
industriously and was duly graduated
from the classical course.
Then he chose profession, the
law, and to sustain himself while
studying he was a reporter of the
Associated Press at Cleveland, and
subsequently at PittSburg. In 1872 he
was admitted to the bar of the SUI
preme court of Ohio. Soon afterward
he was married to Miss Cornelia Cole,
daughter of Judge Cole, of Marysville,
| Ohio, and settled at indianapolis, Ind,
| where he has made his home ever
since. He and his wife we're school
l mates and she had been the associate
editor of the college paper Of which
he was editor During all the years
\ of their married life she has been
/ his friend as well as his wife and the
mother of his children.
/ When Fairbanks opened his Office
at the Indiana capital he was as lean
as a fence rail and nearly as long. His
1 health was not robust, and it was not
a very inviting field as it appeared to
j b h0nnf Hara Lee
4 dinal virtues-industry frugalIty,
/ self-denial and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
his, and now he practiced all Of them.
He had no genius except the genius
| of ceaseless labor and the taking Of
| infinite pains He was not a Blaine
or an Ingersoll to captiVate and to
| dazzle His was not a brilliant intel
1 lect to depend on the inspiration of
| the moment rather than on previous
| study But he was q man of ability
and fine mind Every day he learned
a little law and he never forgot it.
| ears after that little piece of law
/ stantaneOus command, whether he
was in his Office preparing a brief or
| in the courtroom trying a case. He
1 began at the bottom as a corpOratfo
| lawyer, and got to the top. He never
| was satisfied to know his own side of
| a case When he had mastered his
side, he set about a study Of his ad-
! NerSary side, and he never ceased If
| till he had mastered it. too. As a con-
/ sequence he was never caught nan
ping, ana IN few years he was in
the ranks of the leading lawyers of
indiana ana the middle west He wa c
not so great a lawyer as Ben Harrison
Il who was but he was a more sue
cussful lawyer than Ben Harrison.
During many years he was urged tc
/ enter pontlcs and stand for office. He
resolutely refused. He was party
| man, however, as any son of such 2
1atner must have been, and gave of his
means to support his party's cause, and
Il whenever invited to do so he went or
the stump to aid the election of the
Republican ticket. Thus he became a
valuable asset of that party in Indiana
But ne early determined that his fam
ily should have competency and his
children an education before he soughi
preferment.
When the great war between tbe
states was finished there was one coIos.
sal political figure in Indiana, Oliver p
Morton, the greatest of the war gov.
ernors- There were two younger men
both of very great promise-WaIte .
Gresham and Benjamin Harrison. The
former was content to be the follower
of Morton; the latter would have beer
content to follow no man. Had Mortor
lived we may be sure Harrison vyotJlC
never have been president; but it is al
| together probable that Gresham would
have been. The two were antagonistfs
in their natures-Gresham was as en-.
gaging as a generous and happy schoO
boy, and Harrison as cold as the icfcI.
that hung on Diana's temple. It only
shows that we do not make president: t:
of our men of magnetism.
In 1888 the Republican party wanteS
to renominate James G. Blaine fol
, president That gentleman was oppos
! ed. to 1t for two reasons-one, III
thought he could not be elected, ant
the other, he believed he would no
survive an exciting campaign, and Ii
: was probably right in both conclusions
John Sherman, Chauncey Depew, Gov
Alger, Ben Harrison, and Judge Ores
, ham were candidates. Perhaps Their
were others. 1t was ascertained tina
Mr.. Blaine would not accept the nomi
; nation. and that Harrison would no
? be distasteful to him. Then Tom Plat
t nominated Harrison.
: Fairbanks was most successfu
: lawyer and his practice was yer
/ | lucrative Some Of his fees We're eror
nous, and his services were in grea
He had earned a competency tn
: wolf was far from his door. and ne wa
ready TO enter politics. There was Jus
one office he wanted. just one he woul
= have. That IS the office he now holds
, but the Democrats had the legisIa turs
: and Senator Voorhees, was reelected
Fairbanks sought the minority nomina
q trick. When the next election came Sen
v / ator Turpie was chosen senator but Fair
: banks got the minority nomination.
= The campaign of 1896 came on Tn
Z Democratic party got Mysteries and cu
all sorts of caperS and shines. It was de
e lirious for some months and when II 60
r out Of the spasm il found it had made