The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-24

I UDGE ALTON BROOKS PARKER,
of Esopus N. Y, the choice of the
Democrats of New York for the
presidential nomination, won his first vic
tory In life when he thrashed the bully
OF the country school which he had con-
tracted to teach when he was sixteen
years old. He has won many battles and
much success in life since then and has
had all the hard knocks that fall to the
lot Of the average American boy who has
ms way to make III the world and makes
The judge was born on the farm near
Cortland almost fifty-two years ago He
attended the village schools and worked
about the farm. When sixteen wears old
he taught school in 6 country school
house where he established his authority
by thrashjng the bully Ekcn he !auCht
school at Binghamton. Presently he vas a
teacher at Accord, in Ulster county at So
day. He intended to go to Cornell ami
Verslty, and was saving money fo, that
purpose. but his fathers necessities drew
from his slender income and his hopes
OF a university course failed. He moved
TO Kingston ana entered the Law Office of
SchOOnmaller x Iardenberghe as n clerk
Then he entered thc Albany Law school.
and, upon graduating, he returned to
SHOEMAKER & f1ardenbergh Within a
few months he took partner named
Kenyon and opened a law office at King
stOn.
For twelve years the young lawyer
practleed his profession in Kingston. He
had a good income and won several. i'm
pOrtant cases. During that time he was
quite free from the control or influence
Of large corporations.
In 1877 he was elected surrogate of u
ster county. and was afterward elected
for a second term. That was his first eX-
peIience of public office.
His entrance into politics was due sim
NV love for nj
Judge SHOEMAKER. who had been driven
out of politics. He believed that the judge
had been wrOnged and set out to restore
him to popular favor So earnest was
his campaign that ne soon became a rec
ognized political factor in Ulster county,
being a favorite of Mr.. Tilden and Mr.
Manning, who trusted and consulted him.
In 1885 he was induced to become chair
man of the Democratic state executive
committee, and in the campaign which he
managed David B. Hill was elected gov
ernOr. Mr. Hill appointed him to a seat
on the supreme court bench when Justice
WeStbrOOk died.
When Judge Parker was thirty three
years old he was unanimously nominated
for the supreme court bench by the Dem
ocratS. The Republicans would not nomi-
nate an opponent. Not a vote was cast
against him. He served on the supreme
court bench until his election as chief
judge of the court of appeals in 1897, by
a plurality of about 10000 votes.
During his nineteen years on the bench
he has ignored politics. In 1895 and 1900
he voted for Mr.. Bryan.
Judge Parker's wife was Miss Schoon-
maker, Of Accord, woman of rare re-
fnement and good Dutch Revolutionary
blood Their daughter married the Rev.
Charles NJ. Hale, rector of an Episcopal
church at Kingston, which is within easy
driving distance of EsOpus. The judges
son died two years ago.
1t is on the farm at Esopus that Judge
ParkerS personality has full swing. Here
he writes his most important judicial
opinions. Here, too he works in his fields
prunes his trees and cares for his thirty
registered red poll cattle, his full blooded
Poland-Chin pigs and fine flock of
Shropshire sheep.
Rosemont, for so the farm is called is
a beautiful place, all up and down HILL
fronting the Hudson and extending on
either side Of the rocky road that sprawls
in from the village of Esopus. Across the
Great river is seen one of the new Van
derbilt houses. In the other direction are
the lovely wooded mountains leading to-
ward the Catskills.
An Ideal Home.
The judges house is a modest but COM
Portable wooden structure, standing on
the stone foundations of a Dutch house
Of colonial times. 1t is set on the side
OF a hill among shade trees and fronts
the river. 1t Is the abode of hospitality
and refinement, the typical home of an
American gentleman. The pictures, the
books, the furniture, the wide hall and
glowing fireplace, the sunny library and
the dining room, with its long mahogany
table, all show evidences of intelligent
tastes that were not developed in one
generation.
Here Judge Parker walks among his
bulls and cows, in top boots and pea
jacket, the incarnation of strength and
virIity. He strides through the sorghum
and hay fields, visits the great barn. tends
the sick COW or fOndles the latest calf
and helps his men to clear up the leaves
or stubble. His cheeks glow, his eyes
shine, and he swings his arms like a boy
drinking in great draughts of the pure air
or Whistling a merry tune.
None Of his eight farm hands knows
half as much as he about the trees, the
crops, the cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens,
or apple orchard, in the COW pasture, barn
edge as we'll as in energy. He will ply
his pitchfork or put his shoulder under
a heavy load with the best of them, and
it is a good man who can keep up with
him. He is modest enough, save when he
stands among his great red poll cattle,
the pride of his heart. Then he swells
with conscious comradeship, for they are
like him-big, strong and genuine. There
is no finer sight in that part of the
country than Judge Parker in the middle
Of his herd, calling to his great bulls and
laughing as they come to him.