The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-01-27

ESSi1" 2]$8s3$3$$ 6lOe M6USOu, WIS.
sssg The $500 entrance
SSSs8@s fee was raised by
Ex-Goy. TAYLOR. friends and at the
age Of IS Ex-Governor Taylor retires
forever from the scene Of life's activi-
ties. His last days are as pathetic as
his first days were pitiful. His mother
died when he was 8 weeks old and six
wears later his father, sea captain,
was lost in mid-ocean. He was born
practically without home and raised
among strangers, and he will spend his
last days in a home that is not q
home, but retreat for relics Of a past
generation.
Thirty years ago it was different.
Mr.. Taylor, in 1S73-75, was In the ex-
ecutive mansion at Madison, swept
into office by the granger movement,
one Of the most unique uprisings that
ever colored the pages Of western his
tory. 1t was the movement on the part
Of the patrons of husbandry," as they
were named by President Johnson,
who was the real promoter of the
Grange as a national organization.
Throughout the Western States, par
ticularly in Wisconsin, the agricultur-
lists. reduced to sore straits by the civil
war, banded to gether in one great
brotherhood, and the grange almost
took the place of church, club and
theater. In Wisconsin the "grangers"
fused with the Democrats in 1873, and
Taylor was put at the head Of the
ticket, the only fusion candidate to be
elected. He went into Office like a cy.
clone. He whacked away at the rail-
roads in his inaugural address. and
when the Legislature assembled he
was at it hammer and tongs for the
passage of law that would relieve the
farmers from excessive rates.
In 1874 Governor Taylor began by
refusing all railroad passes and franks
Then came the enactment of the POT
ter law, creating a commission to fix
and regulate railway rates. 1t placed
the roads under State control, limiting
the charges for transportation of pas
sengers and freight and classifying the
freight. A howl went up from the rail-
roads. They took the position of in
jured innocence and some Of them serv-
ed formal notice that they would not
respect one Of it's provisions. Up rose
Taylor's fighting blood. The contro-
versy was one Of national extent and
consequence, and the contention ex-
tended both to State and Federal
courts, the main question involved be-
ing the constitutional power of the
State over corporations of its own Gre
alton A test suit went against the
railroads, and the court sustained the
position of the State and rendered
judgments against the corporations.
The decision established finally the alb
solute power of the Legislature to mod
ify or repeal the charters of corpora
tons. Governor Taylor also attacked
and routed the timber sharks who had
been robbing the forests Of the State.
When he became Governor in 1873
Mr.. Taylor was comfortably situated,
SO far as worldly goods 60. He own
ed farm of 800 acres and had much
personal property. Since then he has
met with misfortune In nearly all his
ventures, fact that has brought him
to his present condition.
Misfortune in business attended the
Governor almost on the day that he
left office. To recoup his losses Mr..
Taylor turned to speculation and met
with almost uniform failure.
The early years of the farmer Gov
ernor" were filed with hardships.
With the family with whom he lived
he moved to Jefferson County, N. Y,
and at the age Of IL was working in
the clearings from morning until night,
digging out stumps and filling stony
soil. At 16 he broke away from this
life of toll and in two years saved
enough to enable him to enter the
Academy Of Union College, Science
tady. Later he taught school in Ohio
and then settled on farm near Cot
tage Grove, Wis, working as a lum-
herman and riverman in winter. It
was as a farmer he was elected Gov
ernor.