The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-14
JOHN C. SPOONER

saw arduous service and hes saw dan gerous service. He was brevetted ma jor for gallant conduct When peace came he was made private secretary to Governor Fairchild. and in 1867 he was called to the bar. He had su- perior legal mind. and he was indus trious and loved the profession. In little while his practice was ample, and he was . rising lawyer. He was member of the Legislature in 1872. and held other positions of trust by ap- pointment.
 spooner was elected senaotrs in Con- gress to succeed Angus Cameron in 1885. Cameron's chief title to fame is that he defeated Matt Carpenter for United States Senator in 1872. Car penter was then tho bast lawyer In America; as Senator he had shed moro luster on wisconsin than all the men who had preceded him in that office. He was the first orator in the Senate and the most brilliant man. I do not believe that our political literature contains . finer passage than the open ing paragraph of Carpenters plea for Tilden before the electoral commission. It is eloquence and logic. couched In exquisite English. and the utterance of a voice simply matchless for beauty, clearness and sweetness. In debate he overcame Blaine and Sumner and Ed munds. and held his own against Ben Hill. As master of choice. elegant. rhythmical English. E. W. Carmack comes nearest to Carpenter of any man in either House of Congress in my day. But Wisconsin took Carpen- ter out of the Senate and put Cameron in his place. However. the first op- portunity that offered she returned Car penter to the Senate and he remained until his death, in 1881.
 Spooner succeeded Cameron. and within two years was the most prom ising Senator of all the newer set. He had the ability, he had the indus try, and he loved the job. Before his term expired there rose up Set In the Lake States known as the A. P. As. Their avowed mission was to show the Catholics and the Lutherans how to go to heaven. Incidentally they sought to make our German fellow citisens get along with less beer. Now Wisconsin is full of German Catholics. German Lutherans. and consumes considerable beer. The A. P. As were Repubi- cans to a man. And 50 in 1890 the Democrats swept the State. carrying every Confessional district, electing the Governor and the Legislature.
 The result was that MT. Spooner had to surrender his toga to William F. Villas. a man plenty big enough to wear 1t. Unfortunately. about that time there rose up in the West an agrarian party, and in 1893 the Demo- cratic party joined it. But for that the country would have continued Democratic to this day! Wisconsin. along with Illinois and Indiana, re- fused to be bound by the merger of the Democratic with the Pop ulist party. and that gave the Republicans their opportunity. which they seized. and built up solid North.
 Thus, in 1897. MT. Spooner came in again, and succeeded MT. Villas as Senator in Congress from Wisconsin. The Republicans, flushed with victory, had absolute power. They made the Dingley tariff, and established what they are pleased to call the gold stand per cent flat silver in it. Just as the Arkansaw cabin does not need a roof in fair weather, this fiat does not hurt in prosperity. It's opportunity will come with the next panic.
 The Republicans also fought ahe needless and inglorious war with Spain, annexed new territory. and bought 10, 900 Asiatics at $2 a head Of
 
 these projects and Spooner was the Republican leader of the Senate in the debates. Platt of Connecticut helped him to cut out the legislation; out Spooner was the man who convinced the Senate of its wisdom. George F. Hoar delivered a speech in opposition that ranks with Webster's best efforts; but 1t fell on deaf ears. The Republi- can party was in the saddle and rode down all recalcitrants. Thus the Philippines are become as much a part of the public domain as New England or Texas.
 About this time John T. Morgan had put Congress in the notion to construct the Isthmian Canal that the country had been talking about for twenty years. Mark Hanna marshaled his CO., horts and voted the Nicaragua route out. Then the United States fomented A rebellion in a sister republic and the canal was located in Panama. France was bought out. Colombia was kicked out. and the big ditch ordered Spooner supported the administration, and but for him Morgan might have prevailed
 In the entire history of the Republi- can party there can be named no other man who has fought SO may battles on the floor of the Senate for Republican administrations as John c. Spooner, and he never got half thanked for a single one. Last March MT Spooner resigned his seat and returned to the practice of his profession. He has two sons, young lawyers. just admitted to the