The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-14

then tho best lawyer in America; as Sem ato- h. had shed more luster on Wiscon- sin than all the men who had preceded him in that office. He was the first orator In the Senate and the most brilliant man. l do not believe that our political liter a. re contains a finer passage than the opening paragraph of Carpenters plea for Tilden before the electoral commits s.o-l. 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 Summer and Ed munds and held his own against Ben Hill. AS a master of choice, elegant. rhythmica English E. w. CarmaclS comes nearest to Carpenter of any man in either House of Congress in my days. But Winconsin took Carpenter out of the Senate and put Cameron in his place. However, the first opportunity that of fered she returned Carpenter to the Sem ate and he remained there until his death, In 1881.
 Spooner succeeded Cameron and within two years was the most promising Sen ator of all the newer set. He had the ability, he had the industry, and he loved the job. Before his term expired, there rose up a set in the Lake States known as the A. P. As. Their avowed mission was to show the Catholics and the Luth- erans how to get to heaven. Incidentally thev sought to make our German fel- low citizens get along with less beer. Now Wisconsin Is full of German Cath olics. German Lutherans and consumes considerable beer. The A. P. As were republican to man. And so in 1890 the democrats swept the state. carrying ev- cry congressional district, eecting the governor and the legislature.
 TAe result was that Mr. Spooner had to cfTr 6at.h h fNex IN man plenty big enough to wear 1t. Unfor- tunately, about that time there rose up in the west an agrarian party and in 1893 the democratic party joined 1t. But for that the country would have continued democratic to this day. Wisconsin, along with Illinois and Indiana refused to be bound by the merger of the democratic with the populist party, and that gave the republicans their opportunity, which the seized, and built up solid north
 Thus, In 1897 MT. Spooner came in again. and suoce ded MT. Villas as a Senator in congress from Wisconsin The repub- licans, flushed with victory, had absolute power. They made the Dingley tariff, and established what they are pleased to call the gold standard, though 1t has a half billion of 50 per cent fiat silver in 1t. Just as the Arkansaw cabin does not need a roof ir fair weather, this flat does not hurt prosperity. It's opportunity will come with the next panic.
 The republicans also fought the need less and inglorious war with Spain, an- nnexed new territory, and bought 10,000,000 Asiatics at $2 q head. Of~ course, great questions grew out of these projects and Spooner was the republican leader of the Senate in the debates. Platt, of Con nesticut, helped him to cut out the legis- lation; but Spooner was the man who convinced the Senate of its wisdom. George F. Hoar delivered a speech in op- position that ranks with Webster's best efforts; but 1t fell on deaf ears. The re- publican party was in the saddle and rode down all recalcitrants. Thus the Phil ippines 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