Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-04-12
GaIusha A. Grow Was a Public
Speaker at the Time of
the Civil War.
HAD A REMARKABLE CAREER
Missed Presidency of the United States
by One Vote in Conven-
ton.

homes ana mus nave ueNelOpeh new
states and built up the great west, the
late GaluSha y. Grow, who died on
Easter day. will be remembered long
Mr.. Grow for more than forty years
had been famous as the speaker of the
national house Of representatives dur
ing the first two years of the civil war.
His life was exceptional in many re-
spects. He began his political career
as the youngest member of congress
and closed it as the oldest member |
with an interval of more than thirty |
years of private life. When reelected
to congress after this long retirement !
he received tie largest majority ever
given up TO that time for any candidate
in any state. This was when he was
elected congressman at large from |
Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Grow was born in Connecticut III |
1924. When first elected to congress
he was only twenty-Scven. and lie be
came speaker at thirty-siX He was
the youngest speaker in the history Of
congress.
Mr.. Grow was elected speaker of the
house on July t. 1861. and SO ably and
acceptably did he discharge the duties
of that office that at the close of his
term a unanimous vote Of thanks was
given hlm-tha first unanimous vote
given to 4 speaker in many years. Pre-
vious to his election to the speakerShip
he had been chairman of the commit
tees on Indian affairs and on terri
tories. being at the head of the latter
during all the Kansas troubles.
One of the most important and dis
tingushed services which he rendered
to the country during This period was
that of securing the passage of the free
homestead law. 1t took him nearly ten
years to carry it through. and during
much Of the time II was regarded as
/ the project of a crank. He introduced
the bill in the first congress in which
he served and. in fact. made his first
speech in congress in support Of the
bill He believed that the government
| should not make the public lands Il
source of revenue. but that It should
beStow them in small homesteads upon
| those without land for actual settle
| ment and cultivation The proslavery
,, leaders opposed the bill because they
knew that the territories would he set
| tied By small farmers from the free
states. \ modified bill was passed in
| Ruchanan's administration. but it was
vetoed by him. After the breaking out
of the war it was passed. and Mr..
Grow had the pleasure as speaker Of
| signing his pct measure
| SaN stormy scenes.
w Io +bo
| break of the civil war the assault 10
the senate of Brooks on Charles Sum
her was not unique. Mr.. Grow had u
| passage with Kilt of South Carolina
but in the general fight which cnsued
Barksdale of Mississippi lost his wig.
| which ludicrOus sequel restored the
| good humOr of the body. But Mr.
Grow was little later challenged to
| a duel by Branch of North Carolina. to
which Mr.. Grow replied that he re
| garded duellng as at variance with
| the precepts of the Christian religion
and the sentiments of Christian people:
but" he added, my personal rights
| and the freedom of debate guaranteed
| by the constitution l shall defend
whenever and wherever they are as
sailed
In 1864 Mr.. Grow came within one
vote of being nominated for vice prest-
dent instead of Andrew johnson. who
became president after Lincoln's as
sassination.
He spent the summer of 1870 In Cali
fornia. Oregon and British Columbia.
and In 1871 he took up his residence In
Houston. Tex. as president of the In
ternaional and Great Northern rail
road of Texas. In 1870 lie returned to
his home in GlenwoOd. Pa. and took
an active part in the state election Of
that year and in the presidential cleo
ton of 1876.
Although it was we'll known that Mt
Grow had long before announced that
he would not accept an Office that did
not come by vote of the people, Prcsi-
dent Hayes in 1879 offered him the
mission to Russia. He declined the
honor and two years later was can
didate for the United States senate.
After that time until he again entered
congress his large business interests
; in Oil. coal and iron occupied his at
tentIOn.
During all the years of his absence
from congress Mr.. Grow retained an
active interest in state and national
politics and never grew rusty. He WAS
seventy years old when he re-enterad
the house. and he took an active and in
. f1uential part in the sessions of that
body. His popularity in Pennsylvania
] was shown by the fact that i'll 1896 he
received plurality of 29I,4 46 and a
clear majority of 269.TIS votes. the
largest ever given in any state TO any
candidate for any Office. After his
unanimous election in his earlier serv-
ice he was known as Great Majority
( Grow" The enormous votes which he
polled ut every election in the course of
( his last service emphasized the suita-
bility of this appsIation.
5 The Pygmy Cattle of Samoa.
The Samoan islands are the natura