Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1908-08-12
HAD BEEN A MEMBER OF CON-
GREss SINCE THE
CIVIL WAR.
DELEGATE TO FIRST CONVEN-
TON THAT NOMINATED
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
THRICE DECLINED INVITATIONS
TO ENTER CABINET-WAS
BORN IN 1882.

Dubuque, Ia, Aug. 5.-Senator Will
liam Bird Allison died at his home
here at 1888 yesterday afternoon.
With him at the dissolution were the
members of his household and his
physicians. In a bulletin announcing
the death, Drs. Hancock and Lewis
assigned heart failure as the cause.
He suffered from the worst form of
prostratic enlargement, and what
made relief difficult to afford was a
kidney involvement Senator Allison
suffered for a number of years and
consulted the best authorities regard
ing his affection but his advanced
age was the strongest argument
against an operation. :.
In Congress Since the War.
Senator Allison was born at Perry,
o., March g 1882, the son of John and
Mary Allison. His boyhood days he
spent on the farm which was his birth
place. Reaching manhood, he secured
his education in Allegheny college in
Pennsylvania and Western Reserve
college, Ohio.
He was admitted to the bar in 1850
and was married to Miss Ann Garter
iof Wooster, O., at Ashland, o., in
February, 1854 From 1850 until 1857
he practiced law in Ohio. In 1857
he removed to Dubuque. He was a
delegate to the republican state con
Ivention in 1859, and to the national
republican convention at Chicago in
1860 He was a memebr of the gov
'ernor's staff during the civil war and
raised troops to fight for the integ-
irity of the nation in 1861. In 1863
he was elected to congress and served
continuously until 1871. In 1873 he
was elected United States senator
and represented his state in this ca
pacity until the time of his death.
Declined Cabinet Place.
In 1881 he was offered the secretary
ship of the treasury by President Gar
field, but declined. In 1889 he again
refused this office when offered him
by President Harrison. For a third
time he refused the Office when
rendered him by President Mckinley
in 1897
In 1892 he was chairman of the in
ternatiOnal monetary conference at
Brussels He was a candidate for the
republican presidential nomination be-
fore the national convention in 1888
and again in 1896 Shortly after his
first election to the house of repre-
sentatives, Allisons ability was rec
ognized by his appointment to the
ways and means committee It was
Senator Allison as much as any man
who planned and carried through all
the great measures for the conduct of
the civil war, the reestablishment of
the national credit and the develop
ment of the national resources. He
was a contemporary of and co-labOrer
with every one of the great men
whose services now are recognized as
of inestimable value to the nation
Lincoln, Stanton, Chase, Sumner,
Blaine, Edmunds, Sherman, Garfield,
Logan, Trumbull, Morton and others.
Helped to Nominate Lincoln.
His aid in the nomination of Lin
coin as the republican candidate for
president in 1860 was perhaps Senator
IAllison's first great service for his
country. AS an Iowa delegate to the
republican convention in Chicago that
year he joined other party leaders
: who had determined upon the nomin-
alton of Lincoln and by their united
efforts their object was attained.
When the war broke out he was Sc
fIected by Governor Kirkwood as a
member of the latter's staff for the
purpose of raising troops. In those
trying times he demonstrated his I'M
swerving loyalty to his nation and his
! willingness to make any personal
sacrifice if only, the nation he loved
might gain. On the ways and means
committee of the national house he
began the career which made him the
best authority in the country upon
revenues and expenditures of the gov
eminent. For more than 40 years he
was assigned by the judgment of his
colleagues in the house and senate to
| the responsible task of obtaining rev.
lenues and supervising expenditures,
and no man who ever had part in
this work had the confidence of both
Ihouses more completely. Careful
scrutiny of thousands of items which
make up the annual appropriation
bills requires a most painstaking Ia
| bor together with broad intelligence.
An appeal from court decision as
sessing $4,000 dNty on pearls i'm
Ir,nrtnI FOR Mrs William q Gods hos