Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-04-08
ALL|SON'S LIFE WORK
Not Necessary to Ask What the
Senator from iowa Has
Accomplished.
HIS COUNTRY is PROUD OF HIM
One OF the Most Influential Repre-
sentatives in the Councils of the
Republican Party His
Work in Congress-. -
fBY GEORGE E. noBERTs.l

To the older men OF the state who
have shared in its history, it seems
strange that any one should ask what
Senator Allison has done. These men
see in him the representative through
whom Iowa has borne its part in the
work of the Republican party through
out that party's entire career. Ii the
people Of Iowa have had any part In
the great achievements of the Repub-
Iican party since the memorable day
when Abraham Lincoln was nomin'
ated for the presidency in Chicago in
1860, then William B. Allison has had
a part, for he has been their most in
fuential representative in the councils
Of the party and in congress during
all that time.
Not only are the older men Of Iowa
interested in Senator Allison for his
active work in the glorious history of
the Republican party, but in every part
Of the country there is interest and
pride in him for the same reason.
There is no other man now living
whose career Is SO identified with the
history of that party as Senator ALI
sons is. He entered the house Of rep
resentatives In 1862, and was soon
piaced on its most important commit
tee, that of ways and means" and en-
tered into the inner circle Of the lead
ers who planned and carried through
all the great measures for the conduct
Of the war, the reconstruction Of the
Onion, the re-establishment Of the ma
tional credit and the development Of
our resources, in which all members OF
the party have just pride. He was
contemporary with, and co-laborer
with all the great men whose fame and
services belong to that part of our his
tory: Lincoln, Stanton, Chase, Fessen-
den, Sumner, Henry Wilson, Morrill,.
Blaine, Edmunds, Sherman, Garfield,
Logan, Trumbull, Morton and others.
He had their confidence and was a mar
of influence among them, as he has
been among his later associates down
to the present day. If these men did
anything, If the Republican party has
done anything, the question what has
SSCndtOl hthSOn may w Nh
swered by asking what they accom-
plished?
Helped Nominate Lincoln.
Perhaps his first important service
to the Republican party and the coun-
try was when, as a delegate from
Iowa to the Chicago convention of
1850, he. aided in the nomination OF
Abraham Lincoln When the war
broke out he was selected by grand
old Governor Kirkwood as member
of the latter's staff for the purpose OF
raising troops. That tells how true he
was to his country IN those trying
times, for Governor Kirkwood was
one of the great war governors of the
Union and chose only the most Jealous
and effective of assistants.
Upon the ways and means" conf
mittee Of the house he began the career
which made him the best authority in
the country upon the revenues and ex-
penditures Of the government. For
more than forty years he has been as
signed by the judgment Of his col
leagues in house and senate to the re-
sponsible task of planning the reyen
ues and supervising the expenditures,
and no man who has ever had part in
it has had the confidence Of both
houses more completely. The careful
scrutiny Of the thousands Of items
which make up the annual appropria-
tlon bills requires the most painstak-
ing labor together with broad intel
ligence. 1t is not snowy work, 1t Is
not done on the floor of the senate un
der the applause of the galleries, but
no more important work is done in
congress, and 1t has been the unani-
nous verdict of his associates that
William b. Allison has displayed the
highest qualifications for it, The very
characteristics of temperament for
which at times he has been criticised
by hasty and ill-informed persons,
e., caution and judicial poise, have
been the secret OF his strength and
success in this public service. 1t has
been the common saying in congress
that If the Almighty had set about
making an ideal head for the great
committee on appropriations he would
have planned just such man as Sen
ator Allison.
Three Who Became Presidents.
Three strong men, who, through
their committee work In house and
senate, were thrown much with him,
afterwards became presidents of the
United States, to wit: James A. Gar.
field. Benjamin Harrison and William
Mckinley, and what each of them
thought of Senator Allison is known
by the fact that each invited him to
become member Of his cabinet as
secretary of the treasury.
IT Is not too much to say that II
Senator Allison had never done any
thing In congress but the work he has
done each year in preparing the ap.
preparation bills. and in safeguard II :
the treasury against the million
schemes that are always on foot '.
loot 1t. bis service would Outrank /
importance that OF any other man D.
his time re has carried this great re
sponsil ility with an absolutely un
blemSled record holding throughnr
IN 81 n nI,.tn