Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-05-08
(sY ARTHUR

ter part OF his llfe the country hiiSh'
have been able to read "reminiscences
OF a most interesting kind. He nad
determined to write of the most N
teresting epochs of his long public
career. but never had the time. HIS
last days were spent in an eHort 20
regain the health which had peen
broken under the continuous strain OF
a busy life. Several months before MS
death I had a chat with him about
the great men of the past and present
whom lie had known. | have mere
yet down the comments he MADE,
quoting him directly when his re-
marks were most pertinent. Inc stor!
was submitted to Senator Allison Tor
revision. and he desired to change g
few words here and there because ne
feared. In the kindness of his heart,
that they might offend some living
person but he never felt well enough
10 make such changes. With such eX-
neptions the article has his approval.
No changes have since been MADE
save a few Ut verbal character
made necessary on account OF the SEN
ator's death.-A. w. d.
~ have been intimately acquainted
with ten different presidents or the
United States, and during their lncum-
benches of the presidential ONCE was
a member of the senate or mouse Vi
representatives. I entered congress q
member from Iowa in 1868, in the
midst of the civil war. l served
eight years in the house and entered
the senate in 1873, and have been
member of That body continuously
since that time. The presidents
have known were Lincoln, Johnson,
Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleve-
land, Harrison, Mckinley ana Hoose
welt"
With these words the late senator
Allison entered upon an intefestlns
"Reminiscences when asked ABOUT pupilc
men he had known in his long career
The senator had then achieved rec,
ord which eclipsed all others ana
which may not soon be equalea' ne
had been a member of the senate con-
Sinuously for thirty-five years, ana
he was serving his sixth consecutive
term. Other men had been elected
FOR six terms-one of them. the lale
Senator Morgan of Alabama, had en-
tered upon his sixth consecutive term
when he died-but Allison had nYe
years more service. At the time Oh
his death he had been chosen by
state primary for seventh consecl,
tive term. and if he could have llVed
to the age Of number OF senators
who had died in harness, he would
have had forty-two years OF contlnI-
ous service in the senate. Justin >.
Morrill, of Vermont was for more IMAM
thirty years member of the senate,
hut he only lived a little more than
a year after entering upon ms slxeh
term. John Sherman OF Ohio was
longer in actual service than Morrlll,
having thirty-two years to his credif'
hit his service was interrupted ~
four years vacancy when he was sec
retary Of the treasury under President
Hayes.
Pathetic "Reminiscences of Buchanan
~ did not know President Buchan-
an personally said Senator Allison,
"hut saw him at the time of LIN
coins first Inauguration. | remember
particularly his departure. ne WIS
driving to the Baltimore & ONO s,a-
ton with his bags piled upon Tue
drivers seat 1t was an OLD, Whi.e'
haggard face that peered out OF tns
window, and no one gave it frlendiy
greeting. There was no escort ana
seemingly no regret at his departure
from the capital where he mad oeen
chief magistrate. There may nave
heen some person in the carriage with
him. hit apparently he was alone. u
was a pathetic picture of the sad CLOS
ing of career. Buchanan mad strus-
pled twenty years for the presidency
and was an old man when nnallS
elected. He was constantly over
no,itical volcano while in the White
House. Pledges and promises of TWEEN
~ wears were brought to him for re-
demption and there were not places
FOR one-fourth of those who present
1 ed their political promissory notes.
,pis term closed with divided nation,
With his own party disrupted, and
himself blamed for conditions abso-
,iutely beyond his control. At this
distance, and in the light OF KNOW.
ledge and experience, the picture OF
Buchanan on that March day IN 1901
looks more bitiful to me than 1t then
seemed"
Lincoln and Nasty.
During the first part of President
Iincoln's administration Senator ALI
ison had been active in organizing ana
tdispatching Iowa troops to the front
and naturally when he came to WASH.
ingtcn as a member of the house OF
representatives he was well known 10
the president by reputation.
~ well remember one of my early
interviews with Lincoln; had not
talked very long before he said:
".Allison, have you read Nasty 8
book?'
az had read Petroleum V. Nasty s
sConfedrit x Roads letters, but did
not know they had been published W
book form, and replied mo-
mot to have read Nasty proclalms
man an ignoramus,' said Lincoln
Listen to this, and he read selec-
ton from one of the letters.
81 then explained that I had read
the letters, but did not quite under.
stand the presidents reference when
he asked the question. l was acquit
ted of being an ignoramus,' and dur
ing the remainder of Lincoln's life In
the White House we were the best q!
70 ia far