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

would not sign the report which was
| finally presented, but consented to it
with the reservation that he should
oppose 1t in the senate.
| The night before the report was pre-
! scented there was dinner at Senator
Allison's house, and Blaine and Kas-
son were both there, with several 9TH
ers. They then agreed that the com.
mission scheme was the best that
could be framed. The next day Nor
ton spoke against it. John Sherman
declared it to be device to prevent
Hayes from being seated as president.
| Then Blaine vigorously opposed it IN
the house.
"And there is where Blaine fell
down. remarked Senator Allison.
"Kasson supported him. They had
figured it out that the commission
would seat Tilden. Already the Re-
publican papers of Iowa we're declar-
| ing that the Republicans had been
| trapped by the Democrats and Tilden
would be seated Kasson was under
stood to be a candidate for my seat
| in the senate, and if the electoral
commission, which l advised and sup
ported, had seated Tilden instead of
|
me for the senate. AS it was, the peo-
pie forgot all about it when the cleo
| ton came around. 1t was not men
timed in the campaign. 1 never un-
derstood why Blaine changed his
| mind unless it was. on account of
the strong opposition that developed
among number of Republican lead
ers. The Democrats have always
claimed they We're cheated in that con-
tention. But Hayes made a good
president. He was not a brilliant man,
but was honest, conscientious, and
| firm"
Garfield, Blaine and Arthur.
Garfield was not president long
enough for senators to take his meas
ure as chief executive, and all the
talk of his brief career in the White
House was centered around the bit
ter controversy between himself ana
the New York senators, Conkling and
Platt
Garfield took two men out of the
senate who were in measure rivals
of Senator Allison. Blaine he made
secretary of state and William Win
dom of Minnesota he made secretary
of the treasury. Blaine was an agrees
} sive, dictatorial man. His six years in
the speakers chair and short minority
| leadership in the house. together with
the fact that in two national conven-
lions, 1876 and 1880, he had nearly
carried off the nomination, tended to
| increase the natural dominance of his
character. Beyond question had Blaine
remained long in the senate he and AL
lison would have clashed because their
natures We're so different and because
Allison, with his natural conservatism,
would never have followed Blaine in
his more vigorous, not to say rash,
policies. Window was chairman of the
committee on appropriations. and when
he went into the cabinet, Allison, who
was the ranking Republican member,
succeeded to the place. a position he
held until his death, with the excep-
ton of two years. 1S93-95, when the
Democrats controlled the senate. Wis
dom was like Allison in the matter of
being man of facts and figures, but
gave more attention to transporta-
| ton problems.
| OF Chester A. Arthur who succeed
ed Garfield after his tragic death, Sen
ator Allison said: "He was punctiious
in his promises, always courteous
gentleman, and considerate to de-
gree. President Arthur was a man of
ability, but he left much to his cabinet
officers. In his administration the
cabinet minister transacted all the
business pertaining to his department
unless it was a matter of great i'm
portance. Arthur believed in having
competent men as cabinet officers and
holding them responsible for the man
agement of their departments"
Cleveland, Harrison. Mckinley.
Senator Allison did not care TO dis
cuss the careers of presidents then liv-
| ing, one of whom was Grover Cleve-
land. My relations with Mr.. Cleve-
land and all the members of his cab
| met said he, were cordial and
| friendly at all times. AS chairman of
the committee on appropriations |
was Brought into close relations with
Mr.. Cleveland and his administration,
and, although we belonged to different
| parties, we always maintained the
best personal relations.
Benjamin Harrison served six years
in the senate, but was in private life
when nominated and elected president.
| He has often been described as a cold.
hard man, but those who knew him
well have no such impression. He was
retiring and had a way of keeping
! within himself which some of the
newspaper writer's have described as
drawing into his shell like turtle
! But when once acquainted with him,
! he was genial and pleasant. His ad-
ministration was very successful and
a credit to the country.
Although L never served in the
house with President Mckinley, I was
| 49, Q
the consideration of the Mckinney tariff
| bill. He was chairman of the ways
and means committee of the house,
and I was member of the finance
committee of the. senate. We were
both on the conference committee
where the bill. as it became law,
was agreed upon. When he became
president our relations We're not only
cordial, but intimate, and I, with 9TH
ers. was in frequent consultation with
the president. This was especially true
before and during the Spanish war
period. / learned to know him as the
kindly, courteous gentleman that he
was and one who desired not only the
best interests of his country
/ In the CounseIs of Roosevelt.
Senator Allison was one of the most
| trusted advisers of President Roose-
welt He knew the president when he
was civil service commissioner also
when he was assistant secretary of the
navy. Mr.. Roosevelt presided over the
senate only for a short time in 1901
when the senate held a short session
to inaugurate the new administration
fand confirm the nominations. When
Mr. Roosevelt became president he
turned to Senator Allison as one OF