The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-10-18
LAST OF The
WAR GOVERNORS
William SpraguG Of Rhode Island
Is Now Past Eighty.
WAS PRESENT AT BULL RUN.

Twice Chosen United States Senator.
His Financial Troubles.
William Sprague Of Rhode Island,
sole survivor of the twelve governors
who upheld Lincoln's hand through the
perils OF 1862, recalls with a chuckle
that he was hissed in the streets and
denounced as q traitor" for the most
patriotic act of his life-the very act
which he now regards as his surest IT,
tie to place in his country's history.
THE 'Copperheads,' he said recent
ly, did not approve of the meeting of
the loyal 9tate executives at Altoona on
Sept. %. 1862. and we had to take n
lot OF abuse in return for our indorse-
And to think" he added sadly, II am
the only one left Of those who attend
ed that memorable conference"
Eighty-one years of age, the COVER
nor is still clear Of brain.
Soon after the battle Of Antietam
ing Shareholders that il they did not
lay down their arms within three
months the slaves would be set free.
Almost immediately-in two days time,
in fact-Andrew G. Curtin, governor
of Pennsylvania, suggested to a mem
Der Of the presidents cabinet that 3O0,-
600 additional troops should be raised
and that it would be an admirable plan
to call together the governors of the
loyal states. The matter was laid be-
fore Lincoln, and Lincoln said, Let US
have them"
Gathering of the Governors.
"As soon as we assembled" said
Governor Sprague, I'VE made Governor
Andrew Of Massachusetts, chairman
and urged him to draw up an address
to the president urging him to prose
cute the war even more vigorously and
also approving his emancipation procla-
nation. Then we all signed 1t and sent
1t on to Washington, That meeting
lasted only about thirty minutes. We
were all Of one mind"
The signers of this address OF encour-
agement were: Andrew Of Massachu-
setts, Curtin OF Pennsylvania, Wash
burn Of Maine, Yates Of Illinois. Solo
mon Of Wisconsin, Kirkwood Of Iowa.
Martin of Indiana, PierpOnt Of West
Virginia, Tod of Ohio, Berry Of New
Hampshire, Blair Of Michigan and
Sprague Of Rhode Island.
Governor Sprague was probably one
of the youngest men ever elected In
this country to the chief place in a
state. He was but twenty-nine years
Of age when in 1860 he was chosen
governor OF Rhode Island at a crisis in
the history of state and nation. His
term was for one year only. At its
conclusion he was reelected, and nine
days later Fort Sumter was fred on.
Rhode Island and Sprague were the
first to respond to Lincoln's call for
troops. That the little commonwealth
was able to do this was due to the
governors wealth no less than to his
energy and patriotism. He led his
men at the battle Of Bull Run, and be.
cause of his bravery under fire and
his liberal contributions to the cause
of the north he was again chosen gov
ernor by a vote which probably has no
parallel. The whole number Of ballots
cast in the election was 11,264, Of
which Sprague received 11,199.
Elected to the Senate.
In 1868 he was elected United States
senator.
At the dedication of the Ohio monu-
ment to Commodore Oliver Hazard
Perry, a native OF Rhode Island,
Sprague was accompanied by an an
cient volunteer military company. The
event was celebrated by ball at the
Weddell house, at Cleveland, O., where
the governor met for the first time
Miss Catherine Chase, daughter of
Chief Justice Salmon p. Chase.
On his return to Rhode Island he be-
came more actively engaged In raising
troops and forwarding them to the
front, and meeting Miss Chase again
in Washington, he was married to her
in November Of 1868. The wedding
was attended by the president and his
cabinet, the foreign ministers, and
members Of congress. 1t was said to
have been the most magnificent wed.
ding that had ever taken place in the
United States, and the cost was esu-
mated at S250,0O0. Sprague took up
his residence in Washington, where he
and his wife became social leaders.
He soon built his famous summer home
at Narragansett Pier and named 1t
Canonchet, after a Narragansett Indian
chief
Ruined by Panic of 1873.
His reelection to the senate was in
1868, and In his second term he deliv-
cred a series Of five speeches on finance.
The panic of 1873 found the business
house Of Sprague unequal to the unex.
pected demands made on it, and, with
its vast property, valued even in those
days Of depression at close TO $4,000.
600. and liabilities Of some $14,O0O,000,
Ii was forced to suspend Sprague be-