Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-01-29

l. ~ - SShN0 N . OuCCCSs
sively a student at Mount Morris aca-
deny, a country school teacher and
a lawyer, being admitted to the bar
at Springfield in 1855.
When he became city attorney Of
Springfield he launched upon a po-
litical career, which for a record Of
unbroken service, is unchallenged
as exceeding that of any other Am
erican. Among his first political ex-
periences was the novelty Of being
elected and defeated at the same ell
ection. He was elected to the legis-'
lature and defeated as an elector on
the Fillmore ticket. Then came the
historic Lincoln and Douglas debates
and Cullom's intimate association
with Lincoln, whom he followed into
the ranks of the republican party.
He presided over the session of the
Illinois house at which after Fort
Sumter had been fired upon, Steph-
Ell A. Douglas appeared and made his
dramatic plea for the preservation of
the Union. During the first Of Pre-.
sident Lincoln's second term Mr.. Gull
lom came to the national house of
representatives and began a work
which was practically interrupted
only when he served two terms as
governor of Illinois. Lincoln was
assassinated soon after Cullom en-
tered Washington life and the young
legislator was a member of the COM
mittee that demanded the return of
the presidents body to Springfield.
Then when the country began to re-
cover from what seemed a final blow
and the reconstruction set in with
the Thirty ninth congress. Uullom
began his service with the Illinois
delegation, and with such colleagues
in congless as Logan, Wentworth,
Blaine, .Conkling and Hayes and
Garfield both Of whom attained the
presidency.
After six years in the house dur.
ing which he had seen the ,impeach-
ment Of Andrew Johnson and taken
part in the making Of a most critical
period of American history, he re-
turned to Illinois vowing never again
to take office, only to become speak
err of the legislature and later COVER
nor At the Philadelphia conven-
ton he placed Grant in nomination
for his second term in which is said
to be- the shortest nominating
speech ever delivered. 1t contained
seventy-five words.
Cullom's career as a United States
senator began in 1883 when he re-
signed as governor and was elected
to succeed David Davis. His service
In the senate chamber was an I'M
broken one for thirty years-five
consecutive terms---a record excell-
ed only by two other men, Senator
Allison, of Iowa, and Senator Morrill,,
Of Vermont.
He entered the senate in 1889 a
sDry, active man Of f%ifty-four, he
left it in 1913 a fading, lettering man
of eighty-four but with a brain still
bright and active. He used to tell
a story Of how one day seeing Sen
ator Vest, very old, feeble looking
and detected, he said to Senator Nor
rill who then was some eighty-six:
Go over and cheeraVest up a Bit
whereat Morrill, walked over and
slapping Vest on the shoulder said,
Cheer up, old man; why you're
nothing but a boy"
of Cleveland, Harrison, Mckinley,
Roosevelt and Taft he. held import.
ant c~hairmanships when his party
was in power finally that of the
foreign relations committee, generally
considered the most important of the
lot. He had been chairman Of the
commission which devised a form OF
government for the Hawaiian islands
after their annexation and had been
chairman of the committee which
reported a bill for the creation
of the Interstate Commerce commits
sion. His work as chairman Of the
Foreign Relations committee since
the Spanish war is comparatively
fresh in the public mind. He was
ardent supporter of the peaae
treaties proposed by President Taft,
which were SO emasculated by the
senate that they never were ratified.
During the last few years his
friends had seen him slowly fading
away in body and he became so fee
BILE that his voice in the senate cham
Der vas not heard farther than the
desk. His term ended March
3, 1913, and he vas appointed chair
man Of the Lincoln memorial com:
mission, created by congress TO sup
.erintelld the erection Of the $1,000
300 memorial in this city. The one
wish expressed on his death bed was
that he might five to see the com
Of the national memorial to
his old friend. His memories of fiji.
ty years Of public service finished
a few months before his final
illness overlook him concluded after
This manner:
II have no great fear of death, OK
,ept the natural dread of the physi-
,ial pain which usually accompanies
It. l certainly wish beyond words
have power to express that could
nave greater assurance that there
will be a reuniting with those We
owe and those who have loved us In
Euturc world; but from my
,eading of the scripture ana even
admitting that there is d hereafter,
cannot fi,,d any satisfactory evil
lence to warrant such a belief.
,ould | believe that I could meet the
owed mes who have gone before,