Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-01-29
SEN. CUlLOM.

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that had made him a figure in Amer
| lean national life and brought him
| into official relations with every Presi-
| dent from Abraham Lincoln to Wood
row Wilson. President Taft once said
| of him:
"Why, here's my old friend Uncle
! Shelby; he comes nearer connecting
the present with the days of Wash
! ington than any one else whom 1
| know"
| AS plowboy driving his fathers
oxen over the fresh prairie of Illinois
he had known and talked with. survi-
vors of the Revolution, and on the
rugged foundations of life begun in
pioneer hardships of a family of Il
children had built a career that took
him to the Illinois Legislature as a
member; Speaker Of the Assembly,
two terms in the Governors chair;
service in the National House of Rep
resentatives: and 80 consecutive years
in the United States Senate.
| His nearest living contemporary
probably is Uncle joe" Cannon,
whose senior ne was some seven years
by birth and some three years in ma
tional service. - 'e
81 His Birthplace.
/ Andrew Jackson was President of
the United States when Mr.. Cullom
was born in 1929 down in the Elk
Spring Valley of Kentucky, near the
Cumberlands, where the Culloms of
/ bA af
Carolina, drifting westward with the
tides Of immigration that set in at the
close of the Revolution, founded their
early home.
During the year 1929 Mr.. Cullom
recently wrote to illustrate the epoch
in which he began life, The Crown
of Great Britain descended from King
George the Fourth to King William
the Fourth; that reign passed away
and 1 have lived to see the long reign
of Victoria come and go: the reign
Of King Edward come and 60 and the
accession of King George the Fifth.
Charles the Fifth ruled in France,
Francis the First in Austria, Freder-
fck William the Third in Prussia,
Nicholas the First in Russia, while
Leo the 18th governed the Papal
states, the Kingdom of Italy not yet
having come into existence. The Unit
ed Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire
land had not yet a population of a.
100000 all told. No man who had not
served his country III some capacity
in the Revolutionary War had been
elevated to the Presidency of the
United States and this was the case
until 1s43."
Times and events in his own coin
try were no less stirring and his part
/ in them was marked one. Kentucky
was slave state ct his birth, the
controversy which was to hatch into
a great Civil War was IN the process
of incubation, in fact the Culloms
moved to Illinois TO be in a free state
! and Chicago then was a small village.
| His Career.
The elder Cullom was then friend
of Lincoln's, recommending the strug-
Cling backwoods lawyer to prospective
| clients. Young Cullom's first recollec-
! ton of the future war President was
/ under such circumstances. Scraping
! together the rudiments of an education
| gained by toifing over rough prime
val roads he became successfully d
student at Mount Morris Academy, a
country school teacher and a lawyer
heing admitted to the bar at Spring
field in 1855.
Broke Into Politics.
| When he became city attorney OF
Springfield he launched upon politi-
| cal career, which for a record OF I'M
broken service, is unchalienged as ex-
ceeding that Of any other American
Among his first political experiences
was the novelty of being elected anc
defeated at the same election lie was
elected to the Legislature and defeateo
as an elector ON the Fillmore ticket
Then came the historic Lincoln ano
Douglas debates and Culloms init
mate association with Lincoln, WhoIn
he followed into the ranks of the he
publican party. He presided over the
session of the Illinois House at which
after Fort Sumter had been fired up
on. Stephen A. Douglas appeared ano
made his dramatic plea for the preser'
walton of the Union.
- Comes TO Congress.
During the first of President Lin
| coins second term Mr.. Cullom cam
to the National House of Representa-
tives and began a work which wa
practically interrupted only when n
served two terms as governor of I'LL
nois. Lincoln was assassinated 500
after Cullom entered washington lif
and the young legislator was mem
Der of the committee that demande'
the return Of the Presidents body t
Springfield. Then when the country be
gan to recover from what seemed