New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-26


H0ughion Mifhin Company.
This biography has some substantial
merits. But the reader is likely to
close the volume with sense Of disap-
pointment. He will feel that there is
not enough in it about Grow and too
much about the father of the home
stead law. OF this law William ). Hol-
man said in 1892, when the House OF
Representatives was accepting por-
trait of Mr.. Grow, that il was "the most
beneiicent measure ever enacted by
Congress" Lieutenant General Nelson
A. Miles has reported that when he
asked the recently deposed Car Of
Russia at the latter's coronation what
would be done with the lands in ST.
IBERIA after the Siberian railroad was
opened, the Car said: 1--WE intend
to do with them what your great
statesman, Mr. Grow, did with the pub
lie domain of the United States. In
due time we shall give them to the
people, because we are convinced that
the homestead law is the most useful
enactment ever placed on the statute
books of nations"
These are high tributes to the law
with which Mr.. Crows fame is linked.
Yet the public OF to-day has only the
vaguest interest in the details of the
fight to open the public lands of the
United States to free homestead entry.
That fight was itself detail of the
larger struggle between the pro-slavery
and the anti-slavery interests. Grows
personality is too much lost sight OF
in the critical and somewhat tedious
review given by the authors OF public
land legislation in Congress between
1851 and 1868 A broader treatment OF
his career would have produced a far
more entertaining and valuable book.
Grow intended to write an autobi-
ography. He had rich material for one.
The few fragments of his "reminiscences
which are incorporated in this work
prove him a keen observer and graphic
narrator. He was a law partner OF
David Wilmot and succeeded Wilmot
in the House of Representatives. lie
was intimate at Washington with Ben
ton, Wade. Sumner, Trumbull, Fenton,
Crittenden. Houston, Benjamin and
many other national leaders. His en-
counter on the floor Of the House with
Lawrence Keitt, the South Carolina fire
cater in which he knocked keitt down,
had made him conspicuous figure IN
the ranks OF the Free Sellers. He saw
much of Lincoln from 1861 TO 1883.
lie ran foul of Simon Cameron, to
whom he wrote too frank letter criti-
cising Cameron's plumbers as Secretary
of War. Cameron then changed the
boundaries of his Congress district and
stopped short his career. More than
thirty years later he returned to Con-
gress for three terms.
He could have written an autobi-
ocraphy of extraordinary range. His
biographers slur over his incumbency
of the Speakership and his activities in
Congress apart from the land question.
They give scant attention to his long
and courageous fight against the Cam
eron regime in Pennsylvania. That
deserved much ampler treatment, Tor
Grow was one OF those who kept alive
in dark period of machine domination
and corruption the ideals OF free
thought and personal self-respect in
PENNSYLVANIA politics. His second SER
vice in Congress is also passed over IN
a few paragraphs.
The best things in the book are the
few anecdotes from Grows too brief
fragments Of autobiography. Here Is
one amusing excerpt:
| mentioned to Benton that had
dined with Douglas the night before
and that he seemed undecided as to
what position he should take on the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS bill. and was Auctuat-
ing in his views about slavery expan-
sion. added that ] believed that
Douglas was inclined 10 lead the De-
mocracy away from its moorings. My
God. Galusha." cried Benton, have you
faintest idea that Steve Douglas is lead
ing the Democracy anywhere? Why.
the Democracy has led him around by
the nose for years, and he's got so that
he would follow it to hell il the major
ity went in that direction"
His bitterness toward Douglas arose
from the latter's compromising ten
denotes. and Benton psisted that he
ought to have been miliner. as trim
ming was his chief vocation"
Grow also told this story about Corr
win:
have seen him step out and round
ly lecture man who was beating his
horses. He was against whipping posts.
and while he wa, in the Ohio Legislat-
ure he spoke in favor Of repeating
measure in which the Sheriff was au-
thorized TO punish certain prisoners for
minor offences by putting thlrty-nlne
lashes on the back Of the culprt." An
old Connecticut Yankee who had set
tied in the Western Reserve objected
TO the repeal on the ground that in
Connecticut similar law existed. and
when applied resulted usually in driy-
ing the offender from the community.
Corwin retorted: 81 have often tried to
find out why there had been such an
influx Of Connecticut Yankees into this
state"
Would that a hundred more such
anecdotes had been preserved to US by
a less belated decision on Mr. Grows