Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-07-31

There occurred the thing destined to
change his whole future. A college
friend at Fort Wayne, Ind, off cd
him a job as assistant surveyor of
Allen county. With many misgivings
the young man took the job and soon
began work as a railroad builder.
The immediate job was completing
a link of the Cincinnati. Richmond
and Fort Wayne railroad through a
swamp. Cummins had no experience,
and was depending on his surveyor
friend to coach him, but the friend
passed him in the swamp without
stopping and so the new surveyor
was left to sink or swim.
Senator Cummins liked to tell
friends about those days: how with
great trepediation he went out over
the line; dismissed the workmen for
the day SO that they would not i'm
mediately learn Of his ignorance of
the job he had tackled, and then be-
gan careful canvass of the work
that had been done so as to get ideas
on which to proceed.
In the end he did the Job so well
that he was called to a position with
the Northern Central of Michigan,
which he constructed. 1t was while
engaged in this work that he met
the young woman who later became
Mrs. Cummins, then Miss Ida l.. Gal
lery, of Eaton Rapids, Mich.
The work on the Michigan road
attracted the attention of capitalists
and he was offered a position by
those who were building the Rio
Grande. Cummins started for Den
yer, but he never got there. While
waiting for his train in Chicago a
friend suggested that he remain and
study law, which he did.
After being admitted to the bar
In Chicago. he removed to Des
Moines. where he worked his way
to the front rapidly.
It was without his own consent
that he broke into politics in 1881
when some Republicans bolted theil
party and named him as an indie.
pendent candidate for the legisla.
ture. He was elected and served one
term. Five years later when the
leaders of the Republican party ir
Iowa set about to reclaim the state
from Democratic rule, he was made
the chairman of the state conven.
ton.
Soon afterwards Mr.. Cummins
made his first fight for a place in the
United States Senate, but was de.
feated by narrow margin. He raj.
lied to his support many young men
and the party divided into Cummins
and anti-Cummins elements. 1r
1901, after a stormy campaign, he
was elected governor. q place he
held until his election to the Sen
ate.
While governor he started thor.
n1Iurh inUpEfio Qfinn nf pniIrna1 10
alton, rates. earnings and capitalize
ton and engaged in a long struggle
against some of the practices of the
rail carriers in his state. On his
recommendation the leislators put
through the two-cent fare law, the
anti-pass law. the joint freight rate
law. an act limiting hours of rail-
road employees and the primary cleo
ton law.
Senator Cummins in 1874 married
Miss Gallery, to whom one daugh-
ter, Kate, was born. Mrs. Cummins
died in February, 1919, and after
that time the senator lived with his
two sisters, Anna and Margaret
Cummins. Besides his sisters, his
family consisted of two brothers. B.
+. Cummins, a manufacturer of Chi
cago, and j. c. Cummins, an attor-
ney of Des Moines.
Death cut short the long legisla-
tive career of Senator Cummins by
more than nine months.
His term would have expired next
March A as a result of his defeat in
the recent Iowa Republican prima-
rieS.
With the state seething with dis
content over the failure of congress
to enact farm relief legislation along
lines favored by corn belt agricul-
turists, he was opposed in the pri-
maries by Smith w. Brookhart. a
Progressive. who entered the race
after he had lost his seat in the SEN
ate to Daniel F. Steck, Democrat,
after a bitter contest and a close
vote.
Senator Cummins. although re-
garded in late years as one of the
conservative leaders in congress and
a supporter of Coolidge policies,
came out for the Haugen- McNary
price Sterilization bill. which was
opposed by the administration, but
this failed to win him enough sup
port from the farmers to overcome
the voting strength mustered by
Brookhart. and he went down to a
crushing defeat.
Failure to obtain denomination,
coupled with infirmities of age and
his close application to senatorial
duties. is believed by his friends to
have fastened the Iowa senator's
death.
During the recent session, he
served as chairman of the judiciary
committee. Senator Watson of In
diana taking over the Craftsmanship
of the interstate commerce commit
tee, on which he retained member
ship as the ranking Republican. He
pressed, but unsuccessfully, for ac-
ton on his bill to facilitate CONSOLE
dation of railroads. and as the head
of the judiciary committee had SUI
pervision over a wide range of pro-
hibition proposals. action on most of