Show v NEW NEWS of YESTERDAY f by E J EDWARDS house defeated a senator alno mansion erected in washington by william windom led minnesota republicans to retire him to private life one day in the early bummer ot 1883 tho late mark II 11 dunnell who for a number of terms represented minnesota district in the lower house of congress having been first elected in 1876 received a visit from several of bis minnesota friends at that time mr dunnell had gained a very high reputation as an energetic efficient and thoroughly unselfish mem her of congress devoted especially to iha welfare of minnesota while entertaining hla friends mr dunnell took them through the north western part of the city of washing ton which at that time was beginning lo 10 be very greatly improved he pointed out to them the great dwelling which had been erected by senator william M stewart of nevada and which was called stewart s folly because it was thought absurd that any one should expend as much money upon a washington home as the brewart mansion cost A stones throw away toward the northwest a large and strikingly handsome red brick building had but recently been completed the visitors from minnesota were taken to that building they wera told that it was the new home which bad been erect ed for himself by one of their own senators william windom said ono of the windom must have done well since he first came to washington there isn t in all minnesota as handsome a house as this but said another you forget that mr wendom was secretary of the treasury under garfield and that be refunded something like a hundred and fifty millions of three and a half per cent government bonds at three per cent just at that moment a young man approached the minnesota group and asked them it the bouso they were looking at was the new one which bad lust been built by senator windom when he was told that that was in fact the new mansion of the minnesota senator the young man took out a sketch book and began to make a rapid freehand free hand sketch of it it waa probably the appearance of the artist at that precise moment which led to a discussion followed by action defeated the election reelection re of william windom to the senate one of the minnesota group first eyeing the house and then tho artist who had been sent to sketch the building by a washington periodical at last aid mark it the people of minnesota saw a picture of the house that sena tor windom has been building in washington I 1 think they would bagli to ask whether he chasn t had enough all who heard the remark understood it clearly A strong movement had developed among certain minnesota republicans to defeat windom for ro election at the approaching meeting of the minnesota legislature hut it deemed almost impossible to get hold of any issue that might prove effectual wendom had long represented the state in the federal senate had been its governor had been secretary of the treasury under garfield and after garfield a death bad been reelected to the senate tor the term which expired in 1883 and expected to be elected reelected re but here was a great mansion in which none but a man of great wealth could live and it vas assumed by the little group of fellow that wendom expected to live there al though the truth was that be built the house for an investment the visitors thereupon determined to cause a lithographic or photographic reproduction of the wendom bouse to bo made and copies of it to be placed in the hands of as many republican voters as possible in the state of minnesota it was decided not to attach any other statement to the picture than the single line the new washington home of senator wendom not long thereafter thousands ot how theodore M pomeroy prevented the fusion of republicans and know nothings in new york otate in 1857 in 1857 tho year atter the newly formed republican party had taken part in its first presidential campaign with fromont as its standard bearer thurlow weed long the leader ol 01 the whig party in new york state and then the new york leader of the re publican party decided that it would be a good political move to use what remained of the old know nothing party with the republican party he planned to make this fusion the chief work of the convention since that body was to nominate only one or two judges and two or three minor bbate officers there were a good many aads cads who felt thai it would be a fatal mistake for the new party to ally it self in any way whatsoever with the know nothings and they were not backward in expressing themselves still they bad to admit to themselves thurlow weed had set up the job he had his whole heart in it and there was nothing apparently they could do to prevent its consummation but the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft aglee the city of auburn sent to the convention a young lawyer of the name of theodore al pomeroy at the proper moment in the proceedings of the convention when the matter of fusion was well under way in fact about to be consummated sum mated pomeroy got the eye of the presiding officer few knew him personally not many knew him byj name there was considerable hubbub about him tie waited until the story of Garfield Ts funeral secretary of state blaine had to receive general grant at elberon but the two absolutely ig nored each other president garfield died on the night of the of september 1881 in the elberon cottage at long branch from whose windows he had looked yearn angly out upon the aea for several days within ten after the death of the president a telegram waa pent to tho vice president general arthur who at that time waa a guest at a cummer hotel on the shores of long island near babylon at mid night the alce took the oath of president and the first alon le sent to garfield s cabinet at long branch after taking the oath ached tor information respecting ar range ments for the funeral which of course the new president would at tend on the morning of the following day 1 was told by a member of general garfield B cabinet that arrangements had been made to hold the funeral the fiedt day and that general grant who was in new york would come down by train from new york with dent arthur and be met at the elberon elation by a carriage containing a kember ft garfield a cabinet I 1 suppose that the secretary of irate mr blaine will be the member of the cabinet to meet president ar thur and ex president grant I 1 said I 1 observed a queer expression come upon the countenance of the cabinet member yes be eadd speaking etowla that will bo part aut it U had been possible for him to avoid H some ono alsa meet general arthur and the ex president when I 1 expressed my at statement 1 was told you may not know it but it is a that and grant have not let for years have exchanged no and are perfect esrang ers to each other so far as any inter course Is concerned aa secretary ot state however it Is baatnes duty at this julme to meet the present chief executive and the ex president when the train bearing president arthur and general grant arrived at the elberon station dlaine greeted the president with official politeness but not for an instant did be turn his eyes toward general grant president arthur and ex president grant were seated upon the year seat ot the car arlage awaiting them general grant on arthur s left hand then mr dlaine entered the carriage and took the seat facing them president arthur said a few words to mr dlaine and then conversation ceased neither grant nor dlaine seemed at all embarrassed those who saw them driving from the eta alon to the garfield cottage were am pressed by the grave solemnity of their manner and presumed that the allence which characterized them was due to the seriousness of the occasion yet just before the carriage reached the house of mourning general arthur and general grant held a brief con vers atlon dlaine looking steadily away over the heads of each ot those distinguished men arrived at the cottage blaine took general arthur who was bis official chief by the arm general grant fol lowed unostentatiously and of all the large gathering in long branch to at tend the funeral none except ng the members of general garfield s cabinet knew that the secretary of saito and the ex president absolutely ignored each other having no inter course of any kind before during or after the funeral and not until this publication has any one not a member of garfielda Gar fields cabinet known this fact excepting two or three of the friends of cabinet members to whom jt was confidentially told at ho time of the funeral copyright 1911 by E J edward AH rights Keser these pictures were circulated through out minnesota and they compassed wendom a defeat tor senator at tho meeting of congress the following winter a very young man charles L saban whose mustache almost vied in heaviness and blackness with that ot john A logan tool the seat ot sena tor wendom and it was said of him by the knowing ones there Is the young lean who was elected because william wendom built a hundred thousand dollar man slon in washington copyright 1911 by G J edwards all rights reserved foiled thurlow weed convention bad become silent then be said in a voice that carried to every part ot the hall mr chairman it this unholy union has not yet been consummated then in the name of heaven and ot the republican party I 1 stand here to orald the banns with that the young and almost to tilly unknown lawyer took his seat but what be bad said was sufficient to carry the convention completely fusion with the know too things was thrown out and theodore M pomeroy found himself famous in central new york the next year he was elected to the new york legislature and served in that body so well where be made an especially fine record as a parliamentarian that just after the close of the civil war he was nominated and elected to congress from william II 11 home district seward having taken a fancy to aba young lawyer after his fayra cusa speech and standing back of him politically liti cally pomeroy was still a member of the lower bouse of congress when ita speaker cuyler boltax resigned that office in two days before be was to take of office as vice president of the united states the bouse was in session and it was necessary that there be a new speaker elected that the business of the bouse might be conducted properly to the hour of final adjournment at noon on march 4 theodore M pomeroy had carried with him to washington his great skill as a parliamentarian and used it to advantage in behalf of his party uy a sort of spontaneous expression ol 01 opinion be was named by the republicans of the house as their choice for speaker and they elected him 1119 term as speaker was very brief ending on march 4 but be was as true a speaker of the bouse as mr collaz had been before him or as james U dlallo was immediately after yet search as you will through most lists of the speakers of the house from the foundation of the government and you will not find the name of theodore pomeroy included therein mr pomeroy s forty eight hours in the chair of the speaker satisfied corn plemely all bis ambitions for public of flee holding and when bis term in congress was ended he gave up public life and devoted himself to the practice of law becoming one ot the most successful lawyers in central new york state copyright 1911 by E J edwards all rights reserved |