I was interested in civic life and ambitious for position from boyhood. My aspiration as early as I can remember was for political preferment. When I was a boy of 14 or 15 I read the life of Charles Ball, an escaped slave. I was a lazy boy, shirking work whenever I could. An omnivorous reader, I devoured everything in the line of books that I could lay hands on. This Life of Charles Ball made a deep impression on my susceptible nature, and aroused a sympathy for the lowly that has remained with me and has colored and largely controlled my life ever since.
In 1840 I rode father's old grey mare in the parade and shouted for "Tippecanoe and Tyler too". In 1844, when I was 17 years old, the Liberty Party put a national ticket in the field, with Dr. Bailey, editor of the National Era, for President. Among our boys in our debating societies I made myself obnoxious by advocating the abolitionist. (And here I might remark that I never was a successful politician.) In 1848 I acted with the Liberty Party and cast my first presidential vote for J. B. Hale. In 1852 I again voted for J. B. Hale [1] The party did not attract much support. . At this time I was living in Lawrence Co., Pa. We had a county organization but I was the only one in my township to vote that ticket.
The tickets were printed in Washington City by Dr. Bailey, and one sent to each of his subscribers. It was at this time that Uncle Tom's Cabin was being printed in his paper and was making a great national sensation. In 1856 the Free Soil Party was organized, with John Charles Fremont as standard-bearer. In all the years as a young aspirant lawyer I was active in attending conventions and canvassing the county.
In 1858 I came to Kansas, and entered at once into the thickest of the fray. There were no political parties formed,- the only question was, a slave or a free State. Judge Douglas' "Squatter Sovereignty" was being exercised with a vengeance. In this strife of the sovereigns, no life was safe.
I made my home for a few weeks with Col. Sam Walker on his claim on the road from Lecompton to Lawrence. I came from St. Louis to Leavenworth on a steamboat; from Leavenworth to Lawrence on a hack, eating dinner on the way at Johnny Cake's. (An old Indian.)
I met Gen. Lane and many other prominent men at Lawrence, returning from Minneapolis, where they had met in Constitutional Convention. They were on their way to Leavenworth, to which city they had adjourned. Lane had been elected president of the convention. After years of acquaintance with this notorious character, I can sum up my estimation of him in two words: an unscrupulous demagogue.
In 1859, at the first Territorial convention after my arrival, I was a candidate for Attorney-General, and was defeated by Ben Simpson. In the year 1860 a convention was called at Osawatomie to organize the Republican Party. Horace Greely was present, and made a speech. I was one of the Vice-Presidents, and a member of the Committee on the Platform, with Gen. Ewing, Solon Thatcher, and others.
In 1861 I was on the Republican State Committee, charged with the management of the party in the first year of its existence. On my return from the army in the fall of 1864 I was elected State Senator for the district composed of Franklin and Anderson Counties, and served two years. Congress had granted the State 500,000 acres of land for internal improvement. By our Constitution this was given to the school fund -- a clear misappropriation.
It became the duty of this Legislature to divide this land among different rail-roads. This was the burning question of that session. There was a road chartered from Wyandotte south in the first tier of counties, and another one from Leavenworth south through the second tier. There was a close contest between these two roads. I represented two counties in the second tier and was of course much interested in the contest.
One Saturday P.M. the first tier undertook to pass a bill in their interest in the absence of the Leavenworth and Lawrence members, who had gone home to spend Sunday. I got the floor and determined to keep it until the return of those members on Monday if necessary, but a compromise was effected and on the final passage of the bill our road got one-fifth of the land, the eastern tier getting nothing.
I was chairman of the committee on military affairs, and during that session our militia system was regulated and put on a firm basis where it has remained ever since.
Another question was the right of municipal corporations to vote bonds to rail-roads. I opposed this with all my power but it passed with only two votes in the Senate against it. Everyone was crazy for railroads at that time.
At this session Gen. Lane was elected to the U.S. Senate for his second term. I suppose he had promised almost every Republican member of the Senate an appointment. (Strange to say I had not asked nor received such promise.) I remember at the caucus the evening before the election, when a sufficient number had come in to secure his election, he called out: "Put up the bars, boys, put up the bars; there is just enough to go round." At this session I had the pleasure of voting for the 14th amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
In 1866 it was Franklin County's turn to have the Senator. I was a delegate to the nominating convention and voted for Dr. Wyley in opposition to H. P. Welsh. The same year the question of amending our State Constitution by striking out the word "white" was submitted to the people. Radical and fearless as usual, I took the stump in favor of the amendment, ran for the Legislature, and was defeated with the amendment by a small majority.
When the election of 1868 came round it was Anderson County's turn to have the State Senator, by reason of courtesy. The voting of county bonds to the rail-road was the chief issue. I did not oppose voting bonds, but I did oppose the extravagant amount asked for.
The nominating convention was composed of six delegates from each county. Anderson County was unanimous for me, but by fraudulent manipulation of the ballots, as was positively proven afterwards, by Bill Spriggs and Andy Johnston, I was cheated out of three of the delegates. One of the Franklin County delegation was the man Welsh whom I had voted against two years before. He succeeded in turning that delegation against me, so I was defeated, and my career as a politician largely crippled. Afterwards I was nominated by the anti-bond men, against my judgment, for the same office, and carried my own county by a good majority, but was defeated by the vote of Franklin County.
In 1869 I was appointed U.S. Marshal. This was an office of great political power and importance, especially as the census was to be taken in 1870, and a Deputy-Marshal appointed for this purpose in almost every township of the State. Needless to say, I made the most of the situation in favor of Sidney Clark for Congress and S. C. Pomeroy for Senator,-- the friends who had secured my appointment,-- and we carried the State in 1870.
In 1872 the opposition was too strong for us. John J. Ingalls was elected Senator and D. P. Lowe of Ft. Scott to Congress -- both of them my personal friends but political enemies, so at the end of my term I had to retire to private life.
In the summer of 1873 I bought the Leavenworth Daily Commercial, a Democratic paper,-- changed it to a Republican, and undertook the editorial department. Looking back through a quarter of a century I believe I was or could have been a success as an editorial writer. The paper had a large circulation and was influential throughout the State, but as a business enterprise it was not a success. Again I learned that I was not a good business man.
In 1874 I ran for Congress in the northern district of the State. Col. Phillips had been a member for two terms. I thought that the time for his defeat had come, but it was two years too soon. I carried my city and county, but Phillips was renominated by one majority.
In 1877 I sold my paper and moved back to Anderson County, and in 1880 was elected to the State Legislature. That fall I advocated the amendment to the Constitution prohibiting the sale of intoxicating drinks, and was elected largely on that issue.
I think I may say, and the Journal will sustain me, that I took a leading position in that House. I was almost continuously chairman of the Commmittee of the Whole, and took the lead in the enactment of the first prohibitory law of our State. To secure the passage of this law, it became necessary to call a caucus of both branches of the Legislature. I was made chairman of this caucus, which threw on me largely the framing and passage of that law, the essential principles of which have never been changed, it having stood the test of many decisions of the courts and become the model for many other States.
In the election of 1882 I was entitled to a re-election, by all political rules, but the anti-Prohibitionists were too strong; I was defeated. If I had been elected, it was generally admitted, I would have been Speaker of the House. I was growing old and this defeat closed my prospects for further political power and plans. The same year Gov. St. John was defeated, after being nominated by the Republican party, because of his radical prohibition sentiment.
I was very much disheartened with the state and national parties on the question of prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors as a beverage, and believed a lesson the the leaders was needed. Very reluctantly I permitted my name to be placed on the ticket of the Prohibition party for Lieut.-Governor. But I must say I was pleased when Jas. G. Blaine was defeated on the national ticket. Two years after, I was nominated and ran on the Prohibition ticket for Congress.
Since that time I have taken part in politics, voting mostly with the Republican party, holding the office of Police Judge for the city of Garnett for six years, and of Justice of the Peace for one year by appointment of Gov. Hoch.
I am now a resident of the Territory of New Mexico, and with my mental faculties as strong and alert as ever, so far as I can see. I would like to take part in laying the foundations of this State, but I am reminded that I am 82 years old.