four years, met and mastered every question, as if from youth trained to Statesmanship. Mindful of his oath in office to defend the Constitution, he courageously declares to Congress that taxation must be reduced. That the millions of dollars poured into the Treasury are the hard earned savings of the American people. This message, which appears further on in this volume, is one of the ablest ever given to Congress.

His unswerving uprightness, his high moral courage, his tireless devotion; these qualities, combined with the fidelity and independence of his official actions during the last four years, have made him the unanimous choice of the National Democratic convention, assembled at St. Louis, Missouri, June 5, 1888.

THE LIFE OF
OF ALLAN G. THURMAN.

[Democratic Candidate for Vice-President.1

Hon. Allan G. Thurman, candidate for Vice-President, was born on November 13, 1813, in Lynchburg, Virginia.

His father was the Rev. P. Thurman, and his mother the only daughter of Colonel Nathaniel Allen, of North Carolina, nephew of Joseph Hewes, one

of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1819 the parents of Allan Thurman moved to Chillicothe, Ohio, where Allan received his education and made his home until 1853, when he moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he has since resided.

He studied law under his uncle, the late William Allen, who represented Ohio in the United States Senate for many years, and afterwards was Governor of Ohio. He afterwards studied law with Noah H. Swayne, who was, later on, one of the Justices of the United States Supreme Court.

17

Much of the expense incurred while studying law was met by his work in surveying land. His mother was a gifted and cultured lady, who did much for the training of her son, guiding his studies and readings until his admission to the bar, Allan in turn helping his parents and sisters in their support, and continued to do so for nine years after his admission to the bar, remaining unmarried and at home during this time.

There are those who remember of his hard work and ceaseless study, and his tenacity of purpose which he has always shown; he kept up his hard study until long after the graduation of his class mates, and, until his admission to the bar in 1835, his time was occupied in teaching school and studying, while his vacations were filled by his work of surveying.

In 1835 Allan G. Thurman was admitted to the bar, and it was not long before his standing at the bar was of the best, and his clientage large. The position was gained by hard work, strict attention to business, and an unswerving principle of doing well and thoroughly everything that he undertook.

The bar of no county of Ohio stood better than that of Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, yet it was but a few years before this young man stood at the very front of Ross County bar; he was not only connected with nearly every difficult suit in Ross County, but was retained in many important cases in the adjoining counties. Nor were any of his cases neglected; the least important received that thorough attention, pains and study that was given the most important ones. Such zeal and energy was rewarded by placing Thurman at the very head of the bar of Ohio, and in the short period of sixteen years he was found on the Supreme Bench of the State. In 1844 Mr. Thurman was elected to Congress, holding the position for one term.

Declining a renomination, he returned to his practice of law. He continued at the bar until 1851, when, a new constitution for Ohio having been adopted, he was elected to the Ohio Supreme bench, serving as Chief Justice from December, 1854, to February, 1856, refusing a renomination at the close of his term. Judge Thurman's opinions, contained in the Ohio State Reports, are noted for their clearness and accuracy. No man who ever sat on the Bench of Ohio gained greater honor for learned and unbiased decisions.

Judge Thurman is a man who never sought public officethe office sought the man. In 1866 the Republican party of Ohio had a majority of over 40,000; the Democratic party had little hopes of overcoming this large majority, but decided in 1867 that if any man in their party was equal to the emergency, that man was Judge Thurman, and he was unanimously nominated for the governorship. Such a call he could not refuse. He entered the strife with earnestness, a characteristic of the man; the struggle was one of the most remarkable in Ohio politics. The issue in that campaign was, whether the Constitution of Ohio should be amended so as to permit of negro suffrage. The Republicans being for, the Democrats against such a measure. Although Mr. Thurman was defeated, he succeeded, by his management of the campaign and his own public speeches, in reducing the Republican majority of over 40,000 in 1866 to about 3,000. Although himself defeated, yet he won for his party not only a majority of over fifty thousand votes against the amendment, but he secured a majority for his party of the assembly and, as a reward for his services, that body elected Judge Thurman, United States Senator for the term of 1869 to 1875.

He entered the Senate March 4, 1869, and was at once a power, and leader of his party. He was a leading member

of the Judiciary Committee, and also served on the Committee of Post-Offices, and Post Roads. He was also President pro tem. of the Senate during Vice-President Wheeler's illness. In 1872 Ohio was carried by the Republicans with a majority of nearly 40,000, though this was a decrease of about 2,500 from previous votes. Judge Thurman looked the situation over carefully in 1874, and decided that his party had a fighting chance.

As before, he entered the strife with zeal and gave the party the benefit of over one hundred speeches, and the result was a victory, complete, for his party as well as himself, as he was returned to the Senate for another term, 1875 to 1881.

While in the Senate, Judge Thurman introduced many useful messages, among them the noted "Thurman Act," relating to the Pacific railroads, by which over one hundred millions of dollars were saved to the people. This measure was, of course, bitterly opposed by the railroads, and they used every means possible to defeat it.

The bill was thought to be unconstitutional, but Mr. Thurman strongly claimed its constitutionality, and his claim was sustained by the Supreme Court of the United States. It may be said here that Senator Edmunds, a great friend of Thurman, assisted in the preparation of the "Thurman Act."

The main feature of this "Act" provides that the railroads having land grants, shall pay into the Treasury a certain part of their earnings, for the liquidation of their debts to the Government. The railroad corporations had evidenced an intention to evade payment of their obligations to the Government.

While Judge Thurman was in the Senate the "Geneva Award Bill" was one of the most important bills discussed.