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CWCL013; F^o^
¦SLE
EX-GOV. LEWIS STILL ACTIVE
(Living in Comfort With His
Wife in Beautiful Home
in Columbus.
DISLIKES PEIMAKY BILL
Says Change Should Be Gradual
and Railroad Taxation Measure
Be Well Considered.
^i
BY E. E. PETHBEICK. 3PECIAI, COBRESPONDENCE.
COLUMBUS, Wis., March 28.—In this Ibeautiful little city ot handsome family homes and old people who live in honorable retirement after long lives of successful struggle, there is no more notable citizen than James T. Lewis, -who was the war governor of Wisconsin, besides having oc¬ cupied many other positions which he hon¬ ored by his plain, common sense and the business methods which he applied to ofll- teial life.
In a colonial residence on a hill over¬ looking the town Mr. and Mrs. Lewis live in peace and comfort on a tract of about three acres of land, covered with natural caks and a few maples and evergreens plgsated by the owner In the middle of the jast;'cenfury. The house is ot wood, painted white, and ornamented In front with Corin¬ thian columns.
"I was the architect of the house," Mr. Lewis said, "and hired men to build it, and they did a good job. Fifty years ago we used to have carpenters in the country. They could take a pile of lumber and make a house. Now, if I wanted it built I would (have to buy all the stuff, finished in a plan¬ ing mill, and would be in good luck if I could find a mechanic sufficiently expert to put the pieces together.
"But I guess you don't care to hear my views on the labor question. I came west in 1845, and settling in Columbus pro¬ ceeded to buy all the government land I could get. The next year I went back home and was married. "When we got back we picked out this spot for a home, and I hired
carpenters to build the house. That was fifty years ago, and I have never since had occasion to regret either my choice of a i wife or a, home." !
Surprised at Title "Judge." Just at this point Mrs. Lewis, a genial, , kindly woman, with one of those faces (that ' seem to warm the air, interrupted and said: ¦ "I remember the first summer we were here. I went over to Mr. Lewis' law office to write a letter, when a stranger walked In and asked if the judge was in. I did not know who he meant, and said no one had i been there all morning except Mr. Lewis, and that he was in the back room. The man i ^ began to laugh, and said: 'Why, we callj him judge.' This was a surprise to me, j as away back east the only title he had was 'Jim,' but he did become a judge after¬ wards." j "Yes," Mr. Lewis continued, "I have j been county judge and also district aittor- ney, and at one time it seemed as though the public would keep me busy until I got broke. I was a member ot the constitu¬ tional convention; then was elected to the assembly, and afterwards to the senate. In 1861, when they talked of me for secretary of state, I went to Madison, and was on my way to the convention hall to with¬ draw my name and decline to run, when I met Aleck Robinson, a brother of Charley, the Green Bay editor. He began to tell me I must run; that the country needed me, and all that kind of talk. The result was that the convention nominated me while we were outside arguing, and I concluded | to let It go. But I never wanted the place, j and I have not lived long enough yet to 1 change my mind. There Is no place on earth where a man can do as muc'n work for as little thanks as he can in the ofllce of secretary of state. I was secretary of state in 1862-3, and became governor in 1864. • • • . . .
Is One of the Rew.'Waii SoVcarttofs Left. .. • • ^ .
"I am one of tfie f evr war gjAi^rtiors left. It was a hard place to fill, I can* t'efi you. Every good fellow who had made a failure of his own business wanted a commission to lead men to battle. Then the friends of the good boys already at the front wanted them promoted or commissioned. That was some work and worry. And then think that was only a small part of what there was to do. Wisconsin sent about 150,000 ot i the best and bravest ot her citizens to the i front. They were good men: but it took I lots of work to care for them and the | families they left behind.
Wisconsin Troops Recommended.
"Soon after the war, when Gen. Sher¬ man visited Madison, I asked him what he thought of Wisconsin troops, and he re¬ plied: 'Governor, it would not do for me to discriminate, but I will say that If every state had sent as good men as Wisconsin did the war would have ended sooner.'
"Recollections of that kind are pleasant to a man of 84 years, and I do not regret the ten years' time I spent at Madison. Ot course, it Was rather an expensive luxury, financially, but my government land kept on increasing in price and 1 came out
Object Description
| Title | Biographical Newspaper clippings, 1861-1930, Vol. 2 |
| Source Title | Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles (WLHBA) Biographical Newspaper clippings, 1861-1930, Vol. 2 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Description | Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles (WLHBA) Newspaper clippings, 1861-1930 from historical and biographical articles preserved in scrapbooks at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Articles include eyewitness accounts written during the Civil War; such as war correspondence, soldiers diaries and printed letters from soldiers. Articles also include veterans reminiscence, obituaries and anniversary coverage of major battles or formation of regiments. A wide range of subjects, battles and people are covered. |
| Subcollection | Newspaper Clippings |
| Source | Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles |
| Source Type | newspaper clipping |
| Place of Publication | varies |
| Source Creation Date | 1861-1930 |
| Source Publisher | varies |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2011 |
| Rights | © Copyright 2011 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Digital Format | XML |
| Digital Identifier | CWCL0000b |
Description
| Title | 13 |
| Source Title | Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles (WLHBA) Biographical Newspaper clippings, 1861-1930, Vol. 2 |
| Volume | 10 |
| People | Lewis, James T., Gov. |
| Source Type | newspaper clipping |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2011 |
| Rights | © Copyright 2011 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Digital Format | JPG |
| Full text | CWCL013; F^o^ ¦SLE EX-GOV. LEWIS STILL ACTIVE (Living in Comfort With His Wife in Beautiful Home in Columbus. DISLIKES PEIMAKY BILL Says Change Should Be Gradual and Railroad Taxation Measure Be Well Considered. ^i BY E. E. PETHBEICK. 3PECIAI, COBRESPONDENCE. COLUMBUS, Wis., March 28.—In this Ibeautiful little city ot handsome family homes and old people who live in honorable retirement after long lives of successful struggle, there is no more notable citizen than James T. Lewis, -who was the war governor of Wisconsin, besides having oc¬ cupied many other positions which he hon¬ ored by his plain, common sense and the business methods which he applied to ofll- teial life. In a colonial residence on a hill over¬ looking the town Mr. and Mrs. Lewis live in peace and comfort on a tract of about three acres of land, covered with natural caks and a few maples and evergreens plgsated by the owner In the middle of the jast;'cenfury. The house is ot wood, painted white, and ornamented In front with Corin¬ thian columns. "I was the architect of the house" Mr. Lewis said, "and hired men to build it, and they did a good job. Fifty years ago we used to have carpenters in the country. They could take a pile of lumber and make a house. Now, if I wanted it built I would (have to buy all the stuff, finished in a plan¬ ing mill, and would be in good luck if I could find a mechanic sufficiently expert to put the pieces together. "But I guess you don't care to hear my views on the labor question. I came west in 1845, and settling in Columbus pro¬ ceeded to buy all the government land I could get. The next year I went back home and was married. "When we got back we picked out this spot for a home, and I hired carpenters to build the house. That was fifty years ago, and I have never since had occasion to regret either my choice of a i wife or a, home." ! Surprised at Title "Judge." Just at this point Mrs. Lewis, a genial, , kindly woman, with one of those faces (that ' seem to warm the air, interrupted and said: ¦ "I remember the first summer we were here. I went over to Mr. Lewis' law office to write a letter, when a stranger walked In and asked if the judge was in. I did not know who he meant, and said no one had i been there all morning except Mr. Lewis, and that he was in the back room. The man i ^ began to laugh, and said: 'Why, we callj him judge.' This was a surprise to me, j as away back east the only title he had was 'Jim,' but he did become a judge after¬ wards." j "Yes" Mr. Lewis continued, "I have j been county judge and also district aittor- ney, and at one time it seemed as though the public would keep me busy until I got broke. I was a member ot the constitu¬ tional convention; then was elected to the assembly, and afterwards to the senate. In 1861, when they talked of me for secretary of state, I went to Madison, and was on my way to the convention hall to with¬ draw my name and decline to run, when I met Aleck Robinson, a brother of Charley, the Green Bay editor. He began to tell me I must run; that the country needed me, and all that kind of talk. The result was that the convention nominated me while we were outside arguing, and I concluded | to let It go. But I never wanted the place, j and I have not lived long enough yet to 1 change my mind. There Is no place on earth where a man can do as muc'n work for as little thanks as he can in the ofllce of secretary of state. I was secretary of state in 1862-3, and became governor in 1864. • • • . . . Is One of the Rew.'Waii SoVcarttofs Left. .. • • ^ . "I am one of tfie f evr war gjAi^rtiors left. It was a hard place to fill, I can* t'efi you. Every good fellow who had made a failure of his own business wanted a commission to lead men to battle. Then the friends of the good boys already at the front wanted them promoted or commissioned. That was some work and worry. And then think that was only a small part of what there was to do. Wisconsin sent about 150,000 ot i the best and bravest ot her citizens to the i front. They were good men: but it took I lots of work to care for them and the | families they left behind. Wisconsin Troops Recommended. "Soon after the war, when Gen. Sher¬ man visited Madison, I asked him what he thought of Wisconsin troops, and he re¬ plied: 'Governor, it would not do for me to discriminate, but I will say that If every state had sent as good men as Wisconsin did the war would have ended sooner.' "Recollections of that kind are pleasant to a man of 84 years, and I do not regret the ten years' time I spent at Madison. Ot course, it Was rather an expensive luxury, financially, but my government land kept on increasing in price and 1 came out |
| Digital Identifier | CWCL0216 |