USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches > Part 37
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Webster Davis was born at Ebensburg, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, June 1, 1862. Ilis father, Daniel J. Davis, was a native of Wales, while his mother, Elizabeth (Evans) Davis, was born in the Keystone state.
In the year 1868 the family moved to Da- viess county, Missouri, and located upon a farm, where they remained until 1874, when
they removed to Chillicothe, Missouri. Up to this date young Webster had made his home with his parents, his duties and advantages for schooling being those common to boys of his time in that section of the country.
His first employment that took him from home was that of clerk in a hardware store, where he remained for a year, after which he went with the family to Gallatin, in the same state. Here he took up the occupation of his father, that of shoemaking. being employed at the same until the age of nineteen years. His opportunities for schooling up to this time had been quite limited. His decision at this period in life had much to do with the successes of later years. He believed in himself and had visions of greater possibilities. He resolved to secure for himself an education, and, suit- ing the action to the thought, he found his way to Lake Forest, near Chicago, and entered the university at that place. His stock in trade consisted in a good measure of push, pluck and perseverance, and fifteen dollars in ready cash. With characteristic energy, he soon found employment caring for the city street lamps, which enabled him not only to pursue his studies through the year but also to assist in the support of the family at home. After a year at the university he entered the law office of Shanklin, Low & McDougal, at Gallatin, as a law student, having decided to enter the legal profession. Two years later he removed with his mother to Lawrence, Kansas, where he pursued his studies at the state university for two years and where, in the year 1886, he was admitted to the bar at Garden City. Here he first entered upon the practice of his chos- en profession, Impressed with the need of a more thorough preparation for his life work. he later entered the law department of the University of Michigan, in which he was graduated in June, 1887, with distinguished honor. after which he took up his residence at Kansas City. Missouri. He entered the Uni- versity of Michigan without means, without influential friends or social station, and yet, though the youngest member of his class of
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two hundred, at his graduation the class hon- ored him above all others by making him their choice as the orator at the semi-centen- nial of the university.
Oratory with him was a gift of nature. He has been called the Patrick Henry of the west, likened to Ingalls, compared to Clay, Webster (for whom he was named) and a half dozen or more other gifted statesmen of those days when oratory was esteemed a 'God-given pow- er. Mr. Davis can well bear comparison with any of these.
The magic force of his oratory was tested at
Arlington, Virginia, on Memorial day, 1899, when it was said by men who were con- temporaries of Webster, that never, even in his prime, was the great orator able to reach the heights upon which this youthful son of a veteran stands. And again, at the Was !;- ington monument, on the 4th day of July, 1899, where he was sent as second to Dolli- ver, he came away with the honors of the day. Secretary Sherman, who listened to him sole- ly for the purpose of hearing the "orator of the administration," pronounced this effort one of the most magnificent orations that he had ever had the pleasure of hearing. Before the League Convention of Republican Clubs at Detroit, in the year 1898, he further distin- guished himself as a political orator, proving himself in political oratory the Bryan of his party. Indeed, the striking resemblance be- tween Mr. Davis and Mr. Bryan does not end at speech-making, as they bear a remarkable resemblance to each other in personal appear- ance. The portrait of Mr. Davis might easily pass for "the magic orator of the Platte,"-a resemblance of which Mr. Davis is not ashamed.
It was at Steubenville, Ohio, in 1899, that Mr. Davis capped the climax of his brilliant "administration oratory." The city, in mak- ing preparations for the celebration of her centennial, sent a committee to wait upon President Mckinley for the purpose of secur- ing him to deliver the oration. The president; however, sent them to Mr. Davis, saying that
he regarded the talented young assistant sec- retary of the interior as the finest orator in the United States, and those who heard his brilliant effort on that occasion approved the presidents judgment. He was accorded a per- fect ovation and General Dan Sickles pro- nounced it the most brilliant oration he had ever heard.
His mind is clear, rich, active, cogent; his imagination vivid, picturesque, happy ; and his diction-as he speaks with inimitable grace- painting word-pictures that leave indelible im- pressions upon the minds or portraying consid- erations that move the hearts of men-is pure, classic and serene; yet he is as simple in his style and as unaffected in his manner as a child,-always genial and approachable, ten- der to old age, respectful to rank, and loved by the younger generation.
In the spring of 1896, although fiercely fought by all the old leaders and bosses of his party in Missouri, he came within the nar- row margin of three votes of walking out of the state convention with the nomination for governor. Only by the combination of the opposition could he have been defeated.
In the year 1892 he was nominated for con- gress as a Republican in a hopelessly Demo- cratic district, but suffered a defeat. In 1894 he became the candidate for mayor of Kansas City and was triumphantly elected by a ma- jority of seven thousand. As soon as he en- tered upon the duties of his office, his con- stituents perceived that they had not over- estimated his fitness for the position, for his policy during the two years of his administra- tion was to approve every change that was certain to benefit the city ; and the reforms he had promised to effect if he became mayor were effected as far as it lay in his power to bring them about. When he was elected may- or the people were paying one dollar and six- ty cents per thousand feet for gas, and when he left the office they were paying only fifty cents per thousand feet. At the time of his induction into the mayorality there were liti- gations to the amount of more than three mil-
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lion dollars hanging over the city, which did not own its waterworks. When he laid aside his authority all this litigation had disap- peared, the city owned its own waterworks plant and the people were enjoying the luxury of cheap water. But these are some of the more important reforms. Many others were inaugurated and carried through successfully by Mr. Davis.
Immediately upon the opening of the sec- ond presidential campaign of the lamented McKinley, Mr. Davis took the stump, and made over one hundred speeches through the middle west. He soon came under the per- sonal observation of Major Mckinley, who determined in the event of his own election to provide handsomely for this "young Lochin- var," who had "come out of the west." This thought reached its consummation when Mr. Davis took his seat, on June 1, 1897, as as- sistant secretary of the interior, a position of great importance and one in which a man's individuality stands out prominently,-this officer being the final authority in all pension decisions as well as the one who signs letters patent. While occupying the position Mr. Davis rendered many important decisions, which have given great satisfaction through- out the country, especially to the o'd veterans of the Mexican and civil wars.
Few men have more to commend them to the smiles of fortune than Webster Davis,-a man of commanding presence, pleasing fea- tures, earnest manner, and thoughtful face, lighted by dark, expressive and liquid. but rather melancholy eyes ; a frank cordiality takes entire possession of you at once. Though all naturally expect a musical voice from one upon whom so many gods have stamped the scal of some grace, yet few are prepared for the eloquence of impassioned oratory which scems to flow in graceful case from his firmly set lips. His delivery is forceful, yet grace- ful ; his personal appearance is attractive, yet unassuming ; his thought is full of masculine strength, yet simply expressed : his periods thrill and inspire, yet remain in the mind of
the listener ; his voice is strong, flexible, untir- ing, and capable of almost infinite modulation, yet it has a carrying power which compels at- tention, while his gestures and facial changes are worthy of a professional actor. It is not strange, therefore, that he is oftimes likened unto the great statesman of New England whose name he bears,
Mr. Davis has one of the most attractive and picturesque homes in Corunna and he is known as the prince of entertainers, a cor- dial welcome awaiting all comers. His won- derful collection of relics and curios from many lands is one of the finest private collec- tions in the state and is valued at several thousand dollars.
Following the political campaign of 1899, in which Mr. Davis stumped the state of Ohio in a six weeks' tour, he was advised to take a long sea voyage to recuperate his wasted energies. He immediately decided to make the trip to Cape Town, South Africa. This was during the exciting days of the South Af- rican war. Mr. Davis, carrying letters of in- troduction from the president of the United States and others prominent in official circles, was given every opportunity to study the Boer problem. Productions from his gifted pen, bearing upon the subject, were read widely both in this country and in England. Mr. Davis' numerous friends and admirers predict for him many honors yet to come,
Mr. Davis delivered the following address at Arlington Heights on Decoration day, 1899, in the presence of President Mckinley and his cabinet :
COMMANDER AND VETERANS:
You were called upon to take part in the most terrible war of the nineteenth century. There have been wars of longer duration, but none more terrible than that war of neighbor against neighbor. brother against brother. father against son. For four long years the echo of the picket's rifle did not cease.
The total number of men comprising the Union forces, in army and navy, during the civil war, aggregated almost three millions. There were over one hundred land battles in
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which one side or the other lost more than five hundred men. At Gettysburg alone, more than fifty thousand Americans were lost- nearly half of them being defenders of the Union. On both sides which participated in that conflict more than half a million lives were lost before its end. Counting those who received wounds not considered mortal but who have been dying since from their effects, nearly seven hundred thousand soldiers who wore the blue have died. How appalling this is when you contemplate its magnitude! If the graves of those Union soldiers were placed side by side they would extend a distance of almost five hundred miles. Stepping from one to the other you might walk from Washington to Philadelphia, thence to New York, thence to a point twenty miles beyond Boston, and still be on the graves,-a distance almost as great as that from Washington to Cin- cinnati, almost one-sixth the distance across the continent, from Washington to San Francisco.
These men, together with their comrades, sacrificed everything-the comforts of home and the happiness and hopes of the future ; they offered their services and their lives for the service of their country. They turned their backs on fortune. Some turned away from young wives with prattling babe at the breast ; some from the dear old mother whose face was wet with tears as she kissed her son fare- well. And they made all this sacrifice for prin- ciple. These men were hardened and finely tempered, like Damascus steel, by heroic la- bors and hardships for their country. The world has never seen grander, braver, or bet- ter men. They marched, camped, fought, bled and died together. Doubtless many of them, as they closed their eyes in death, gazed down the vista of the future and saw in part the re- alization of the hopes and dreams of their banished youth, and were content with the work assigned them,- that of aiding in sav- ing the imperishable solidity and glory of the Union. And as I see their surviving com- rades marching along the streets on Decora- tion day, bearing the flowers of springtime to the cemetery to place them on the graves of their comrades who have gone before, I notice; their tottering steps, their feeble forms, bend- ing under the weight of years,-some on crutches, some with empty sleeves,-all near- ing the end of life's journey. And I cannot help but wonder, is it possible that this rem- nant of old, crippled veterans is all that is left
of that once wonderful army,-the greatest army in all the world? And are these the strong, rugged young Americans who saved the Union more than a third of a century ago? Are these the muscular miners who, in the mines of Pennsylvania, heard the call for vol- unteers? Are these the men whose eyes were keen as the eagle's as they emerged from the pine woods of Maine? Are these the young patriots whose step was as light as that of the bounding deer on the granite hills of Vermont, and who hastened away to defend their coun- try? Are these the swarthy men of the moun- tains, sinewy farmers of the prairies, the wild riders of the plains, who went away in the long ago to join the patriot thousands on the wonderous march to glory, filling the forest aisles with their battle-cry, "We are coming, Father Abraham, three hundred thousand strong ?"
Yes, as these survivors march, on Decora- tion day, by looking closely you can see be- tween the lines those spectre soldiers-the boys who never came home ; you can see, also, the phantom flags and banners floating among them,-these were borne by the boys who never came back. Truly the great product of our nation is our heroes. This nation grows men.
Some persons will tell you that corn is king; some that iron is king ; then, again, others that cotton is king; but all are mistaken,-in this country man is king! And the nation or coun- try that can grow men of such character and such loftiness of soul that they will go down to death, if need be, for an idea, for a princi- ple, can rule the world. For these are the men which make a country great and a nation strong and invincible. The republican idea is that the people can be trusted to govern then- selves ; this is the highest type of government known to the world. It had its origin in Per- sia, then in Greece, then in Rome, and now in America ; and if it fails here it will be lost to the world. But it will not fail so long as American freemen are loyal to the republic and mindful of its welfare. So long as they feel that this country is their country, that they have a personal proprietorship in its his- tory, in the honor of its name, and in its dignity and standing among other countries, and so long as they are proud of the lustre of its battle fields, radiant with the common glo- ries of its heroic defenders on land and sea.
We have been told that the great scholar, Fulwell Buckston, was a great giant in stat-
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ure and beloved by all who knew him. Ono day as he walked along the streets of London with a bundle of books under his arm he came to a group of children at play, when suddenly he saw a great, mad English mastiff, with glaring eyes, red lips, and with teeth dripping in poison foam, rushing toward the children and snapping at everything as it came along, while men and policemen were crying, "Mad dog! Look out!" Fulwe'l Buckston heard the cry of the mothers and the children and, drop- ping his books, he stepped between the chil- dren and the dog; the mad brute leaped at his throat and almost threw him to the ground, and it seemed for a time that he was lost ; but his fingers closed around the great dog's throat. and, holding him at arms' length, he summoned all his strength; the dog writhed and struggled, but the man held on. Officers and men hurried to him and cried, "Let him go, we have guns; we will kill him," but the hero held on until, finally, he threw the dog to the ground, dead. Knowing that if there was a single scratch upon his hands it meant certain death from hydrophobia, he hastened to wash them; when he had done so, he held them up and said, "They are not touched ; thank God, I am saved." Then strong men with pale faces praised him; and baby faces were held up to kiss his bearded face.
So, when the various states of the Union, all bound together in bonds of unity and friendship, were each endeavoring to do their part toward the upbuilding of the republic, when peace and prosperity abounded, and thrift and industry everywhere was at work in the mill and factory and farm, then it was that mad treason suddenly rushed at those states. But just in the critical moment the brave defenders of the Union grappled at its throat. And as they struggled with it at Buil Run and Vicksburg, at Antitam and Gettys- burg, the nations across the sea who hated the republic shouted, "Let it go ;" the copperheads of the north said, "Let it go;" but they held on until, finally, they hurled it man- gled, bleeding, dead,-at far-famed Appo- mattox.
All honor to every soldier and sailor who took part in that great struggle for the preser- vation of the Union. All honor, too, to the loyal women who suffered untold agony at home, as they cared for those dependent upon them; and all honor to the women who, in camp, on battle field and in hospital, cared for the sick and wounded soldiers. Ah yes:
"The maid who binds her warrior's sash, With smile that well her pain dissembles, The while beneath her drooping lash One starry tear drop hangs and trembles ; Though heaven alone records that tear And fame may never know her story, Her heart hath shed a drop as dear As e'er bedewed the field of glory.
"The wife who girds her husband's sword, Mid little ones who weep and wonder, And bravely speaks the cheering word, E'en though her heart be rent asunder ; Doomed nightly, in her dreams, to hear The bolts of death around him rattle, Sheds holy blood as e'er was shed On freedom's field of battle.
"The mother who conceals her grief While to her breast her son she presses, Speaking a few brave words and brief, Kissing the patriot brow she blesses ; With no one but her secret God To know the pain that weighs upon her, --- Sheds holy blood as e'er the sod Received on freedom's field of honor."
We rejoice to-day, that we live in a mighty republic,-a land of freedom and equality of right ; a land wherein every American boy is heir to a kingdom; and the boundary of that kingdom is the limit of his personal capacity. A land where everything is possible to every citizen and where the only restraints upon the full enjoyment of life, liberty and the posses- sion of happiness are necessary restraints of society against the abuse of these blessings. With no tyrant ruling over them, with no privileged classes of society formed in layers, like the earth's crust, as it is in the aristocratic lands ; but a society like the ocean, so broad, so long, so deep, and so free in all its parts that each grain of sand that mingles with the waters at the bottom may rise through all the currents until it gleams like a jewel on the crest of the highest wave. So that here the poorest son or the humblest man who toils may wind his lowly way over the tortuous paths to final greatness, through all grades of society. from the humble cabin of poverty, un- til he reaches the loftiest position of honor in the nation. Truly it may be said that :
"Whosoe'er our destiny sends forth
Its widening circles to the south and north ; Where'er our banner flaunts beneath the stars
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Its mimic splendors and its cloudlike bars, There shall free labor's hardy children stand, The equal sovereigns of a freeman's land:"
With fertile lands yielding an abundant in- crease, with splendid systems of transporta- tion, with commerce extending to almost ev- ery section, with a mighty population increas- ing in wealth annually-in the presence of blessings like these, thrilling with the con- sciousness of citizenship in a government more glorious than any that ever existed, surely we should be thankful for a privilege so great.
All this is the result of the heroic work of the defenders of the Union. Had they failed the Union would have been dissolved, the sil- ver cord loosed, the golden bowl broken at the fountain; rival confederacies of states at war with each other; ferocious factions struggling for supremacy; hate, malice and treachery rampant ; with one flag here, and another flag yonder, while "Old Glory" would be folded up and laid away among the memor- ials that preserve the memory of the dead re- publics.
When I think of what these men have done I feel that if the poorest and humblest of their number were placed in rags by the side of the most exalted son of royalty arrayed in the fin- est raiment of the world, I would hasten to grasp the hand of the old soldier of the Union and hail him noblest of men, for none are ti- tled nobler than the man who is but an Ameri- can.
Surely it is right, just and proper that our government has provided so liberally for car- ing for the defenders of the Union in their old age by the establishment of soldiers' homes, and by proper pension legislation. The money paid for pensions nearly all remains in this country, and it goes directly into the chan- nels of trade, and greatly reduces local taxa- tion for the support of the poor; some of it goes to poor farmers and farmers' widows. In every country hamlet and village, as well as in every city, the physician, the druggist, the groceryman, the fuel man and the land- lord, all are directly interested, for as soon as the pensioner receives the pension money the first duty is to pay for the necessaries of life which have been furnished by their neighbor tradesmen in expectancy of the forthcoming pension.
During the awful financial depression in this country, a few years ago, all the banks locked the money up in their vaults, and poor
people could get no work because there was no money in circulation with which to pay them or to carry on business. Everything was at a standstill and sorrow and bloom prevailed everywhere. Then it was that the pensions proved of such great benefit to poor people, for that money came regularly from the na- tion's treasury and scattered contentment and peace throughout the homes of thousands of poor men and women. Truly the pension is the best friend the poor people have today in this country.
We are told that men are getting pensions who don't deserve them, because, judging from appearances, they seem not to be deserv- ing. But who can tell by looking at a man what his wounds or ailments may be? I as- sert that no man could pass through the hard- ships of war, on march, in the camp and on the battle-field, and emerge therefrom the same man, physically or mentally, that he was when he enlisted. He may never have received a wound, mày never have been confined in a hospital, but, nevertheless, no human body can withstand the shock and strain of war and be as good as it was before.
We hear so much also about the large num- ber of frauds on the pension roll. Of course there may be some who are frauds. There are nearly a million names on the pension roll, and 'it would be very remarkable if there were not some which ought not to appear there. Can you gather together a million men and women in this world anywhere and not find some who are frauds? But if the frauds are as numerous among the pensioners as some people assert they are, why are they not brought to punishment? . We have a strong government which is ever ready with a mighty force of officers sworn to do their duty, skilled and well equipped for the purpose of bringing criminals who violate the laws of the country to justice. Let them proceed to arrest all these frauds and let them be punished to the full ex- tent of the law; let no guilty person escape. But when one may be discovered and brought to the bar of justice let him or her be dealt with as an individual pension fraud,-not in such manner as to cast a stigma upon all other persons who may be drawing pensions. Be- cause one member of a large family may be- come a criminal is no reason that anyone should intimate, by insinuation or innuendoes, that all the other members of that family are criminals.
We do not believe that any person should be
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given a pension who is not entitled to it under the law. We do not believe in throwing open the United States treasury to the pension- seekers. No, not by any means. We want to protect the treasury. So do these old soldiers ; they are just as loyal to-day as they ever were ; they protected that treasury once with their arms and with their lives, and would do so again, if need be. They do not want a cent to which they are not entitled. But if one of them is entitled under the law to a pension, even but six dollars a month, let the great, rich and powerful republic which they once saved give it in a princely way, as though it were a genuine pleasure to do so, and not in a grudging way, as though he were not en- titled to it. Most of the old soldiers are poor ; they did not have an equal chance for accumu- lating wealth with their fellow citizens who remained at home while they themselves went to war. Then, again, those who remained at home and prospered should raise no objection to a grateful nation's properly and justly car- ing for those who bore the brunt of the con- flict which rendered the existence of this mighty nation a possibility.
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