beings, and it may be the destiny of the nation. I trust, and doubt not, the Legislature of Wisconsin will record its decision firmly, and I hope unanimously, in favor of the amendment. Let us wipe from our escutcheon the foul blot of human slavery, and show by our action that we are worthy of the name of freemen."

One would naturally think that, after the terribly cruel and expensive war that had been carried on for four long and bloody years, involving the greatest sacrifice of men and money on both sides in any war known to modern times, there would not have been found a sane man in the North who would object to wipe out forever the accursed institution that had been the cause of all the trouble; but not so. There are men who delight to make themselves infamous as well as notorious, and some of them, to the disgrace of the State be it said, held seats in the Senate and Assembly in 1865. In the Senate on the 21st of February, the question came up in a resolution to ratify the constitutional amendment. On a vote being taken the resolution was adopted-ayes, 24; nays, 7. (See Senate Journal, Feb. 21, 1865, nays, 5.) On the 25th, three of the absent Senators asked to have their vote recorded in favor of the same, and two against; making the vote in the Senate, ayes, 27; p. 274:

Affirmative-Bentley. Bowman, Case, W. H. Chandler, Cole, Elwood, Harris, Hood, Ketchum, Lawrence, Lincoln, Littlejohn, Pope, Reed, Sessions, Smith, Van Wyck, Webb, Wescott, Wheeler, Wilkinson, Wilson, A. H. Young, M. K. Young.

Negative--Clark, Ellis, Morgan, Reynolds, Thorp.

On the receipt of the resolution in the Assembly, a vote was taken on the 24th of February, with the following result: Ayes, 72; nays, 16; two absentees; and the Assembly concurred in the same. (Assembly Journal, Feb. 24, 1865. Vote on joint resolution No. 17 S. ratifying amendment to Federal Constitution abolishing slavery, p. 346.)

Affirmative-Babcock, Barden, Berry, Boyce, Bandon, Brayton, Brinkerhoff, Burgess, Cadby, Carr, Cassoday, Church, Cobb, Colladay, Dewitt Davis, F. Davis, Dewhurst, Doud, Dunwiddie, Eaton, Emmons, Fay, Forsyth, Fowler, Frary, Fulton, Gilbert, Glenn, Groesbeck, Hadley, Hand, Horton, Johnson, Judd, King,

Knapp, Little, McLaughlin, McRaith, Miner, Monteith, Mowe, Oberman, Officer, Osborn, Owen, Palmer Pike, Reed, Rogers, Ross, Salisbury, Sawyer, Wm. Simmons, Z. G. Simmons, Slade, Spoor, Stuntz, Tarr, Taylor, Tilton, Thomas, Thompson, Utt, Van Ostrand, Vaughn, Weage, Whipple, Williams, Winsor, Wooster, Field, speaker-72.

Negative-Daggett, Delaney, Ford, Gnewuch, Goodsell, Jones, Large, McLean, Murphy, Pease, Peters, Piper, Walker, Wedig, Weiler, White-16.

CHAPTER XV.

THE FIRST ELECTION OF MATT. CARPENTER.

The first soldier of the Civil War elected to the office of Governor in Wisconsin, was General Lucius Fairchild, who assumed the performance of the executive duties on the first day of January, 1866, following Governor James T. Lewis. Two years before, returning home from the bloody battlefield of Gettysburg, where, on that dreadful July day, when the life of the great republic was depending on the issue, he left his left arm as a token of his loyalty to the old flag, he had been prevailed upon, after much coaxing, although he had been brought up a Democrat of the strictest sect, to accept the nomination for Secretary of State on the Republican ticket. At that time there was a strong disposition among leading Republicans who were then in undisputed power in the State, to divide the honors and emoluments of political office with loyal Democrats, and to form a truly Union party for the suppression of the rebellion. One of the most ardent and prominent of these Union advocates was Senator Doolittle, and it was owing to his persuasive eloquence that Fairchild was induced at last to accept the nomination. His little speech of acceptance to the convention brought tears to many eyes, as he stood there stammering out his reasons for leaving his old party for the sake of the Union, his face pale with suffering and his empty sleeve dangling at his side, appealing for sympathy a thousand times more eloquently than any words he could utter. The dramatic scene will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it. Two years later, in 1865, he was elected Governor and he was twice re-elected, filling the responsible office with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the people. Genera! Fairchild was one of the most popular citizens the State of Wisconsin has ever known, and none of her gallant and heroic soldiers has won brighter laurels than