The Triumphant Life of Theodore Roosevelt edited by J. Martin Miller

BIOGRAPHY OF HON. CHARLES VV. FAIRBANKS 311
POLITICAL OABGER BEGINS
Later, when Judge Gresham's name went before the
Republican convention in 1888, for the presidential nomination,
Senator Fairbanks managed his candidacy. He came back to
Indianapolis after the convention, after losing the Gresham
fight, and went to work for the Republican candidate,
Benjamin Harrison. Judge Gresham later became a Democrat,
but Senator Fairbanks and he remained strong personal
friends.
The judge and the Senator were both willing to concede
the honest}' of another man's views in regard to the tariff.
The Senator had inherited from his father, whose Ohio sugar
plantation was one of the stations in the underground
railroad by which escaped slaves found their way to Canada,
strong Republican prejudices, and his view of the tariff gave
him equally strong Republican convictions. Having a taste
for political life and for no other reason than the gratification
of that taste, the Senator made political speeches. After he
had attained independent means, not only his speeches but his
campaign contributions were appreciated. He was once
candidate for the Republican caucus nomination for Senator
when the Legislature was Democratic. It had been suggested
that he accept nomination for the Ohio Legislature before he
left that State, yet he had never shown any ambition to hold
a place of public trust or to have his name put on an election
ballot. He is one of the few men who have stepped into the
Senate from private life.
The foregoing are some of the striking facts about the
Senator's career. More striking are the facts relating to his
personality. His unusual height has been discussed in every
town and hamlet where newspapers are read. His ready smile