The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-07-01
PRESfbENTIAL.
auMATdR BEN. WADE An HOME.
uns POrsunal lEsnnsrs and Habits-His
views On Labor-Expianatton of htn
Eamaau ananch. Etc,

Kansas bpooon, htos III
Dsrvespsndencc Of ne Csncinnaii C0mD'erctaL
Happening the other day 20 be In Ashta-
bule, and learning we were within ten miles m esq, 9I
the Hon. Ben Wade, we detsrminedd 70 aynl, ,bst
n his home A dusty ride over a plankroad in
1sSs set down before the hotel In the little viii
iaes Of Jefferson which WINS the home Of Joshua
ehsn thirty years. has resided. Jefferson is q
iittie Inland town OF less than 1000 inhabitants,
sna sat eTesry @ eyeTtheess, il has f1Snished more
men of note than other place IN oh1o, except
We found the venerable statesman at a law
0ffice surrounded blythe village lawyers, with
whom he was joking, lansnil5nE taking, ano
can. Poor Mr.. Lincoln, how he loved TO tell
stories Of the days when ne ne w@S as S,
Tor hours and talk OF the time when he drove
cattle to New York, dug on the Erie ca nal with
IeIfings by the way, is decidedly weakness of
our Western statesmen, and nothing delights
them SO much as a log cabin dinner, or jog of
forty miles in an old-iashioned four-horse stage
coach. - .,--, -.
invited us to hts house near by, and there in-
Produced us to his family, which consists of
wife, two sons and ana aa9gnterolln1n1sW gl n. VINO Is
Mr. Wade lives In q plain white frame house,
hid away among the trees, and surrounded by
The man, plain but substantial. In the lot near
the house stands his office, or "den," as the
than thirty years, when not in Congress, Mr..
Wade has passed most Of his time. Entering it
Vail walls Iii lined from floor to ceiling with Book
cases, filled with books, This library contains
nothing but public documents, maps and charts,
bracing all information concerning the Govern
ment, from its foundation TO the present day.
s'Nlle's Register" "Madison's Notes." "Knox's
Reports" and many other books long since out
Of print, can be found there.
A carpet, lounge, an old-fashioned arm chair,
afew common chairs, q table, and some maps
on the wall completed the furniture OF the
rooms, which seemed dreary and lonely enough
in their isolated solitude.
Begging us to be seated, the Senator at once
began to tell as about his late trip West and
ahe Immense country he had travelled over.
N The towns, cities, roads, land, climate, water,
Atimber, minerals, all he had seen was rapidly
tselated to us, and with power and perception
~ have never seen equalled. The Pacific Rail-
Ad excited his enthusiasm, and he emphati-
~ pronounced IL one of the greatest enter
es Of modern times He gave us a minute
6unt of the manner and rapidity with which
&built. The road-bed men. the tie. cutters,
by traius, the rail men, the spike men, the
Murers, all appeared visiby before us, and
@Sere soon convinced that MIR; Wade had
u sen more in his one trip West than we had
Yn three trips, and considerable residence
we asked Mr.. Wade about his Lawrence
speech, and happening to have New York
Times in our pocket, we read to him the report
of the speech in that paper, and what the editor
said OF II. At the conclusion of the reading the
old Senator laughed heartily, and said:-
,iar nurnose very @ ana she
If you would make an equitable distribution of
all the property in the United States to-day
among the people, in five years 1t would again
be in the hands of q few men. Such measure
would not be just, nor would il be of any practi-
cable advantage TO the poor people If done.
The editors and correspondents who have been
writing about my speech know very well am
not in favor of such foolish thing as the distri.
button of property or OF disturbing, in any way,
We then asked him II he would not contra
dict the erroneous reports made Of his speech.
He said:-
'No; don't care what they say about me- 1
never read my own speeches, or contradict any
thing that is said about Them"
Nt,But," said we, "what they are saying about
your?epeech is injuring your prospects for the
de laughed heartily, and replied:-"My dear
sir, I do not seek that Office l never sought
any office, and never will. have served the
people only because they wished me to, and not
OF my own choosing. IL is thirty years since
began public lie. am an old man, as you see,
and need rest"
1t is certainly true that Mr.. Wade has never
sought office, his election, In all cases, having
been the voluntary action of the people, or
their representatives We urged the venerable
Senator to give us his views on the labor ques-
among other things: "That system of labor
which degrades the poor man and elevates the
poor poorer; which drags the very soul out OF a
poor man for pitiful existence. is wrong. We
! in The proceeds of his labor"
We asked him how this was to be done, and
he saiq;--
y
81 ubiect but cannot solve it, The man who
essfully solves that problem will do more
The world than any man who has lived in 1t
Zee the days of Christ"
WE asked him If he had no ideas about the
Waiter?
N7HYesD he replied "many but none worthy OF
lAo great a subject. l believe, however, that the
tAhadow, of the great struggle is upon us, and we
must meet IL. There is deep discomfort among
the masses, and they will shortly demand that
their condition be made more comforta ole.
Both In this country aud England there is q
restlessness, feverlsh excitement discon-
that we cannot disregard. The people want
more recreation; more enjoyment; they are
casting about for relief from their monotonous
and half-starved condition, and they will
we related to Mr.. Wade Horace Greeley's plan
sof cooperative labor, and asked what he
hought Of it, and what was his opinion aof Mr..
Hesaid:-"Mr. Greeley is wise man; he has
done some very foolish things; but he perhaps
mas more knowledge on all subjects than any
man In the country. think well of his plan
and the idea OF cooperation, If carried out
among the working classes, will do much to
nmeliorate their condiUon.' He then went on
10 show how, in Cincinnati, New York, Boston
and other places, worktngmen had combined
ted manufactures, and were doing we'll
howed how, by the principle of co-opera
Alaborers In large factories could build o
houses, keep little supply stores, buy good
Re quantities. for their families, and ii
ways save about one-third of what i
lem 70 live. "But,n said Mr.. Wade 9Th
10 OF cooperation is about as far as
and, though certainly good In itself, /
cover the whole case, and sttll some
re viii be required"
Nd the attention OF the Senator to tn
- from the moment they were set free
y, in many parts of the South, ha'
labor for wages. and demanded
cotton they raised
~. IA Wade sthot Is the prln ciple-giv