Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-13


Propagandists Of the South and North, who had
banded together 20 accomplish that crimes Horace
Greeley, in bis Journal thus Characterized bis
speech:
There ara many fns orators and good ssgumefits
delivered IN tbs United States Senate rora time TO
time bat not often resi- good speech. In order
70 have good epee5h there muzt Be q man behind
T. Such speech we have 10 The powerf4i effort Of
Judge maoe snd IL this case the speech L bus the
Massachusetts gave this mar birth. IN the year
1900. He was The youngest Of ten children. His
father vas a soldier, who fought 10 evers Revol1-
tionaFy battle from Bunker Hill 10 Yorktown. His
mother was the daughter Of a Presbyterisn clergy
msn, woman Of vigorous intellect and great force
Of character She fed snd clothed her lfsnod while
the father was In the army. The familR vas oss
Of the poorest in New England A portion OF its
/ seAnty property was a library Of twexs books,-
This 81 entually became BeDj-min's possession He
Z read the volumes through and thronghs and over
and OYER after bis mother had led aim 20 far into
80 edueation as 10 teach him 10 read End srito
Wb5n Ben was eighteen, be teerf1v turns,d ha back
on t5e old piow and the old homestead sand, with
seven dollars in his pocket and bundle Of clothing
On Ais back be started to walk from Springfield,
8las3 70 1inols 70 seek bis fortune. Fe footed i
70 AShtabula county, Ohio. There, the, snow fan.
ing he determined TO wait for spring 3 finish bic
Journey bred himself out 70 cut wood n the forest
VI City cents per cord and snatcbed boars from sleep
at night 20 read the Bible by the light of the FIRE
the New Testaments are at his tongues and. Spring
came; but the Journey TO Ilinois and fortune was
suspended By q summers work sc chSppsng, log
gings and grubbing, followed by Yankee winter a.
sehnol-teaching. The Journey was suspended by
second year Of such work. and was AfSaliy lost ia
An experience Of driving herd Of cattle. Wade led
tho iesd steer Of drove from Oaio TO New
York Six times be made this trip H'he last OK
be leo took him TO Albany. Twas winter. CT
course, the drover there expanded inso s school
{ Al.
sebolare and teacher went TO manual slabor The
Erie Canal got the teacher. During TIE summer Of
1929 Wade shoveled and wheeled = This only Amer.
ican know. said Gov. Seward in speech III the
Senate, who worked with spade ana wheel-bar-
row on that great improvement Another winter
Of sebool-teachirg in Ohio and the persuasions of
Elisha Whittlesey, and the friendly offer of tav-
ern-keeper, who had got to loving Wade to trust
bin bed and board without limit drew Ben, at the
age Of twenty-six, into law Office to study for the
bar. de wss admitted in two yearss Ho waited
another year for bis 6rst suit He won that and in
winning il won the sympathy and faith OF the law
yers Of the district BY bis zeal and hard work for
ms client. The NUNS hand was on success moth
ing but death could detEch it. Juries in Northa'n
Ohio got 70 be Of his way Of thinking, and there
was growing coincidence between Wades argu-
ments and the Judgments Of courts. He began 10
De man Of property, and part Of bic estate was
the opinion that prevailed ali over the Western Re-
serve that he was sn honest Just benevolent brave
and wise man. That part of his estate in Ohio has
been accommodating ct compound interest 1t is very
big now.
Such q man could not be permitted to quietly
practice law in community stocked with New
England Puritans, and sgitated with the pTelimi-
nary conflicts between the North and South on the
great issue whether the Republic should be slave or
Free Politics caught him up inevitably, and made
him standard-bearer He was elected prosecuting
attorney Of Ashtabula county; be was elected 10
the Ohio State Senate. he stepped naturally TO the
head Of the Wing minority in that legislature. he
abolished the law for imprisonment for debt; he
broke ground for war against the Black Laws "
Of Ohio, and summoned hi. party 70 follow him to
the overthrow Of the pr0-slavery code which held
ais State In bondage TO Kentucky and the South |
he waded into the debate the admission of Texas
into the Union, and took position on the declara-
tion, So help me God ! ! will never assist in adj |
ding another rod Of slave territory 10 this country"
The Wing party in Ohio had not the develop |
ment OF the courage TO follow him 20 the repeal Of
the State laws that oppressed negroes and gave Sc
curity TO slavery on its northwestern flank. They
drew back from their brave and honest leader, and
on the x2iration Of bis senatorial term censnred
him for the extremaness of bis views and left him
at home 10 practice la1. Time and events brought
the people of Ohio up TO Wades position, and be
sent again to the State Senate against bis WILL
He there passed Tho I'LL which fenndaa the OhcriiH
College TOr shv uincation Of persons without re-
gard 70 color; led the resistance Of Ohio 70
the resolution adopted by Congress denying the peo
pie the right TO petition concerning the abolition Of
slavery; struggled TO bring bis legislature and his
State up TO the support Of John Quincy Adams in |
his fight for the sacred right of petition. In 1847
be elected President Of the Sd Judicial district
of Ohio. For four years he held the scales Of ;us
tce with even hand and won from bar and sui |
tors an undying reputation as just and wise Judge
AS be sat on the bench hearing csRse in March, |
1851, the firing of cannon in the streets Of Akron
announced to the public that Ben. Wade had been |
elected United Statej Senator by the legislature Of
Ohio, and telegram, brought BY little boy into
the courtroom, and banded up 10 the bench, an /
nounced TO the Judge bis selectionOr the high Office
which he had not sought and for which his friends
had not canvsssed The people Of Ohio wanted
their bravest and best in the United States SEN
ate and overriding the arrangements Of politicians
and sweeping aside the selshDes and aspirants for
place. called on Ben. Wade 20 go TO the Federal
Congress, and represent the mani BOD, conscience
and policy Of his State How he has done this for
seventeen years il would take volume TO tell |
But when the immoFtees are woven for his tomb, |
one viii have TO be made for his report from the |
Committee on Territories Of the first provision pro-
bibitng slavery in all The territory of the United
States to be thereafter acquired another for his re-
port Of the bill for Negro Suffrage in the District of
Columbia another for carrying the Homestead Law |
through the Senate; another for bringing Colorado
and Nevada into the Union, when Radical Senators
were want and necessity. How for years be rep |
resented the manhood and conscience OF Ohio, in |
spect Of the South. ToOmbs the wrathful fire.
eating Mrabeau of Georgia slavery, long ago told
in his words in the Senate, whipping Northern SEN
aors Of less nerve and drectness han Wade possess
ed "My friend from Ohio puts the matter squarely.
He is always honest, outspokep, and straghtfor-
ward and l wish to God the rest Of you would i'm
itate him. He speaks out like 3 man. he says
what is the difference, and it is BE means what ne
says YOU don't He and / can igree about every |
thing earth except our sable population:
It would take volume TO sell of Ben. Wades
work out Of the Senate during tie late war TO sus-
tain the war. He was a moving pillar, against
which the weary, discouraged aad faint-heaFIed
leaned and got strength He braced the war in the
depnrtuents in the army, in the Write House, in
the Capitol committee-rooms. he wss for i've years
an invigorating war influence in Washington. For
dive wears be chopped into the rebellion as he chop
ped into the Ashtabula forest.
q Dear old Ben Wade" /" Grand old Ben. Wade,
ns be has been STYLED with aectionats descriptive
mess il s,xtv-seven years old hearty as a buck,
strong in bis walk, deep In the chest with the ami
NAL forces Of bis youth ali unwasted IN him. There
Is Puritan grimness in bis lace which meits into
the sweetness and tenderness Of coed woman when
his synpaIhies are touched land tho string is
always outl and which IS sottenad away BY the ha-
NOR which wells from hts mirthfulness in broad,
rich. and original streams BE has Mr. Lincoln's
famous trick Of arguing by STORYTELLING, and OF
making points by anecdotes. His knowledge OF
mea is profound. He loathes knRve he hates
thief He despises lisr. A coward and traitor he
never forgiyes.
The next November election viii show the world
tho American appreciation Of this man, by tie pop
ular rush 70 vote Cor him as The Radical candidate
foT the Yice PnssideEcy.
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