New-York tribune., 1869-03-04
THE RE7IREMEYT OF MR. WADR

The retirement of Mr.. Wade from public life
leaves Mr.. Sumner the Father of the Senate
1t is rarely this honor falls upon SO young q
man. Mr.. Sumner entered the Senate at an
early age, and has served continuously. Gen.
Cameron of Pennsylvania might be awarded
this honor if we merely took the earliest date of
service. He entered the Senate in 1S45, while
Mr.. Sumner was elected in 1851 He has there
fore only served ten years in that body, having
resigned to go into Mr.. LincOln's Cabinet before
the close of his second term. MIR. Sumner now
enters upon his fourth term, and if he should
live till its expiration he will have given Massa
chusetts quarter century of Senatorial labor.
When the XXXIId Congress assembled, on
the 1st of December 1851, five new Senators
took the oath of office-Mr. Fish of New-York,
Mr.. Geyer Of Missouri, and Mr. Wade of Ohio
as Wings; Mr.. James of Rhode Island as
Democrat, and Mr. Sumner as Free-Soiler.
His name stands out in odd looking small cap
itals, along with those of Salmon 7. Chase
and John p. Hale, as the only three FREE
SoILERsn on the list. Looking back through
the eighteen years that lave elapsed, it
seems poetic significance that he shonld
have been among the Senatorial pioneers
of Republicanism. 1t was distinguished
Congress in some respects. Henry Clay
stll represented Kentucky, although death
had set its hand upon him. Douglas
was there from Illinois, young, fresh and
hopeful. Bayard sat in the seat of his fathers
King represented Alabama. Hamln, recall
citrant Democrat, was impatiently waiting
to break his chains. Cass and Seward
were Senators. In the House were
Stephens, and Toombs, and Breckenridge;
Andrew Johnson from Tennessee; Thaddeus
Stevens from Pennsylvania, and Joshua
r. Giddings from Ohio The parties were
singnlarly divided. There was the great Wing
party on the point of disorganization by reason
of its cOwardice ON the Slavery question and
the great Democratic party, menaced with its
Free Soil secession Here and there we
had a doubtful, timid gentleman, who did MT
know which way to go, and allowed
himself to be called a "UniOnist" A
few such men as Rhett, Hunter and Butler
of South Carolina, boldly avowed their sympa-
thies with treason, and claimed to be Estates
Rights men," Between Democracy and Whig-
gerry there was nothing but q truce. Their
names were scarcely useful as party designa-
tions. The only Congressman really bold in the
expression of their convictions and who fore
saw the real question of the future, were the
three men who called themselves "Free-Soilers,o
and the seven Senators who foreshadowed
Rebellion by their devotion to "States-Rights.n
Mr. Wade came into the Senate when he was
passing the meridian of life. He has given
his ripper years to the country. Hc leaves it an
old man, upon the verge of that three score
land ten" by which the Psalmist
numbers the years of man. He was
the representative Of the progressive, earnest
radical sentiment of the West, just as Mr.
Sumner is the type of the scholarly, philosOphi-
CAL and cultivated radicalsm of the East. He
was modern NewEngland Puritan, strength
ened and broadened by the rude experience of
Western pioneer life. A native of Massachu-
sets, like Mr. Sumner, he sought the West when
he came to manhood, and for forty years he
has been prominent and dominant leader
in Ohio politics He has that vigor of
character with which men love to as
sociate plain and friendly phrases imply
ing strength and tenacity. They call
him "bOld Ben Wadep and "blufR Ben
"Wadep and "honest old Benp seeing
in him true descendant of the men who
established New-England, and fought for
Liberty in the early days of the Revolution,
and drought to Massachusetts, something Of