Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-05-02
senator w1lsoas,. csrsai work.


THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SLAVE POWER
The first volume of Senator vii 0 rs great his
torical work on the Rise and Fdl Of The 1Sldde
Potoer in America, is having sale far beyond
expectations for work 80 large. The first vol
ume brings the record only up to 1916, covering
but nine years Of the long and eventful period
of thirty-six years, during which Mr.. Wilson has
been steadily fighting the good fight. The story
of toll peril, and SELL sacrifice by the early Abo.-
itonists reads like romance of the simplest
pathos. The story Of the succeeding years, du :
ing which Mr.. Wilson has been SO close an OIL
server and 30 active participant can not fail to
be even more interesting. His singular fitness
for the great work he has undertaken is made
the more manigest when we remember his tire
less work in Congress for freedom, and parti-
cularly when the vigor and sagaoity of his cham
ponship is viewed i'll the light of the remarkable
series Of measures introduced by him relating to
emancipation and civil rights-All of which be-
came laws of the land.
Senator Wilson introduced iuto the U. s. Sem
ate the bill abolishing Slavery in the District of
Columbia; another providing that persons Of
color in the District of Columbia should be sub
ject to the same laws to which white persons
were subject thus nulifying the old, brutal slave
code; the bill making colored men part Of
the military forces of the United States, and IL
they were owned by persons aiding the Rebel
lion, setting them, their mothers, wives and
children, free forever and auother bill, which
made the wives and children OF all colored sol
diers free. All these bills were passed by Com
gress and became laws, and il iR Estimated that
they emancipated not less tkan a quarter of a
million slaves.
Mr.. Wilson introduced into the appropriation
bill OF 1854 section providing that all persons
OF color who had been. or who might be- mus
tered into the military service should receive the
same uniform, clothing arms, equipment, ra-
tions, medical attendance, and pay as white
soldiers.
He reported from the committee Of confer
ence to which had been referred the bill in
relation to the Freedmans Bureau, an entirely
new bill, to establish in the War Department a
bureau for the relief Of freedmen and refugees,
which became a law. under which that benefcient
fundamentally, the FreGdmans Bureau was
organized.
On Mr.. Wilson's motionthe provision was adopt.
ed that the LANDS sold for taxes in South Carolina
should be divided into lots Of forty acres each
and sold at low rates under which act many
freedmen obtained homesteads.
Mr.. Wilson introduced the bill that iaboliHhed
peonage in New Mexico, the provision striking
the word "white" from the militia laws and alse
the measure that prohibited the punishment oi
whipping in the unreconstructed States
mr.. Wilson introduced in 1868 a bill, which
became law incorporating IAN institution fol
tne education Of colored youth in the District o.
Columbia y the act g Incorporating the HowaFt
University !" and also the act +" to incorporat,
tne National Freedmen's Savings Bank Mr.
Wilson also introduced many other measures il
relation to slavery and the rights OF persons O
color, either as independent measures or q
amendments to measures introduced by others