Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-07-25
HENRY WILSON.
The Nominee for Vice President-
A First-class Man with an I'm

'II1O NODllHcc 1Of vice ffcSIuenB-
A First-class Man with an I'm
impeachabIe Record.
From the Pittsburgh Gazette.
Henry Wilson was born at Farming
ton, N. H, February I6, 1912. His
parents being extremely poor, he was
apprenticed at ten years of age to a
farmerin his native town, with whom
he continued eleven years, during
which period he was sent to school at
irregular intervals, amounting in all to
about twelve months. He early form
ed a taste for readins, and from a pri-
Vate library in the neighborhOod )bor-
rowed and read on Sundays and in
the evening. by .irelight and moon
light, in the course of his apprentice
ship, nearly one thousand volumes,
chiefly of history and biography. On
attaining his majority he quilted Farm
ingtOn, ard with all his possessions in
pack on his back, walked TO Natick,
Mass, where he. hired himself to a
shoemaker until he had learned his
trade, at which he worked for two
years, when, having accumulated some
money, he returned to New Hampshire
and studied a wilhelm the academies at
Stafford, Wolfsborought and Concord.
His plan of education was cut short by
the Insolvency of the person to whom
b had entrusted his savings, and he
returned to Natick and resumed work
as a shoemaker in 1898. In .1S40 he
took an active part in the Presidential
canvass, and made upward of sixty
speeches in behalf of Gen. Harrison, the
Whig candidate. In the next five
wears he was three times elected a rep
resentative from Natick to the Legisla-
ture, and twice State Senator from
Middlesex county. In the Legislature
he was soon known as an active and
jealous opponent of slavery, and in 1915
he was selected, in conjunction with
the poet Whittier, to carry to Washing
ton the great anti-slavery petition from
Massachusetts against the annexation of
Texas. In the same year he introduc-
ed in the Legislature a, resolution de-
claring the unalterable hostility of
Massachusetts, to the further extension
and longer continuance of slavery in
America, and her fixed determination
to use all constitutional and legal means
for its extinction. He supported this
resolution in a speech, which was pro-
nounced by the leading anti-slavery
Journals to be the fullest and most COM
prehensive on the slavery question that
had vet been made in any legislative
body in the country. and it was adopt
ed in the House by ninety-three major
ity. He was delegate to the WhigI
National Convention of 1913, and on
the rejection Of anti-slavery resolutions
by the Convention he withdrew from
K and took prominent part in nrganiz-
ing the Free Soil party. He purchased
at thif time the Boston Republican, a.
daily newspaper, which he edited for
two years. In 1849 ne was chosen
Chairman of the Free Soil State Com
mittee of Massachusetts, post which
be actively filled for four years. In
1850 and again in 1851 he was chosen a.
State Senator, and during both terms
was President of the Senate. In 1852
he was made President of the Free Soil
National Convention at Pittsburgh,
and Chairman of the National Commit
tee of the party. In the same year he
was the Free Soil candidate for Con-
gress inthe Eighth District of Massa-
chusetts, where the majority against
the Free Soilers exceeded 800, and
failed of an election by only ninety
three votes. He was elected to the
Constitutional Convention of 1853, not
only by his own town of Natick, but by
theitown of Berlin, and took promi-
nent part in the deliberations of that
body. In the same year he was the
Free Soil candidate for Governor, and
was defeated. In 1855 he was ell cted
to succeed Edward Everett in the
United States Senate, and shortly after
taking his seat made speech advocat-
ing the repeal of the fugitive slave and
the abolition OF slavery in the District
of Columbia and in the territories He
has ever since been conspicuous in the
Senate IS an earnest advocate of anti
slavery measures. For a brief period
in 1855 he was associated with the
American party; but on the adoption
Of a pro-slavery platform by the Nation
al Council of that. party, he withdrew
from it and took an active share in or
ranizing the Republican party on a.
basis of opposition to the extension of
slavery. :, When, in May, 1856, Mr..
Sumner, his colleague, was assailed by
Mr.. Brooks, of South Carolina, Mr..
Wilson, in speech to the Senate, de-
nounced the act as a "brutal, murder
Gus, and eowardly assault.n For this
he was challenged by Mr., Brooks, and
declined to accept the challenge on the
ground that dueliug is a barbarous prac-
tice, which the law of the country has
branded as crime, but stated at the
same time that he believed in the right
of self-defence in its hroadest sense.
During the four following years Mr..
Wilson took part in all important de-
bates in the Senate, and made elaborate
speeches, remarkable for fullness and
accuracy o? statement, on Kansas, the
treasury note bill, the expenses of the
the tariff, the Pacific Rail-
road. and many other topics. His
speech In defence of free labor, in re-
My to Senator Hammond, of South
Carolina, March, 1859, attained an inn
mense circulation through the free /
States. In January of the same year
the Massachusetts, Legislature reelected [
him to the Senate by nearly unanimous
vote. On the assembling of the Senate
Ia March, 1861, he was made chairman
of the Committee on Military Affairs,
a post which the civil war rendered one
Of unprecedentei labor and responsible
ity. In this capacity he introduced and ,
carried through Congress, during the
extra session Of 1861, the acts to author
izo the employment OF 5000 volun-
teers. to increase tide regular army, to-
reorganize the military system, andl
.