The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-22
Who was Henry Wilson ?
RUTLAND, VT, Dec. 20, 1877

RUTLAND, w., Dec. ~, 1870.
Editor Rutland Globe In the New
York Independent of December IS, find
an article entitled "Henry Wilson" by
Bishop Gilbert Haven, who has lately at
tanned such notoriety as the nominator of
President Grant for third term. The
whole article is fiery and spicy, but on the
ton TO the individual history of great men.
The article raises this question, which
presume most of your readers have never
heard asked before, and that is, who was
Henry Wilson, the vice-presdent of the
United States?
IL the tone of the article is not irrever-
ent, especially when we consider that 1t
was written by one of the spiritual heads
of the Methodist church, then both my
judgment and feelings are at fault. Per-
haps, Mr.. Editor, You have stored away in
your treasury of history, something that
will shed light on the question raised by
Bishop Haven. At any rate l am sure
your readers would be glad to have you
tell them if Henry Wilson was not Henry
Wilson, then who he was, and what great
and good man the world has buried and is
mourning for Perhaps you will copy in
to your columns the extract | enclose, but
l commend the whole article in the Inde-
pendent to your perusal. Yours, etc.,
d.. $50
1t is to be regretted that we cannot
write the name he bore in his early life as
that by which he won his fame. Goliath
is as good name to conquer with as Col
fax, as Cicero, as any other victorious
name and j. j. Goliath as good-ooking
an autograph, and "Jerry Goliath" as
popular a war-cry of the campaign as
"Dan Webster" or "Abe Lincoln" or
"Tom Jefferson" or any other favorite
sobriquet of famous men. The failure to
gain the highest place may have come from
this refusal to abide by the name of his
New Hampshire poverty. A farmers boy,
and the pet, even in childhood, of leading
men and women, he could certainly have
honored them by carrying the name they
knew and helped him by into the high
places of his future work and renown.
The novelty and even quantities. of his
OTlRluAl buT-uHI1c WOuiu nave maze IL
popular, while the tame familiarity of the
name he chose gave it no value as party
| watchword.
What was the cause of this change ?
Biographers and laudators are silent. Cos
sip must take its place and gossip, having
| free course, will run Unrestricted when au-
thorized expounders fail to speak. 1t Is
very remarkable that OF the presidents
and two of the vice presidents of this mo-
mentuous era should arise from such hum
BILE stations that cloud hangs over their
origin. 1t would seem as if God could not
deliver the slave, himself in myriads OF
cases without recognized paternity, save
by those of the white class that came near.
est to him in origin and social condition.
"Send by whom Thou wilt send" cry We
in our agony and fear, and 10 those thai
have no reputation become our leaders
Moses, brought up in Pharaohs house, but
stigmatized from that very fact Christ
over whose birth rests, by divine necessity
cloud of infamy-the one is the deliverel
of the chosen people, the other the Savior
of the world. So Lincoln and johnson an(
Wilson grow up without observation; poor
est of the poor, lowest of the low, next il
social standing to the people whom they
are appointed to save. Most touching il
Wilson's story of his early poverty, told t
the fellow townsmen of his native place
more touching his silence in their presence
concerning the family from whom h,
| snrunr.