The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-04-01

this brief but interesting sketch OF Hon
Henry Wilson:
Henry Wilson has been in public life
ever since 1S45. He entered the United
| States Senate in 1855, and hasremained
there as Senator until made Vice-Pres
ident. He has served with 254 different
Senators, 76 of whom are now dead. O.
the 61 original Senators in the Senate o
1855, 38 have died. In his time he has
been intimately associated with all the
prominent men in our nations history
AS chairman of the Senate Military com
mittee during the war, he was brought
in contact with all of our great generals
What an eventiul ifel How tull of rem
| iniscences is his mind, and 1t is posi-
tvely astonishing, his marvellous memory
| for figures ana tales OF incidents Of The
past. He has brought all of this vast
storehouse of experience to bear upon
his book, and all consider that it is,
from a mere point of record, one of the
most valuable additions to the Ameri.
can historical literature of the age.
One would naturally suppose that
Henry Wilson, from his many opportu.
| mites in public lille, should have amassed d
| wealth. From his position during the
| in specializing in gold or stocks. Yet at
this stage Of his busy career Mr.. Wilson
| said he would take, with the satisfac.
| tion Of having made good bargain,
S6, 900 for all the goods that he had in this
world.
For fourteen years he has occupied the
same set OF rooms at the old Washington.
house, a house which is EN- lnently re.
| spectacle in its way, is about ffth-rate
in the grade Of hotels. Mr.. WILSON,
quarters consist OF a large and plainly.
furnished parlor, overlooking PennsyI.
yania avenue, and an airy bedroom OFF
A plain writing-desk in the center of the
room is where the Vice President does
all mis- work. Here he mas worked fol-
fourteen years of his Washington life
The rooms are very comfortable ones,
and the price is perfectly suited to Mr..
Wilson's small income, hence he resists
all the efforts Of his friends to get him
into .more fashionable quarters. He
says that the only way for man to get
on in Washington public life is either To
be independently rich or independently
poor. He must always avoid debt, as ii
is upon this rock OF temptation that many
public regulations have been ruined.
He has contemplated trip south for
the means OF resting himself, so that he
may finish his third and final volume OF
the "Rise and Fall OF the Slave Power
but his friends say that ne can get no
rest in travelling about in this country,
and 30 they have persuaded him to take
three-months' journey to Europe. He
Boston ON the 17tn. He has been very
hard at work upon his book, which he
regards as the great crownlng effort OF
his lifetime. He thinks it will do more
to make him remembered than any other
act of his life. He related to me the
other day how he first became an oppo
nent to the slave system. He came tC
| this city in 1886, a poor apprentice boy
who had saved up. enough money X
make visit to the nations Capital. HI
visited the Capitol and listened to the
debates. What he saw there among tht
fre-eaters, and afterwards the sights il
the slave-pens of the city, SO worked up
on his mind, always accustomed to the
breezy atmosphere of northern freedom
that when he went home he resolved
that his whole life should be devoted to
the breaking down Of the slave system.
When he said he could not afford to 90
upon the Mexican excursion asked him
the reason. 1t was not a trip that in
volved the expenditure of money.
Said he in reply: 81 am an old man in
the political life Of this country. You
are young one. Let me tell you some
| thing worth remembering-a something
that experience will prove true to you
1t is this: A rich man can afford to dc
many things that poor man can not af
ford to do. II were rich enough to be
above the criticism that went to Mexi-
CO with interested motives, it might do,
as it is, not"
What a story the walls of his room
might tell if gifted with speech! In his
parlor have met all of the prominent
men of our nations later history. Here,
during the war, Lincoln, his cabinet, and
eminent generals used to sit in consulta-
tion.
Now how different. The room is de.
serted in the main Of visitors. A white.
haired old man, not far from the grave,
sits there alone, hastily working up the
great work of his life, so that it may be
| finished before his life sands are run out.
He is too poor and honest tor this admin.
istration and 80 the country is treated to
the spectacle of the man second in high
position being snubDed and deserted by
| the aristocratic one and his associates.