The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-23
HENRY WILSON.

VIC duuOuuCCy tuib thC Ddlulul III
telligence of the death of Henry Wilson,
vice. president of the United States, which
occurred at the capitol, in Washington, at
an early hour Monday morning. Although
Frustrated by severe illness for several
days, it was generally believed that he was
recovering, and it was thought possible
that he might be able to occupy his seat as
presiding officer of the senate at the open
ing of the session, 80 that the country was
lily prepared for the coming blow which
has been SO suddenly dealt out to it. Few
public men of the country had such hold
on the affections, confidence and respect of
the people as Henry Wilson, and few men
could be taken away whose loss would be
as deeply felt, whose presence in the pub
lie councils seemed more necessary in the
present juncture of affairs than his. The
dry facts in the details of his life and the
particulars of his last hours will be found
elsewhere, and we have time and space
now only to refer generally and imper-
fectly to some of the more important of his
services and indicate some of those traits
of his character, those habits of his life,
that made him what he was.
Henry Wilson was, in every sense of the
word, self-made man. Born in an OBJ
scure corner of one of New Hampshires
smaller towns, of parents living in the most
abject poverty, compelled, when mere
boy, to the severest of work in order to
gain a scanty livelihood, without aid or adj
ventitous circumstances, but solely by his
own endeavors supplemented by powerful
mind, an invlncible will and an earnest
purpose, he literally fought his way, inch
by inch, from utter ignorance aud poverty
to the second position in the United States.
AS he, himself said, in reply TO the South
Carolina senator, who tainted the free la.
borers of the north with being mudsils: 81,
too, have tried by daily labor ; l. too,
have been a hlreling manual liborer.
Poverty cast its dark shadow over the
home of my childhood and Want was
there sometimes, an unbidden guests. "
1t was only after he arrived at his majority
that he was enabled to obtain anything ap-
preaching to an education. A "cobbler, d
learning his trade, knowing his own ignor-
ance, he commenced to invest of his scanty
earnings the little surplus remaining after
| supplying the bare necessities of life, in
| the procurement of books and few weeks
instruction annually, and this course he
continued until he had passed the age Of
| thirty and after he had acquired loca
reputation as the "Nstick cobbler."
| By.these means and with The occasiona
perusal of borrowed book, was he con
stantly gaining information-and this wa
his education. His attention was turned t.
politics by visit to Washington in 1886
and from that day, however much he nigh
seem to vaccilate, he ever remained true t,
New England principles and moved on il
the deep current of duty. 1t was then ant
there that he imbibed his hatred of slavery
the controlling principle of his politica
course for so many years after. In refer
ring to this. his first visit to the plac
thereafter to become inseparably linke'
with his name, he wrote: 81 left the CAPT
tai of my country with the unalterabl
resolution to give all that l had, and al
that l hoped to have, to the cause O
emancipation in America" And nobl
did he keep that resolution, at a time, too
when for its avowal and support it needle
a degree of moral courage which few, a
the present day, Can fully appreciate. Ho,
he remained true to that resolution. how h
laborei in furtherance thereof, from tn
day of its avowal until his faith becam
full fruitiop, we need not state-it
known and read of all men.
But Henry Wilson was not man of on
ldea-far from it. Let us glance at the ez
ira session of congress, which assembled /
July, 1861, when he was chairman of tn
military committee, and recall few c
the measures which he urged through, mos
of them being originated by him. Anon
these were bills for facilitating the allo,
ment of volunteers pay to their families
regulating court martials for the bette
organization of the signal department
increase the efficiency of the medical d.
partment providing for the discharge q
soldiers for physical disability providin
for medals of honor for volunteers al
thorizing the enlistment and drafting G
negroes providing for the abolition c
slavery in the District of Columbia. Thef
were not tlthe of his labors, and we hav
only introduced these dry details for th
purpose of showing his nvincible energ
and his almost superhuman capacity fc
work. General Scott, in speaking of th
extra session, said that Henry Wilson ''ha
done more work In that short sessio
than all the chairmen of the militar
committees had done for twenty years
and the secretary of war, two years late
said that emo man in the whole country
:" has done more to aid the war depar
"ment in preparing the mighty army no
under arms"-and these were but
small part OF his labors, but they serve
show how much the country is indebte
to Henry Wilson.
Since the close of the war, he has devo
ed much of his time to literary labor {
the historian of the cause of that strugg
"a task for which he was In every wa
ftted-and it is an added cause of regr'
that his death leaves this work still vi
completed. OF his services as vice pres
dent we will not speak, but pass to h
last and browning glory of his life. Or
of the first to recognize that new ISSUE
were demanding the attention of the PEI
pie, that the issues which brought on th
war were settled, and settled forever,
has labored necessarily, In season and oil
of season, to bring about more perfet
Union, hearty reconciliation between Ii