The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-22
DEATH OF vICE-PRESIDEN1

Ou INC mOIuluS Vi tue 1UlH luSI., lie
was taken with an alarming sickness, and
every day since that time the people have
read with interest the kilograms in regard
to his condition, and everybody hoped that
he was in fair way to recover, aud the
news gave reason to hope that he would
soon be able to return to his home in Mas
sachusetts. That hope was meyer to be
realized, as will be seen by the news in our
telegraphic columns.
The morning after his alarming attack,
and when it seemed sthat he was in a fair
way of recovery, the New York Herald
said:
| 'How dear Henry Wilson is to his coun-
trymen was proved yesterday by the uni
yersal sorrow and anxiety that followed
| the announcement that he had been strick-
en- down with illness and was near unto
death. Sympathy with him in his suffer
ings, and regret for the country, threaten
ed with the loss of one of her foremost
men, were the pervading feelings of the
people.
"Mr. Wilson has been before the country
as public man for thirty-fve years, and
prominently so since the beginning OF
the free-soil movement in 1858. His
career in the senate is too well known to
need to be recalled in detail. AS chair
man of the committee on military affairs
he had much to do with conduct of the war
AS champion of the negro he was one of
the few men who were at once true to their
principles and yet conciiatory to the south.
All the earnestness and energy, industry
and patriotism he displayed in the senate
, and during the war have passed into
history. AS the vice president of the
United States his efforts have been wholly
, given to the restoration Of peace and good
will between the north and south. AS a
Republican leader his influence has been
: devoted to reforming and protecting the
great party which he helped to create and
which he has done so much to guide, His
counsel has been wise, and in his recent
visits to all parts of the Union the people
received him with what is better than mere
, enthusiasm-calm and profound attention.
E The position 10 which Mr.. Wilson was
placed could hardly have been a more
delicate one. Elected by the Republican
party to the second place in its gift, he
was obliged to insist upon the expulsion OF
, the corrupt men and the abolition of the
bad measures which were driving it tt
ruin. To lead a political party and to re-
form it are tasks difficult to combine
, but he has thus far discharged his duty
with fidelity and tact. He has retained
his place as Ulysses in the Republican
J council, and at the same time has meyer
: hesitated to point out its errors and tt
} condemn it's faults. He believed tina
t the Republican party could only win by re
form and by honesty. and without these ht
believed that it would deserve its failure
His opposition to third term and to al
:, that term implies was firmly expressed
J. and ably indicated, but it was always
r marked with courtesy and implicit goot
IS faith.
J. The loss of Mr. Wilson now, when ri
e work is unfinished and when the bright fu
IS ture of the country is darkened with storm
c clouds, would be a national disaster, f.
d which even private grief would yield. I'll
O has many friends, but he has one client
), the country"
d Mr.. Wilson was born at Pennington
l. n Fl. Feb. Is, 1912. His parents wer
q very poor and he was, at 10 years of age
d apprenticed to farmer in his native towr
It with whom he continued II years. or unit
1; he was 81 years of age. During thi
al eleven years he was sent to a commo
district school occaslonally-in all abou
IL months. He early formed taste fc
~ reading and from private library in tn
,, neighborhood borrowed and read on Sur
days in the evening by fire light, in tn
TT course of his apprenticeship, nearly loo
is volumes, chiefly history and biography
Ill On attaining his majority he quilted Farm
: ingtOn, and with all his possessions in
d pack on his back walked to Natick, Mass
p where he hired himself to a shoemake
in until he learned his trade, at which h
is worked over two years, when, having az
~ cumulated some money, he returned [
VI New Hampshire and studied for a WIKI
u in the academies at Stafford, Wolfsbo
en- ough and Concord. His plan of educatio
n was cut short by the insolvency of tt
person to whom he had intrusted h
savings, and he returned to Natick and r.
Ut sumed work as a shoemaker in 1888,
y, 1910 he took an active part in the pres
ed dental canvass, and made upwards of c
~ speeches in behalf of Gen. Harrison, tt
:, WhiP candidate. In the next five yea
q, he was three times elected represent
nd tive from Natick to the legislature,
nv the legislature he was soon known as
active, Jealous opponent of slavery, and
1916 he was selected in conjunction wit
the poet Whittier to carry to WashingtC
the great anti slavery petition from Mass
r chusetts against the annexation of Texa
In the same year he introduced in I'll
legislature a resolution against the furtht
extension and longer continuance of slayer
r. in America, and her fixed Discriminate
to use all constitutional and legal meal
ph for its extinction. He supported this re
IL oution in speech, which was pronounce
% by the leading anti-slavery journals to |
the fullest and most complete and compr
hensive on the slavery question that ha
vet been made in any legislative body
p the country. and il was adopted by IL
Of house by 90 majority. He was delega
be to the Wing national convention in 1874
" and on the rejection of anti-slavery resol
tons by the convention he withdrew fro
60 it and took prominent part in organzir
100 the Free Soil party. He purchased
100 this time the Boston Republican"
az daily newspaper. which he edited tor tv
= years. In l849 he was chosen charm;
80 of the Free Soil state committee of Mass
. chusetts, post which he actively file
81 for four years. In 1850 and again in 1856
- he vas chosen state senator, and durir
50. both terms was president of the senat
Ia 1852 he was made president of ii
Free Soil national convention at Pittsbur
and chairman Of the national committee
the party. In the same year he was Il
Free Soil candidate for congress in the g.
district of Massachusetts, where the m
IN jority against the Free Sellers exceeded !
,It 500 and he failed of an election only by i!