The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-11-23
THE DISTINGUISHED DEAD.

The late Vice President Wilson, whose
death the American people are SO suddenly
called upon to lament, was natlve Oh NO"
Hampshire, and was born in Pennington, IN
that State, on the 18th of February, 1917
The first lessons of his life were those OF
farmers son, in which capacity ne learned
the severe but wholesome discipline OF indus
try and frugality. Neither then nor az any
time during his eventful career was ne ever
known to shrink from work. The
youth who toiled necessarily among the
stumps and stones in summer and the drifts
and ice of winter, became the chairman g
the Senate's Committee on Military Affairs,
in which Gen. Winfield Scott said he did
more work in one term than had been done
by all the chairmen of that committee in the
preceding twenty years.
He left the farm when he was about twenty
two years old, penniless as we may we'll sup
pose, and without the education which en-
abled Webster, Cass, Seward and
many others to make subsistence
by teaching. He went to boston ana
engaged in the mechanical trade OF making
shoes. At this occupation, ID the course OF
two or three years, he earned enough TO
enable him to attend several schools and
academies in New Hampshire, where he ap-
piled himself with his peculiar industry, SO
that in a short period he had acquired all he
wanted, the birthright of every American
youth, an elementary education, which, with
him, was key to all he wished to know. For
the rest of his life he was close student and
an industrious reader. He was essentially
self-made, self.taught, and seif-dependent.
Mr. Wilson, in 1885, then about twenty-si1
years of age, entered upon the business OF
manufacturing shoes in Natick, Massacha-
sets, an industry then comparatively new,
bat which has since been enormously de-
veloped in that and other New England
States. He continued his mandatory for
many years, giving it his careful personal su-
pervision and reaping therefrom steadily in
creasing and satisfactory results, SO that, al
though engaged for large part OF his life IN
political or public affairs, he was always inde-
dependent of any Office for q subsistence. He
served eight years in the State Legislature,
was twice President Of the State Senate, and
in 1853 was q member and President OF the
State Constitutional Convention. In these
capacities he acquired that thorough knowl.
edge of parliamentary affairs and tactics
which became 80 useful to him as a member
and more lately as President Of the Senate, te
which he was elected in 1855, serving unit
his induction into Office as Vice President il
March, 1873.
The political bias of Mr.. Wilson is vel
known. He was ranked as one OF the ablt
and hard-working Wings of New England
until that party was disbanded. He then, ik'
the majority of the Northern Wings, espouset
the Native American cause and adhered to
durine its brilliant but short and unsuccessful
career.
But he was thoroughly imbued with anti
slavery sentiments and readily gave his allegl
ance to the Free Soil, and afterwards the Re
publican party, lending to the support OF bot
all his talents and all the strength OF III
mighty will and energy. This phase Q
his career cannot appear either to hi
own party or to their opponents, eithe
to the people of the North or OF tn
South, as it will be seen by the futur
historian. But Of the great ability, the pei
sonal purity, the patriotic motives and tn
high character of the deceased there will b
but little diversity of opinion. Whatever b
convic ions on vital points Of policy may ha7
been, he will be remembered and lamented
one of those who toiled honestly for the vel
t,ro of hio native land.