Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1875-11-27
DEATH OF vICE-PRESIDENT WILSON
A Short Sketch of His Useful and Event
ful Life.

Telegrams from Washington on Mon.
day announced the death OF Vice-Presi-
dent Wilson, at 7:3O a. m. of that day
His death cast a gloom over the whole
nation, for he was one of the few public
men who retained the confidence of the
nation through his entire life.
He had suffered with illness about two
weeks, but was considered out of danger
Some eighteen months ago he was
struck with apoplexy and since that time
has been i'm comparatively feeble health.
The following brief synopsis of his life
we take from the Lansing Republican:
Il ..Mr. Wilson was So years old, and pos
sessed a fine physical constitution, abus-
ing it only by excessive mental labor.
He has sometimes written steadily for
10 hours. and said he did not feel it. but
the penalty came at last.
Born in Pennington, n, H., of exceed
ingly poor parents, he was able to attend
school only about II months in all be-
fore he was 81 years of age. But he
read many hundred volumes by fireli sht
when working on farm. BY labor OH
the shOemaker's bench he earned enough
money to attend academies few terms.
AT Natick, Mass, where he established
himself in shoemaking, he organized a
literary clab among his fellow wOrkmen,
rnd practiecd both debate and written
composition. making such intellectual
progress that in 1910 he delivered m,re
th1n GO stump speeches with great sue
cess, and prepared pamphlet entitled
Democratic confessions OF which
more than $4,000 copies were circulated
He had grown up in the democratic
party but became whig. and was
elected as such five times to the state
His anti-slavery convictions began
when he was "a years old. and were the
principle of his whole life.
He had imbibed ali undying hatred of
slavery from-beholdinga slave auction at
the national capital i'm 1886. He bolted
from the old whig party in lS47, support
ing the free-soil ticket for president and
vice president, and in 1850 he organized
the famous coalition with the democratic
party, which took Massachusetts out of
the hands of the old whig dynasty and
laid the foundation of great republican
He edited the Boston Daily Republi-
con for two years as IN anti-slavery
and was a prominent mem-
ber Of the constitutional convention Of
1853, and the free-soil candidate for gov
eraor then, receiving 2G,545 votes. Mr..
only political mistake was in
joining the know-nOihing party in 1854,
but he did it TO rebuke the interference
of the Roman priests with the educa-
tional funds of the state, and he never
favored any harsh or illiberal legislation
toward foreigners.
In 1855 he was elected to the United
States ssenate.succeeding Edward Everett.
and was reelected in 1865. lie refused
to fight duel i'm 1856 with "Bully"
Brooks, after that miserable rowdy had
Senator Sumner. declaring the
duel to be '.barbarism and crime" but al
SO announcing that he fully believed in
I'm 1861 Mr. Wilson became chairman
of the military committee i'm the senate,
and all through the war he guided the
legislation so vital to the union cause.
In 1872 he was nominated by the re-
publican party for vice president of the
United States. and received 2S6 electoral
votes out of 352 and had popular ma
iority of 762, ,991 on the ticket with Gen.
eral Grant for president.
Mr.. Wilson has written an interesting
6 History of anti-slavery legislation dur
ing the war" and large work on the
. Rise and fall of the slave power i'm the
the United States
In personal appearance he was stout
and commanding; in manners he was al
ways genial and considerate towards otll-
ers; in tact and perseverance he was re-
markable, bringing about the most diff
ficult unions for honorable purposes !;
and i'm moral and religious character he
was unimpeached. After more than
twenty-five years of diligent public SER
vice he remained poor man, owning
only his homestead i'm Natick. He is one
of the noblest illustrations of what our
common school system can do for youth
who has talent and industry. His name
will stand in history as one Of the purest
of American statesmen, who lived to see
his policy and measures applauded by his
bitterest opponents. 4e.
DESERVE EMENTION.-Whilet there were
many persons at the fire yesterday who
did 1ach to check its onward progress,