The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1875-12-09
HENRY WILSON'S cHARaCTER AND
LIFE.

We extract the following concerning
the life, character and associates of our
late lamented- Vice President, from the
Boston corr espondence Of the Springfield
Republicans;
The leaders in our great auti-slayery
contest are fast passing away-although
Garrison aud Phillips and Whittier, who
began TO fight before ii entered into poll.
tics, still remain. OF late years the bur-
den has fallen more heavily upon the
political leaders than upon the agitators,
whose warm work was done when the
civil war began. Then il was, however
that the most severe labor fell upon
Sumner and Wilson and Andrew-mak-
ing them prematurely old and giving
them all, sooner or later, their death
blow. Andrew did not long outlive the
war, of which be was one Of the main
pillars in New England. Sumner lived
to see reconstruction complete, and Will
son enough longer TO bring his party
upon the line of action which Andrew
first and then Sumner had marked out
Now Wilson is gone, too, and suddenly
at last, like Sumner and Andrew; tho
it is four or five years since his fatal
tendency toward this disease was noticed
by those about him. In August or Sep
tembcr, 1871, when Sumner wrote the
brief protest, which be and Wilson
signed, against Buffers raid upon the
state house, be expressed to me the doubt
that both he and Wilson would live TO
the end Of their senatorial terms. One
or the other, he thought, would leave his
seat vacant; and, in fact, both died be-
fore their term had expired. They were
such pair of Senators as Massachusetts
never had before, and is not likely TO
have again; Tor they worke together
fraternally for nearly twenty years, and
each supplied what the other lacked
without Summers magnificent indifler-
encc to the present, and his firm faith IN
the future, Wilson would have wavered
and hesitated much more than he did ;
while Wilson's popular instincts and bis
daily intercourse with men OF all sorts
enabled him TO help Sumner where he
most needed reinforcement. Let II not
be forgotten, either, that Wilson, more
than any other man, caused the first
1 election Of Sumner 20 the Senate, and al
ways labored faithfully for his reelection
no matter how many Of his own party
sf-ove TO defeat him.
1t was always easy TO scoh at the i'm
perfections aud omissions in Wilson'
nature, education and public attitude
He was not, like Sumner, man OF In
born dignity; nor an accomplished maj
Of the world, like Seward nor traineC
orator aud man Of affairs, like JohI
Quincy Adams nor had he the uncoutl
native greatness Of Lincoln, nor th'
prodigious learning or the special attain
ments of many other men with whom b
came in contact. He had read a goot
deal, but without method and withou
culture; he had mixed much in society
but could never acquire its tone and cas-
of manner; he was, indeed, an exampl
Of what Englishmen mean when the
point with shiyer 10 the imperfect edu
cation Of our sejf.made men. ile wa
born, like Lincoln, among the poorest {
the poor-the habiis and the rcpulato
OF HE family connection, Ike those Z
! Lincoln, would not bear very sefaut
izing iuquiry, perhaps lie never wen
! 10 school Ia al, suppose two years !
his whole life. It's cary years wer
given to hard labor, and there was llttI
poetry OF beauty ID bis early youth. -
his man, 20 born aud bred, stepped,
The sge of iorly.tbfee, into the pla'
: which Edward Everett vacated, aud
more titan ilied il, just as Sumuer &
! more than filed TIE place Of Danii
!. Webster. Theodore Parker said, vhs
!. Mr.. Wilson was lrst elected TO The Uni
: Cd States Senate: There wa one reast
) why / wanted %, above sil others, VI
= wanted to see 5 shoemaker gel rlg
ap rom bis beach aud 70 70 the senat
a. And that from Massachusetts. vi
you had never been 10 say bni a comm
! school, for want lbe nation % see vt
). men We can train ap IN The public ins
= tall0ns oi education whiea stand op
=. for al. Wilson VS., Indeed Ike iiofa