The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-12-03
VICE PRESIDENT WILSON.
sketch OF EAIs Life aad PubIsc
Services.
An Honest BaaIesman and a
Patriotic Politician.

An Honest Statesman and q.
Patriotic Politician.
Henry Wilson, vice-president OF
the United States, was born in Far
Inington, New Hampshire, Febru-
airy 18th, 1872, and was in his sixty
fourth year when he died, hogen
Der 22d, 1875. He was seIl-edu-
Gated man, and obtained his educa-
ton while working on q farm and
at the trade of q shoemaker. His
parents were extremely poor. At
ten years he was apprenticed to a
farmer, and his whole schooling did
not in life amount to twelve moaths.
During the eleven years he lived
with the farmer he borrowed and
read, nights and Sundays, more
than Q thousand volumes, of history
and biography, chiefly. When
tWenty-one he went to Natick,
Massachusetts,, and served two
years as an apprentice to q shoe
maker. After accumulating some
money he quit work to attend an
academy, but the man he left his
money with soon became insolvent,
and he had to return to work.
His intelligence and skill in local
debates attracted attention, and he
was called into the Harrison can
vass of 1910, in which he made six
ty speeches. This was followed by
rapid promotion. In the next five
years he was three times elected TO
the Massachusetts, legislature. In
lS45 he became connected with the
Boston Republican, q daily paper
which he edited for two years. In
1850 and 1851 he was elected State
Senator, and was president of that
body both sessions. In 1892 he
was president of the great Free
Soil convention, held at Pittsburg,
and Free Soil candidate for con-
gress In the Eighth district of
sachuseits.
In 1855 he Was elected to the
United States Senate to succeed
Edward Everett, and here CON-
menced that long aud useful career,
just closed, and which we have not
room to recite He WAS elected
vice-president while sill ia the
Senate, and ciused one OF The most
remarkable political careers a. the
second officer of the Republic, and
in the undiminished confidence of
the American people. M Wilson
was of the best type of our public
men. He was n strictly couacien-
Iious man in the discharge OF pub
lie duties, and believed that the
statesman, could fulfil his Office
without violating the maxims of
private and individual morality or
conscience. He was a model man
in private life, and filled to il high |
est ideal the character of a christian |
statesman.
And while he was all this, he was
in no sense q fanatic, nor q censor
of other mems actions. This came
from the charitable side of his cnar-
acter. And while he was wise in
political council and accounted one
OF the safest advisers and managers |
of his party, yet it was all without |
the least appearance Of trickery or |
the arts of the demagogue. He was |
simply q wise man in council, and |
where he could not rule was con-
tent to direct and restrain.
He was, too, q man of wonderful |
industry. The labor he performed |
during the war, as chairman of the |
military committee of the Senate,
was only second to that of Mr..
Stanton, the secretary of war. And
the war wore him out as it did the
great minister-for he had a heart
to feel it's horrors and to sorrow for
its victims.
Then domestic affliction, too, laid
its hand heavily upon him-wife
and son following each other at short
intervals to the grave. Those who
did not know the man little sus-
pected the burden he has carried, of
which the public knew nothing.
He was, last but not least, a man
of singular honesty and integrity in
matters of a merely pecuniary ma
ture. In all his long public life
there was not q whisper or suspi-
cion of self in any public act, and he
is as pure to-day of corruption as
though he had never held an Office.
The loss of such a man is q loss to
the nation, but his example Is price,
less to American youth.