The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-03
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WADE.
One Nh" Enttira against sinvrry with chase.
hcvnrI. summer. aud Stale SirIping t. MA
thr Esfe Canal IN t"2S Eighteen Years
of service In the United state. senntr.

.t 49,. ~
county. Ohio. was born Of. ~. $500. az the
ls.lr uar.sh of Tn.linu I'ili. Nt.f ,priu.iDll
At,.s,.lr,,,,. "a. r.,..,. ,., .ii... ~
Si'Ss"' u.s. ''' i'.'.'I WI H""''I "i
tae Revolutionary war. EE'tin-- at Huhkor llii'.
at Yorktown. ana at many ~ the Intermediate
,,,i.'. a., . . a, ~. ~ r..
p"'''7 !" our s'I'-''' '"r 'hn'b'N'h''' MS
mother was strong CHlNin-, and brought up
her offspring to strict Observance oi the
,.a,,,,,. -, ,I, min. T. ~, , 49,,
practices OF TIE iuritnnS III thosr carly days.
benlamin WIS the loang""t %! t'n children.
Tn, family wnrn worry mar nrI hna :, ,k,n
..,, IL,
p'ccnri'Hs Nih- ON ga low mar" "il
scrubby ncres among tina hills that cluster along
Tho bank of tho C,nnn,,inut rivnr Thr nnnor.
,..,t,, W ~, -.
t"ni,ies 'or 'uueA''oh' even "' 'h' i'"'' Di'"Er'
quality. were IN those times extremely limited
on what might tbon nntl, h, cnllnI tho from.
~
ucr oil MasSarhu'"us. IN III" Wlhi Rs young
Wade relieved OF hard work on tho farm.
rieked mn his l.,trra ~, ann ~ ,h,, o,,,,,,,,
-. IT,, a., II. ,...,.. g.
sehoo's. ou' nus hotn'r Wushi MIN 10 read ana
write During tho long evenings thry snt in
,hoir hunble rohin illur,i,a,.t Ia. iLo a,,,,,,f
- "''''' ,''"'''i''"''" -, ''' ""l''' W
pltch pine Knots. where thc mother skctchcd
before her favorito son BENJAMIN the rrnphic
bia,oric nic,uros or1 Li,,.,,,,,,i,, 80 IL oit
NC ~. '"''7 M" pl'S'"''l'NH va INV VI"
ana New Tcstamcnts. benjamin became quite
an adept in future ycars In quoting the Scrip.
lures, which he almost knew hy hrnrt. his
mother had enthrr"d ~ nil. III, ~ n litr,rr ' ~
ten or twelve volumes or So nnmnnsrd mostly
OF religious hooks. but contniuiur one or two
histories, Cooks VOYAGES EounI thr World
and 'Cuiliycr's Trnv,is - rho viynrn,is vnuth
perused these with great ardnr. and committed
npnrly the whole OF 0lrm 10 mrmurV
Getint n living i" ,hjs WV md Tins cir
numscribcd in lila aspirations for knowledge
age of 49, he resolved ~ leave his New England
home aud sttitn out for tIr ,,i,'ni Nos. Viii
SIS in his no ,kpt. and n urrS on his back. he
nnd voerv ~, frntnU- in ,lu' i'm, hrnu,h,
up at Ashtabula in the State Of ohio out II
arrived nj this iog cabin hamlet i'm the dead VI
winter and M once engaged i'm the lauInhlo
pursuit Of cutting wood at 80 cents per FORD. 10
tern bimself from s,nrvin,, Un -tnvr1 tbcre
through the summer and Worked on a iarm.
rpndinc such hooks ns hr r,uli Inv His hnnI.
nm n'1loi in ,hn pnl"Ninp winter y,ni,,, aT
Invitation 10 tench tho iietrlrt s'hnnl Thnueh
The c"mnnnsntinn ,yas "xtr'm,'ly small vDt n"
nnnort,initins Witch Inn tln.n niY,rdrJ {,r III.
impproyement Of his mind iud"meI him a. u nv.
cept the situation. H. WORKED Mt farming in
then turned TO catile driving hs,wr"n ohio aid
the scabonrd. He followed this cnliing Tor some
wears tbereIv hnron,inr ar,nnin.sI vim tho
cities of Albany and NV Yrrg The Eric Cn nal
was th"n In mr1grrss of cnnstIuntinn md coiiIs
driving n6t prt,yinl. So nisrntiv" I'm or, nmui"y
msnt Gs ,I he ma "nicipai,d. he turned his
wild drlycI With sh"v In ihn 1on n.i '9
"f this nrtitlc" wnt.r corrse i tween ~. miner
lak"s and The HWdson' u '''' "''V'
The Irie Canal WIS comple,ed I'm 1905 md
Wade. having Just closed his 25ih year wend.
mem A this time he ina ina,,itrnd n nrrt,v
fair stock Of surh inarnire n c1uli he ,,nt on,
nf "A com mon school ,.nfhrTri from, stray hn,ls
md picked mn i'm noyy-unnnrs of which he WI.
n voracious reader. Elisha Whiitlcsey. SO long
pa De- Wal" r. s'uiy law. AMI INK HIM
into his Office Tor thnt nurnose In the snrinv ~
1926. Wade was n close. Intelligent student,
tint frst rnnnlsite "ftbe u t.i.' sh"n5 sa
mr,i. lie was admitted oihc bar in is2s-tho
same yenr TINT con Jacl son wis runnin,. t'r
L..
Wade took mn activa I'M RI in Tint rnnv,ss on Tho
side of The Massanhus",is stntesmnn' The ale"
zion hnvinp ,,nnr npnipst ~ Ii.finrrui.Inl f,,l
low Citizen ~ tho Raw state he se,ticd dow, f.,
The nractice Of his nr'S'ssinn n, Jnr,.rsDn in
the county OF Ashtabuln. where he found
Josnua n t;iddinHs nIreadv Mt he har "0 '0''A
Waae worked bsrd in his ~ , nrotession and
after years of toll rose To- the head of the bar in
that corner Of Ohio. He was m ardent Whi,
took an active part in politics was elected To- the
State Senate in 1885. and after an interregnum
his mark in the Senate md was regarded ms the
leader of the Wing pnrty in the Iegislature
At the close Of his second term in the state
practice OF the law nj his old home in Jefferson.
clients gathered about him and he did n flour.
ishing business and began for the first time in
his life TO accumulate little property. In Feb
ruary, 1s47 he was elected 10y the Legislature
President Judge OF the Third Judicial District
of the State which was composed OF five popu-
lous counties! He won distinction ns "A judge
and became quite popular with lawyers, Wit.
nesses juries. and suitors. He had been on
The bench four wears when. much ~ his sur
prise. he was elected i'm February. is5i, a SEN
ator in Congress for six yanrs -
The great field on which MIR Wade achieved
distinction was now omen before him The
slave power had Us grin uuon the nations
throat John T. Hal, Of New Hampshire mad
been in the Seunt. four ycurs h.for. Wade arr
rived. battling with the monster seward aud
Chase had been there two years and Summer
entered with Wade
Thesn five men moulded tho character Of ri
OF like faith who entered the Senate down To- the
outbreak OF the rebellion Hale dubbed over
with humor and WAS APT at happy hits. Chase
was londerOus IN logic and rcplete with
pregnant facts. Seward was phliosouhic and
historical. sumner was full Of curious learn
lng, set OH with classical dirtiOn. Wade, strong.
rough. aggressive and fearless. -ot an example
winch other Senators subsequently learned 70
follow
Wade entered the Senate just Mt tho sub
sidcnce Of the tempest over the. cumpromi 80
measures Of 1852. whose waves still continued to
lash the shore. These measures proved TO be n
truce of brief duration. Mr. Fillmore. then
President In his message to Congress, spoke 81
them rs a settlement-a final scttlement-of
the whole subject Of slavery" But the agiia-
ton would not down at his bidding. for i'll the
language OF Mr. Seward. II WIS an irreprr-~ihl"
conflict between forces hostile t. each other in
III their essential elements.
Mr.. Wade WAS placed On the Committee on
Territories where this fruitful source of trouble
was likely to spring ~ on Tie slightest occasion.
The Application of the Wi!mot urpNisO To our
new Territories wnS always before that commit