The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-26

voice Of his countrymen TO the second
place in the Government, he had not at
command even the small sum needed for
his Inauguration.
This anecdote does not surprise Us, for
it accords with what We had learned from
Mr.. Wilson himself. On one occasion,
when in New York (it was while he was
Vice President he called TO see us, and
sat for an hour Having such a distin-
guished visitor, we used the editorial
privilege of asking him few questions,
to which he replied, not in a boastful
spirit, but with perfect frankness and
simplicity. He told us that when he was
a boy, his parents were so poor that at 10
years age he was put with farmer to
''serve out his time" For eleven years
he worked on a farm, and during all that
time he said 1--WE could not believe it If
we had not heard it from his own lips
that the largest sum he ever had at one
time was cents, which was the munifi-
cent gift OF his employer, when he was to
walk seven miles to attend a general
training He had, however, months
schooling each year. When he was p,
he received for his eleven years OF labor
pair of oxen, which he sold for SS4, and
with that he began life.
"Well," we said, "Mr Wilson, We hope
you are better off now"
ooh, yes" he replied; 81 have my lit
tie place at Natick, Mass, which | think
is worth $1,000, and / have about $500
besides"
This was all; and yet he had then
passed his three-scOre years, Of which he
had given more than twenty to the SER
vice of his country.
He did not live to complete his term in
the Vice Presidency. He died as poor as
he had lived. And yet such was the
respect for his character and his services,
that when the tidings came that he was
no more, flags were hung at half-mast all
! over the land, and when his body was
carried through our cities to be laid at
rest in the soil OF his native state, the
people uncovered their heads at sight OF
his bier; and thus he was borne to his
grave with every mark OF honor that a
grateful country could bestOw on its Illus
I
trious dead.
But the moral of this story does net
end here. In our conversation we asked
Mr.. Wilson not merely about himself,
but about public men as he had known
them for more than twenty years IN
Washington. We had in mind the
charges of corruption which were SO free
ly circulated in party papers, from which
the reader would have inferred that pub
| lie men who were governed solely by
patriotic motives were but few. To ous
surprise and qualification, he affirmed
that, on the contrary, of those with
whom he had been cOnnected-Senators
and Representatives members OF the cab
met and heads of bureas in the different
departments the great majority were
honest and upright, as well as capable.
OF course there were schemers and adj
venturers who were always ION the
make" ready TO turn their official posi-
ton into a means of promoting their sell
| fish interests But these were not the
rule, but the exception. lie expressed
himself with just indignatiOns at the
charges which were made so freely
against public men-charges which he
| believed To be in nine cases out OF ten
utterly without foundation or grossly ex-
aggerated, and which did great deal to
disgrace us in the eyes of the world.