Omaha daily bee., 1886-08-14
SENATOR VAN WYCK'S RECORD
A Sponsor Of RepublicaniSm, He Follows
Its Fortunes on Field and Forum,
KIND WORDS FROM HIS OLD HOME
A Brilliant Career i'm His Native state
Thrice HonOrcd with High
Onicc-Eour Years with
the Tenth Legion.
Miadlelon lN. rl p.tlv -, Ang. I.


tics, with marked editorials of falsehood
and abuse of our former townsman, Gen.
cral Van Wyck, who was many years ago
the representative in congress from this
congressional district-nOw a resident of
the former state, representing it III part in
the United States senate.
The malignancy of the articles was so
apparent that we threw the papers aside.
Those of his old friends and former con
stituents who had iourneyed with him
for over thirty years knew that his social,
business and political life during that
period had been without reproach, and
that no stain could be cast upon him by
disappointed politicians whose schemes
he had thwartcd.
THE PATRIOTIC SERVICES
rendered by General NanWyck IN the halls
of legislation and upon the tented field,
II brief rec ord of which we present below.
are remembered with pride and satisfac
ton by the people of this, his old con.
| gressional district,
Always opposed to slavery he was with
! the free soil element of the democratic
| party and was among the first to take
part in organizing the republican party
| He was active in its conventions; in
| framing the plattorm-ln fact was pres
| cnt ut the birth OF that great organiza-
| ton. He was an enthusiastic worker in
the Fremont campaign, speaking in
| nearly every school district in Orange
| and Sullivan counties.
So in 1858 the young party naturally
! turned to him as its standard bearer for
| congress in this district. The campaign
| was red-hot from the start. Both Orange
and Sullivan counties comprising the dis
| trict were at that time strongly demo
cratic and while the democratic state
| ticket had over one thousand two
hundred majority in the two counties,
General Van Wyck succeeded by the
same number.
| THE BITTERNESS OF POLITICAL HATE
eliminated in the Lincoln campaign of
1860 when General Van Wyck was a candi-
date for reelection. The democratic
| party wisely concluded to venture none
| of its chosen champions in the race
| against him, but selected one of the most
| popular men in the district-one of the
old solid whig party and known as y
"silver gray" whig-the Hon. Daniel B.
ST. John. The campaign was long and
earnest, General Van Wyck receiving in
| the district more votes than Lincoln.
In this congress came the war. During
| the long term of 1861 some members de-
sired to go to the battle of Bull Run, II
few miles from the capital.
| Genera. Van Wyck said to his col
league, Mr.. Ely, of the Rochester dis
trict, "Our duty is here; let us do that,
and then 90 home and recruit regiments
and come with them to the field" Ely
went out to the Bull Run field and was
one of the captured congressman. Van
| Wyck did as he said. At the end of the
session he came home. Defeat had dis
pirited our people, enlistments were
| slow, and democratic orators and papers
were claiming that the rebels could never
be defeated. General Van Wyck took up
the dropping standard, unturled it, and
commenced raising the FiftysiXth regi-
ment, known as
"TfiE TENTH LEGION"
that being the then number of his con.
grcssional district The regiment had
ten infantry companies. nnH Of sharp.
! shn,cet.,7,irs, Two batteries and two cavalry
companies--a legion in fact as well as in
name. He rallied the spirits of the peo-
pie and filled them with hope and cour-
age. Some democrats labored to pre-
vent and defeat enllstments. They every
where insisted that ' AN Wyck would
raise the regiment, take it to the field,
then leave it, and turn the command over
to another. They claimed the finances
OF the nation would be ruined, that our
money would become worthless, that
when the war ended 1t would be as il
was at the end of the war of the revolu-
ton with the continental currencyt that
bushel of currency would not buy a
bushel of white beans.
We well remember how General Van
Wyck dispelled both these charges.
He told the wives and mothers as they
gave up their husband OIL first born, that
be would not only go, but would stay
with them in camp and on the field until
the country was destroyed or the flag
! tloatcd again in victory
AND HE KEPT THE PROMISE
to the letter. In answer to the Other
charge he boldly stated everywhere, III
the country was to be destroyed, let the
finances go with it; if the country was
saved the American people would see tc
it and save its currency. If he was com
PEELED to outlive his country, any money
would be of but little value" And he
stated in all his speeches and on every
street corner that he would trust his
country and its currency; that he would
take command of the regiment, go with
1t to the field and stay with 1t to the end;
that he would not take dollar for hi:
services or any reimbursement for his ex
penses until either the union was dis
rupted and money destroyed with 1T, oi
until peace came and the union was re-
stored, and then he would take the pay
to which he was entitled and II the demo
Gratis were right he would take it in rags
no better than the old continental cur
rency.
And this promise he kept to the letter
) With the exception of company D-th'
} Warwick company-he advanced tn,
money to transport from Orange, Sui
, livan and Delaware counties, by rall anC
stage, fourteen companies to headquar
tiers at Newburg, and that money
HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAID.
He went with them to the field, staye(
until victory came and the union was re
stored-over tour years-remained OF
| duty some time in South Carolina afte
1 peace came and was mustered out. III
then went to Washington and to the pay
, master related the circumstance of hi
; recruiting the regiment, what he ha'
promised and said, Now | will take tn
pay to which l am entitled" Every on
| knew that at the time he enlisted his reg
!, iment, he was also a member OF congress
that he finished out his term in congress
and was there few months while il
command of his regiment The pay
master, with the knowledge of all tn
facts, computed his pay IN the deprec
4 ated currency, and when gold was wort
2S0, General Van Wyek received the iirs
: dollar III the despised greenback for hi
s four long years of faithful service. Prof.
J, ably he was the only man, who serve
u from the beginning to the close of tn