Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-03-12
James Wilson.

mcKinIey's Secretary of Agriculture,
and how He Secured the Restoration of
Gen. Grant to his Rank i'm the Army.
James Wilson, the secretary of agriculture
under the Mckinley administration, was
born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1885. He
came to this country when he was 16 and
settled with parents on an Iowa farm, and
grew up as farmers boy. After serving
in the Iowa legislature he was elected to
the Forty-third and Forty fourth Congress
es, and was again elected to the Forty
eighth Congress. His right was contested,
but he retained his seat until the last day
of the session, when he was unseated un-
der peculiar and highly dramatic circum-
stances. There had been several days of
filibustering over the case, and there was
at the same time pending a bill to restore
ex-President Grant, then very near his
death, to the army with the grade of Gen
eral, but it could not be taken up, for the
reason that the election case prevented.
Several efforts were made to secure unani-
nous consent to lay aside the pending
business in order that the Grant bill might
be given consideration, but the fatal OBJ
lection was invar ably interposed.
On the morning of March 4, 1885, Sam
uel j. Randall made a last effort to bring
up the Grant bill and appealed to the
House to take it up in order to restore the
dying hero of Appomattox to the army
register with his former rank When
this request was made there was the ut
most confusion and bad feeling in the
House, and the request was met by an OBJ
lection from the Democratic side. 1t was
then that Mr.. Wilson displayed his patriot
ism, good sense and self-abnegation. OBJ
sas. a I. u
peal to the Republicans to cease tlibuster-
ing and abandon his case, agreeing that
the vote should be taken which would de-
clare that he had not, been legally elected
to the seat he held for the entire term, pro-
vided the Grant bill should be taken up
Immediately when his case should be dis
posed Of This appeal was received with
great applause from both sides of the House.
A few hours only remained of the life of
the Forty-eighth Congress. A roll call
would have consumed an hour, but Mr..
Wilson again came to the rescue, and at
his request the vote was taken without a
roll call. Mr. Wilson was unseated and
the contestant Immediately sworn. The
Grant bill was thereupon taken up, passed
and hurried TO the Senate, which body con-
Cured without observing the customary
formalities President Arthur was in the
Presidents room at the capitol to examine
bills that might be laid before him. The
Senate having passed the bill, it was signed
by the presiding officers of the two houses,
laid before the President, who appended
his signature, and sent a message to the
House announcing his approval. This was
followed by the nomination of Grant to the
rank of General in the army. On motion
of Senator Edmunds the nomination was
considered Immediately in open executive
session and confirmed, and thus by the
generous act of Mr.. Wilson the dying war
riOr was gratified by being restored to his
former place on the register of the army.
While in Congress Mr.. Wilson was re-
garded as an unusually strong man, and
exercised great influence on his side of the
House. But no act of his in Congress or
elsewhere was more graceful and creditabe
than that by which General Grant was re-
stored to his former place in the military
service of his country.