The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-09

there. He was elected to the Forty
| seventh congress from the Fifth Ala
! bama district, or at least received a
certificate of election over one William
Lowe, his Republican opponent. But
| the Republicans were then in control
! of the house of representatives, and
unseated Wheeler. Hardly had they
done so, when Providence took hand
| in the matter and made the seat again
vacant through the death of Mr.. Lowe.
Gen. Wheeler was promptly renominat-
| cd, and that time reelected almost
| without opposition. He was thus per-
mitted to serve out in peace the term
| to which he claimed to have been twica
elected. His service in the house has
! been conspicuous. He is one Of the
| strongest men on the Democratic side
OF. the ways and means committee and
| is free trader of the old school, He
was probably never more disguised in
| his life than with the Southern men
who came before the committee last
| year, asking for protective duties on
Southern agricultural products, prin-
cipally cotton. He looked up to one
of the petitioners and asked if he was
| not offering to sell his birthright for
a mess of pottage. Mr.. Payne, of NV
York, undertook to floor the old gen
tleman by asking rather bluntly:"What
| III w udl Is ue SelllHS Dul
the generals reply was prompt and
emphatic: Free trade, an essential of
free institutions, and one Of the natural
rights Of free men,
| In personal appearance, Gen. Wheeler
is unintentionally striking. He always
wears soft black hat, which is creased
| in way peculiar to himself He wears
| wide band of mourning Grape not
only about the hat, but also on his
sleeve. His beard is long and gray,
and he is one Of the members of the
| house usually pointed out to visitors
in the gallery. Since the Cuban ques-
ton has come up, he has been an ar
| dent sympathiZer with the struggling
| PATRIOTS" and, when Mr.. Dingley ask
ed him in committee on Wednesday
! if he would not like to go to Manila
! as military governor, he replied that
| he wanted to go to Cuba, where he
would more readily help bring things
! to a close. He has studied the military
movements on the island as well as
any one could study them at distance,
and has acquired SO much contempt
| for the methods of Spanish warfare
that he has declared to his associates
| that, with two cavalry corps Of the
kind he led uring the rebellion-one
from the South and the other from the
| North-he believed he could clean out
all the Spanish forces in Cuba.
Through Three States.
His services during the Civil war
were most noteworthy. Senator Davis,
of Minnesota, when asked if he knew
! Gen. Wheeler well, replied: II ought
to; he chased me through three states
Another Union veteran, who is now in
| the postoffice department, says that
| the remarkable feature Of Gen. Wheel
| ers leadership was that, in spite Of
| fha trnr iryit Of h
ers, their unexpected sallies by night
and day, and their almost miraculous
| jumping from point to point, both
| horses and men always appeared in
good condition, and did not have the
| fagged-out look Of most of the COM
mands doing a like amount Of hard
service. Wheeler was admitted to West
Point as a cadet in 1854, when eighteen
years of age. He entered the regular
army after graduation, and on Sept.
| l, 1860, was made a second lieutenant
| in regiment of mounted rifiemen,
and sent to Fort Fillmore, on the Rio
| Grande This commission he resigned
April %, 1861, to enter the Confederate
| service. He was first on L. T.. Wal
ker's staff, with the rank of colonel,
| but after a short time went back to
| Alabama to organize regiment. When
| it was proposed to make Wheeler a
! brigadier general, the Confederate con-
gress raised some objection on account
of his extreme youth, but subsequent
| events justified the high place which
| had been accorded to him.
Jefferson Davis, in his History of the
| COME daracy," volume 2, page ST. thus
speaks Of Wheelers services: with
his small force Wheeler daringly and
persistently harassed and, when prac-
| ticable, delayed the enemy's advance,
| attacking and defeating exposed de-
c,(4bv Dnr1+c LOT 20,
venturing far from the main body, de-
| Tending all cities and towns along the
railroad lines, and affording pro ection
to depots of supplies, arsenals and other
| important government works.
Great Cavalry Leader.
His operations from Nov. IA to Dec.
20 displayed a dash, activity, vigilance,
and consummate skill which justly en-
title him to prominent place on the
roll of great cavalry leaders. By his
indomitable energy, operating on all
sides of Sherman's columns, he was
able to keep the government advised of
the enemy's movements, and by pre-
venting foraging parties from going
far from the main body he saved from
| spoliation all but a narrow tract Of
country, and from the torch millions
of dollars worth Of property which
| ""uiu olHci wise nave Deen certainly
consumed This is probably as good
a description Of his methods of cavalry
| warfare as could be given, and at the
| age of slXty-tWo 1t is reasonable to be-
| lieve that he has lost none Of his old
| time vigor. There is a romantic touch
in having such man as Gen. Wheeler.
simple, honest, conscientious, end his
military career, and. perhaps, his pub
lie service In war undertaken by the
United States, after he had worked
so hard q. generation ago in the cause
Of secession. No doubt he Is glad of
| this opportunity to make the closing
chapter of his military history one of
service under the Stars and Stripes,
| and no one doubts that that service will
be brave and effective.