Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-17
OLD TIMES RECALLED
General Wilson Talks of Half a
Century Ago.
FAMOUS MEN IN SENATE
When Daniel Webster Delivered
Notable Speech.
REC0LLECTI0Ns OF HENRY CLAY
How Davis, Calhoun, Douglas and
Cass Appeared to the Boys
Who Were Pages.
RECOLLECTIONS OF HENRY CLAY

Who Were Pages.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
Brig. Gen. John NJ. Wilson, late chief of
engineers, United States army, grand mar
shall at the Inauguration Of President
Roosevelt, and now president of the Wash
ington Board of Trade was born on G
street in a house nearly opposite Epiphany
Church, October s, 1897. His father, Joseph
S. Wilson, was born in a house that is still
standing on the north side of F street, the
second door east from 18th. His grand
father was one of the first settlers in what
is now the District of Columbia, coming
here from the north of Ireland in 1871, sew
eral years before the capital of the nation
was located. Gen. Wilson's grandmother
was from Scotland, and like his grand
father, belonged to the strictest sect of old
fashioned Scotch-Irish Presbyterians. His
father entered the land office in the lowest
grade Of clerk about 1928, and was promoted
from time to time until he became commits
sioner of the general land office under Pres
ident Buchanan. Gen. Wilson's mother was
daughter of John Nicho son Moulder, who
came here from Philadelphia in 1922 and
lived in the first ward, near Washington
Circle.
1t is doubtful if any other Washingtonian
can make a stronger claim to that title.
Gen. Wilson went to school to Mr.
Wight down on Indiana avenue, near the
court house, and also to Wilson and
Church's academy, on 9th street near H,
where Mr.. ]. o. Wilson, afterward supern-
tendent of the public schools of the District,
was principal
Appointed Senate Page.
"On the first Monday of December, 1S49,
more than fifty-seven years ago." said Gen.
Wilson, Il was appointed page in the
United States Senate by Robert Beale, ser
geant-at-arms, upon the recommendation
of Gen. George w. Jones, the first senator
from Iowa, who was an intimate friend of
my rather. Gen. Jones was remarkable
man, very tall, straight and dignifed and
exceedingly versatile. He served two states
In Congress, being sent to the House of
Representatives from Michigan and to the
Senate from Iowa. He was more active than
any one else in securing the admission of
Iowa to the Union, and the early history of
that state is filled with anecdotes and
events in which he was chief figure
Augustus Caesar Dodge was the other
senator from Iowa and occupied a seat on
the democratic side beside his father, Henry
Dodge, who was a senator from Wisconsin,
1t is the only case of the kind on record
In several instances a son has succeeded
his father in the Senate, but never have
father and son been members of that body
at the same time except in the case of the
Dodge family. 1t is also remarka BILE that in
the same Congress a father-in-law and SON
in-law, Thomas H. Benton and John c. FIRE.
mont, sat together. That never occurred
before or since.
Willard Fillmore was Vice President A
tall, handsome man with courtly manners,
smooth face, dressed with the greatest care
in the old-fashioned way, he made a pro-
found impression upon my boyish memory
During that session in July, think it was,
Zachary Taylor died, and Willard Fillmore
became President. The democrats, being
in the majority, elected as President pro
tenn William R. King of Alabama, man
of charming manners and good abilities, but
of delicate health He was afterward elect
ed Vice President with Franklin Pierce, but
went to Cuba for his health and died there
before Inauguration day. Asbury Dickens
Of North Carolina secretary of the
Senate Few persons have served the gov
eminent as long as he. He held that office
been chief clerk in the State Department
and previously had been a clerk in the
treasury almost from the beginning of the
government
gevin, who afterward became the COM
mander of a vast army of revolutionists in
China. He was captured, and while being
carried off as a prisoner in a boat loaded
with chains he is said to have fallen over
board and been drowned. ]. H. Reagen,
who is still living in Washington, and is a
member of the Society of Oldest Inhabi-
tants, was also a page, and Arthur P. Cor
man, the late senator from Maryland, came
in year or two later
Noted Men in the Senate.
"At that time the Senate was composed
of a remarkable body Of men. I do not
suppose SO many famous men were ever
together in the Senate before or since.
Among them were:
Henry Clay, Daniel Webster,
John c. Calhoun, Lewis Cass,
Thomas II. Benton, Stephen A. Douglass,
John P. Hale, Salmon P. Chase,
Benjamin f. Wade William H. Seward,
Hannibal Hamlin. Charles Sumner,
John c. Fremont, Gen. Sam Houston,
William NJ. Gwin, Solomon Foot of YER
Henry S. Feote of mont,
Mississippi, Jefferson Davis
Pierre Soule, David L. Yulee.
James Shields, a cousin of my father,
was a senator from three states, Illinois,
Missouri and Minnesota, governor of Ore
gon and hero of two wars.
Jesse u. Bright who was afterward ex-
PEELED for treason.
stephen r. Mallory of Florida, father of
the present senator from that state, who
was one of the most accomplished gentle
men l ever met.
George Bell of Tennessee, afterward cam
didate for President OF the United States.
James M. Mason of Virginia of Mason
and Slidell notoriety, and r. NJ. T. Hunter
was his colleague.
Among the other senators who were not
so famous was James c. Jones of Tennes-
see, a brilliant talker and a great wit.
You will find that his speeches in the
Congressional Globe are filed with odd
ideas and expressions. One day he either
composed or quoted a little doggerel verse
which fastened itself on my boyish mind,
and / remember it to this day. l cannot
recall just how it happened but the Mann
moth Cave of Kentucky was under dis
cGssion and Mr.. Jones took the floor for
fAr r,ot a t>xy
saying:
MIR. President when I visited that ma
jestic freak of nature l found that some
visitor, trying to be a poet, had inscribed
upon the walls these lines:
The Mammoth Cave. o! what spot!
In summer cold, i'll winter hot.
oh great God, what wonder?
General Jackson, He'll and Th.nder
Il have forgotten lots ofewise things that
/ have heard in the Senate. but somehow
or other / have never forgotten that nom
sense" said Gen. Wilson.
A Famous Speech by Webster.
Il saw Mr.. Clay introduce his celebrated