The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1919-01-18
PREFACE

The Light In the Clearing shone upon
many things and mostly upon those
which, above all others. have impassioned
and perpetuated tho Spirit OF America
worthy OF attention. i believe that spirit
90 be the very candle or tho Lord which.
sn this dark and windy night or time. has
dickered 30 that the souls OF the faithful
have been afraid But LET US DO OF good
cheer. IL Is shining brighter as i write
and. under God. believe II shall. by and
by. be seen and loved OF all men.
One self-cpntained, Homeric- figure, of
The remote country side In which I was
born. had the true Spirit or Democracy
and shed its light abroad In the senate OF
the United States and the capitol at AL
bany. He carried the Candle OF the Lord.
IL led him TO n height OF seif-forgetfui-
ness achieved by only two others-Wash-
angton and lincoln. Yet have been SUR
SsS Ds u anS
career OF silas Wright S-s--~&<asaersNs-
The distinguished Senator who served
at his side for many years. Thomaa II.
Benton OF Missouri. has this to say OF
6iias Wright In his Thirty Years vieT;
He refused cabinet appointmsnts IN
der hts fast friend Van Buren, and under
s rsls wnS% a s n may z ssls % have
OF the Supreme court OF tho United
States; he rejected instantly the nomina-
uq4 IA 1874 for VICE president no refused
40 81 PIT ~ nomipatioh for the presI-
dency. He Spent that time In declining
offsoe which others did In winning IL The
ofhcea re did Accept II might Well be
sneld. were thrust upon him. He was born
great and above office and unwillingiy de-
30 much by way OF preparing the reader
In
There were those who accused Mr..
Wright OF being a spokesman. the only
warrant for which claim would seem TO
zoe his remark I'm letter: when our
enemies accuse us OF feeding our friends
instead OF them never let them lie In tell
dng the story
He was, In fact, human being. through
and through. but SO upright that they
used 10 say OF him that he was "as hon
est an any man under heaven or In H."
For my knowledge OF the color and
spirit OF the time am indebted 10 long
course of reading I'm It's books newspa-
pers and periodicals. notably the North
American Review, the United States Mag
sxine and Democratic Review, the New
York Mirror the Knickerbocker. the 81.
Lawrence Republican. Benton's Thirty
Years View, Bancrofts Life or Martin
Van Bprep. Histories OF Wright and his
~tirne by Hammond' and Jenkins. and 70
many manuscript letters OF the dlstin-
suished coinmQnet IN the New York pub
lie library and IN the Possession OF Mr..
samuel wright OF weybridge. Vermont.
: To any who may think that they dis
cover. portraits nj these pages desire TO
cay that ell the characters-save only
Hiies Wight and President Van Buren,
and Barton Baynes-are purely imagtn-
AIRY. However, there were Grimshaws
and Purvises and Binkses and Aunt Deels
and Uncle Peabodys In almost every rus
tic neighborhood those days. and / regret
TO add that Rowing Kate was on many
roads. The case OF Amos Grimshaw bears
n striking resemblance 20 that OF young
Bickford. executed long ago In Malone,
for the particulars OF which case I am
Indebted TO my friend. Mr. III. l.. Ives Of
kfdsm.
THE AUTHOR.