The citizen., 1919-01-23
PREFACE

The Light In the Clearing shone upon
many things and mostly upon those
which, above all others. have impassioned
and perpetuated the Spirit OF America
and which. Just now, seem 60 me 20 be
worthy of attention. believe that spirit
70 be the very candle OF the Lord which.
In this dark and windy night OF time, has
niokered 40 that the souls OF the faithful
have been afraid. but let us be of good
cheer. II Is shining brighter as I write
and. under God. ! believe II shall. by and
by. be seen and loved OF all men
One self contained. Homeric figure OF
the remote country In which I was
born. had the true Spirit OF Democracy
and shed It's light abroad In the senate of
the United States and the capitol at Al
bany. He carried the Candle OF the Lord.
II led him TO "A height of self-forgetful-
ness achieved by only two others-wash-
ington and Lincoln. Yet have been sur
prised by the profound and general ig-
norance OF this generation regarding the
career OF Silas Wright
The distinguished senator who served
at his side for many years. Thomas II.
Benton OF Missouri. has this TO say OF
silas Wright in his Thirty Years View:
He refused cabinet appointments un-
der his fast friend Van Buren, and under
Polk. whom he may be said to have
OF the Supreme court of the United
States; he rejected instantly the nomlna-
tion In isf4 for vice president: he refused
10 be put In nomination for the presi-
dency. He spent that time In declining
Office which others did In winning H. The
offices ho did accept. II might well be
said. were thrust upon him. lie waa born
great and above office and unwillingly de-
scended to H."
So much by way OF preparing the reader
20 meet the great commoner In these
pages
There were those who accused Mr.
Wright OF being a spokesman. the only
warrant for which claim would seen TO
be his remark In a letter: ''when our
enemies accuse US OF feeding our friends
instead OF them never let them lie In tell
inE the story
lie was. In fact. a human being. through
and through. but so upright that they
used to say Of him that he was "as hon
est as any man under heaven OF In IT.
For my knowledge. OF the color and
spirit OF the time am indebted TO n long
course OF reading in its books. newspa-
pcrs and periodicals. notably the North
American Review. the United States Mag
sKine and Democratic Review. the New
York Mirror. the Kniokerbocker. the 81.
Lawrence Republican. Benton's Thirty
Years View. Bancroft's Life OF Martin
Van Buren,, histories OF wright and hts
time by Hammond and Jenkins. and to
many manuscript letters OF the distln-
guished commoner 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 In these pages ! desire TO
say that all tho charactors-save only
silas Wright and President Van Buren,
and Barton Baynes-are purely imagin-
airy. However. there were Grimshaws
and Purvisos and Binkses and Aunt Deels
and Uncle Peabodys In almost every rus
tic ncighborhood those days. and regret
20 add that Rowing Kate was on many
roads The case OF Amos Grimshaw bears
striking resemblance TO that OF young
Bickford. executed long ago In Malone
for the particulars OF which case | am
indebted 10 my friend. Mr. H. l.. Ives OF
Potsdam.
THE AUTHOR