Ebook Life of Zebulon B. Vance

His work was undertaken by the undersigned with great reluctance. When first solicited he declined because he did not consider himself qualified for the task. He felt that Vance's biography should be written by an expert, and having had no experience in biographical writing and possessing no aptitude for such work, he was unwilling to undertake it. But after the lapse of two years it became apparent that the work would not be undertaken by any other person, and on a renewal of the solicitation from the sons and brother of the deceased, the present writer reluctantly consented to assume the task. To supply in part the conscious defects of the writer's own qualifications, he invited a number of distinguished men who were more or less intimately associated with Vance at various periods of his life, to contribute articles to be printed as a symposium, setting forth their respective estimates of his characteristics, and especially the sources of his great popularity and in?uence among the masses. A number of these gentlemen responded and their articles will be read with exceeding interest. And while they agree in some essential respects, there is a pleasing variety in the presentation of their views and opinions. One important fact was perhaps not well known to any of them; it was not understood or fully appreciated by the writer hereof till after this work was begun; and that was V auce's wonderful capacity for labor. His great genius which in early life outcropped in rolicking speeches and anecdotes upon the hustings, took the form in his maturer years of serious thoughts, diligent study and statesman-like investigation ofthe problems of legislation. The chapter on his career as United States Senator is quite inadequate. There is material enough in that title for several volumes of interesting and instructive matter that would be as valuable a contribution to the political and literary history of the country as Benton's Thirty Years View, or Blaine's Autobiography. It is doubtless safe to assert that Vance made more able and well prepared speeches and elaborate reports from committees during his senatorial term than any one of his colleagues.