THE GREEN BAG
98
JAMES
WILSON — NATION BUILDER1 By Lucien Hugh Alexander PART II THE Declaration of Independence a real The record of James Wilson's services dur ity, Wilson's energies, with those of all ing the early years of the Continental Con the patriot fathers, were at once concen gress is buried in the original documents of trated upon the herculean task of making the period. Historians have but little more that Declaration effective and Independ than scratched the surface of the mines of revolutionary information, which are now so ence a reality. Wilson was among the first to recognize thoroughly, yet so slowly, being made acces the necessity for efficient military organiza sible through the classification, indexing, and printing of the wealth of manuscripts by tion; and we can understand that the exam ple of the strenuous Professor Ferguson at national and state authorities, historical soci Edinburgh in urging the importance of a eties, and private enterprise, under the lead Scotch militia* had a powerful influence ership of W. C. Ford, Chief of the Division of upon his course. For more than a year in Manuscripts, Library of Congress. The true advance of the Declaration of Independence history of those stirring times is yet to be he had taken an active part in organizing written; and no one has as yet explored the a militia in Pennsylvania — " Associators, " archives with a view to differentiating Wil as they were called — and early in 1775 he son's services and isolating them in a con raised a battalion of troops in his home nected narrative. But wherever brought to view, they gleam with scintillating bril county, Cumberland, receiving his commis sion as colonel of the same on May 31, 1775, liancy, and the documents of the period are and with which, in 1776, he took part in the replete with testimony that the patriotic New Jersey campaign. But the urgent calls men of his time knew and valued his worth. for his services in Congress compelled him, as It will be through the historian of the future one of the chief executive officers of the gov that Americans will fully learn how much ernment, to devote himself to civil duties they owe to this wonderful man, who in the crisal years of 1775, '76 and '77, though then there. At that time, as is well known, Con gress through committees discharged the less than thirty-five years of age, by untiring executive duties which now devolve upon energy, infinite attention to detail and wise the President of the United States and his statesmanship, although battling against cabinet officers; and the Board of War, of seemingly overwhelming odds, fostered which Wilson was an original member, really among the people and in Congress those served in the capacity, as the President now faint sparks of nationalism, which finally does, of commander-in-chief of the army and burst into flame and eventually made of the navy. Such a system was cumbersome, thirteen struggling colonies a great and responsibility was divided and could not powerful nation. The mere journal of the Continental Con readily be fixed. Wilson's realization of its essential weaknesses in practical operation no gress, while he was a delegate,. is a startling doubt led* him to propose a single executive index of how he labored and of what he did. for the nation in the great Constitutional It discloses that his influence constantly in Convention of 1787, and to insist upon it creased, and that gradually he became a mem with all the vigor he possessed "as giving the ber of every committee of vital importance and served on more than did any other dele most energy, dispatch, and responsibility." gate. That this is not generally known is no 1 Continued from the January number. doubt owing to the fact that the indexing of ' P. 5 supra.
