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Rh now for his speeches in favor of confiscation, in the conventions of those days. He entered the Internal Revenue Service in 1869 as the first gauger in the state. In 1870, he was transferred to the Customs Department as an Inspector at Norfolk. In 1880 he established The American Sentinel, and supported Garfield and Arthur. He was a warm and enthusiastic admirer of General Grant; was in attendance at the convention when he was defeated for the third term. He was presidential elector in 1876, on the Hayes and Wheeler ticket, and was defeated in the convention by Hon. Joseph Segar the same year when candidate for Congress.

The American Sentinel was a strong Republican weekly, to whose influence Mr. John Goode attributed his defeat when candidate for Congress on the Democratic ticket, and the Hon. John F. Dezendorf was elected. Mr. Goode had held the position for four years, having defeated Hon. James H. Piatt, Jr. The American Sentinel ceased to appear in the latter part of 1881, Wilson being unable to attend to it on account of his business as Inspector.

In 1882 Wilson led the Republicans against the Mahone Re-adjuster party, in the colored convention at Petersburg, and was elected chairman of the convention. A struggle ensued for the mastery of the proceedings, which lasted for hours. The mayor, W. E. Cameron, afterwards re-adjuster governor of the state, with his police took charge, and seated the re-adjuster Afro-Americans.

In August of the same year, he attended as a delegate the state Republican convention, at Lynchburg. It was at this convention that a number of Republicans sided with the re-adjusters, and held an opposing convention at the same time, in the same city. Wilson remained with the Republicans, was elected chairman of the convention and conducted its proceedings so satisfactorily, that he was nominated by acclamation as its candidate for governor, the motion having