Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1836-04-01

Cnlei. lis mllllla. l ne command that lie
aslerw,Ts held on the Observation-Disclosures.
was glten hun at tho spontaneous call of
the wettern people, He jld not seek the
Office mr. The emolumnuis of geneal but,
Willingly led his fellow c'izans 20 battle,
sharing with them the iah,rs. the danger
and e,bonors of war, and retiring with,
them tt private life when the contest ceas.
cd.
! AS tommandnr-in chief. he was subiec
ted to heavy expenses. His command was |
, spread over so wide a territory, that he was |
/ obliged TO travel necessarily and 20 enter |
tain lirgc SUIT Nearly all his operations
were carried On with miuia--and all the
measures necessary to draw out these
troops to the field OF concllia,e them while
there, and to retain them in service, obliged
him TO Hf'1,aln an extensive intercourse
with influential citizens, and to receive
mapy.ef hem at his head quarters. Unlike
the leadei Of regular arrav. who il provi
jed with troops and supplies, and is in
dependent of the country, Gen. Harrison
was placed in kind of political relation to
the people which required that he should
possess their confidence and good will. 1t
was requisite therefore that he should keep
free quarters for the reception Of such OF
his fellow citizens as visited him on bust
ness, or come to see their friends in the
army. His expense so far exceeded his pay,
that he was obliged to sell fine tract of
land during the war 70 meet them; so that
he not crly exposed his life and gave his
Iabors 30 his country, but contributed
portion of his small estate to sustain her in
one of the darkest periods Of her existence.
He had purchased from the government
several fine tracts of land, in Indiana. on
the Ohio River, on which, under the system
Of the sale pracised, only part of the pur
chase money was paid. The final payment
became due while the General was on the
f frontier; and for want of money to meet It
E the land was forfeited |. is true that un>
; der a subsequent law, he received back the
sum he had actually paid in: but this was
no compensation for the loss Of body OF
fine land, which is now perhaps worth
ttrenty doilnrS per acre, and would have
placed him in easy circumstances, could lie
! have ret aimed it.
{ At the lime that our distinguished friend
] was thus devotng his private fortune to
public service, sacrificing hat which though
small in value then would have risen with
= the rapid appreciation of property in the ives,
, into an ample estate, he had liberty to draw
r on the government to an unlimited amount
and was daily passingiarge sums Of public
c money through his hands. During the wal
he drew on the government for more than
sir hundred thousand doiiarS for PUBLIC
= purncses, not cent of which was ever dl
o vertcd n his own use; and At the close o
o his military service, there was on charge
aralnst him on the BOOKS Of the accounting
officers at Washington, except "A few hun
. drcd dollars, winch he had expended a:
secret service money and which was promp,
To- ~ allowed by the President.
. Since the war, General Harrison has beer
the principal, and almost the only, repre-
n sentative ufthe military class Of our citizens
, IN the region in which he lived; and the OLE
soldiers crowded about him. The veterans
. who had served under Wayne, S.. CHR
. and others of the early commanders, came
= to him to present their claims for land enc
. for pensions. Those who had served il
the late war under him came tn him, o
II course, as their next friend. Born in VIr
y nina and bred in the west he was h0splta
+, Die by nature, and by habt--and the oIt
!. soldier always found welcome at his fire
, side. Not only were his expenses increased
but vast deal of his time employed, in tht
duties of charity or frndshlp towards thu
deserving class of citizens
Some wears ago, it was ascertained tina
a large body Of land adjoining Cincinnati
= and bordering on the Ono, which had beeI
e sold long previously for mere Pttance
!, under an execution against the original pro
prietor, could not be held by the titles de
rived from the purchasers, because the pro
u ceedings were irregular. The legal TIL
N was in General Hsrrson and another gen
& llemau, who were the heirs at law. Th
r. hundreds of acres included in this ,raC
- would have constituted princey domain
m tor both these persons, and have afforded
I. wealthy inheritance for their descendants
I'd had they chOseh to have insisted on thei
Sc legal rights; and they could perhaps hav
he done justice to the purchasers. by givin
d. them a small portion Of the whole for thel
Ir equitable claims. But General Harrison
/. not the man who ever compromises betwee
SIS his honor aud his interest; and immedatel
A. on being informed of the situation of til
v; property, he procured the assent OF his &C
is heir and joined him IN executing deeds
IN fee simple to the purchasers, without claim
$. ing any consideration for what he consdere
sr an act of duty, except few hundred dollar
being the difference between the actual va
ar Ne when sold, and the amount paid at tn
lie sheriff sale Included in the tract, how
ne ever, were twelve acres, of the mo,
" valuable part, which were actually III
G. property Of Mr.. Harrison, by donation frol
he his ta,her-in-aw, aud in his possession {
ne the time of the sale undpr The pypcut lOI
n, and which were improperly included in III
10 sale, in consequence of his title not appeal
ID ing on record, This he might have re
r tanned both legally and equitably; but sue
ID was his nice regard for his reputation, an
Is his scrupulous desire to do all The justlc
he that others were disposed to claim OF hin
he that he agreed to receive for this portion
h. as well as the other Il small payment, whC