The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1840-07-16
GEN HARRISON AMONG THE PEOPLE.

y i
We noticed the fact the other day tina
, Gen. Harrison had leit his home TO visit tn
site of old For, Meigs. He arrived al Co
lumbus on the afternoon Of Friday week
aud left a, ten o'clock next morning. The
short period he was presen, 10 that city wa.
remarkably interesting. At the momen
. when he was about TO depart, he was con
slrnlned 10 answer the calls 81 the sovereign
people, aud he accordingly addressed then
nearly an hour IN the frank and manly spir
IT Of a soldier. We have read his remark,
with unaloyed delight. No mn, Of any
party, who has henri, can peruse them
+ without an honest emotion Of satisfaction
" hat relief is such a speech from the bit
ter trades ol party slang whangers We
throw ASIDE croai Of other matter, to give
place TO the following, which we find in the
OHIO Confederate Of the lIlh ult:
Gen. Harrison len Cincinnati on Thurs.
day he arrived here, distance of 1875
n.les, At FIVE O'Clock, Z. NJ on Friday, and
vas ~ hls feet receiving the calls and con.
graulallons Of our citizens, for hours after
his arrival. In the evening he repaired b,
Invitation, 10 The Log Cabin, where addition
al hundreds had congregated TO meet this
beloved and veneratcd patriot. Here, with
The irankness aud unresefvedness which
have marked bis character through life, did
/ lie minglc for two hours with the +" l.or
CABIN boys" Of the Capital. Long before
+ the SUM- and before our youth were astir,
the General was, on the moTniug of the
morrow up and out. Having bfeaklasled
with friend at remote part of the city,
he was soon again surrounded by The multi
tude OF our people Uho refused to be salts
fed without seeing and comnunrny with
hum. Tho period Of his departure beiug al
hand the crowd increased Il was impossi
blc that n The brief interval every one could
be presented Individually 10 the general,
aud all were anxious to see and hear him.
At the instance Of friend, who noticed the
popular su,lcilude, The Ganeral, from the
platform 81 the door d The National Hotel,
addressed the people for half an hour or
more. We slsh that every man IN Amerl
ca had heard that speech. How ould the
deiancrs Of tins goeat and good man have
dvndled 10 their estimation into merlled
insigUiticauce How would the slanderers
who impu,e 10 hlm motives which aciuate
hlm, and opinions which nv never held, aud
designs Which be never entertained and
principles SAich he never cherished, aud
who UNANIMOUSLY ascrlbe 20 hlm iMbeciliig
aud decrtpitude aud coteardice--huw would
these slandefers have been Indignantly 70
buked by the righteous Judgment of an hon
est aud Insuhcd people Bot as they did
not aud could not hear IT, we will cndcavor
to possess them OF ITS substance. We took
no notes. Neither General Harrison nor
ans other person thought Of his making a
pubic address two minutes before he com-
meucod H. 1t arose out Of the clrcumsian
ces which surrounded him al the momen,
-aud sigually illustrated quality Of his
character to which we have before alluded
tho ability always to say aud DO exactly
what is proper 10 be said and done. The
reader will bear in mind, therefore, that We
profess only TO give him the subject matter,
not the style aud expression Of
GEN. uARRISON'S REMARKS.
Gen. Harrison said he was greatly in.
deb,ed to his fellow citizens Of Columbus
aud Franklin County most cordial hos.
pitality had a, oil times been accorded to
him by them. So long ago as the time
when he was honored with the command Of
the +" Northwestern Army" and held his
head quarters al Franklnton, on the other
side of the riyer il was his fortune TO find
in the people Of Franklin county not only
good citizens, bal patriots and soldiers
Their unyarying kindness TO him had laid
him under many previous obligations, and
their generous attentions on the present oc.
cason no cheerIuly and gratefully acknow
lodged.
flo said he had no intention to detain his
friends by making speech, and he did SO
IN obedience to what he understood TO be /
the desire of those whom he addressed. lie
was mol surprised that public curiosity was /
awakcncd in reference to some things which I
had been lately published concerning him,
nor was he unwilling TO satisfy the feelings
of his fellow citizens by such proper expla. /
nations as became him, in his present posi-.
lion before the country. lie confessed that
he had suffered deep modification, since he
had been placed before the people Os can
dida,e for the highest Office in their gift
nay, the mos, exalted station IN the world
that any portion OF his counrymcn should /
think ii necessary or eSpedlent 10 accuse,
slauder, or Witty him. His sorrow arose ,
not SO much from personal--dear as was 10
him the humble reputation he had earned
as from public considerations. lie might /
draw consolation, under this species Of in.
lnry, from the revelations of history, which /
showed that the best of men, who had de. /
voted their hives to the public service, had
been the victims OF traduciion. But virtue /
and truth are the foundations of our repubh. /
can system. When these are disregarded,
our free institutions must fail he locked,
therefore, at symptoms OF decentralization
with sincere regret, as beiokening danger TO
public liberty. A part of the political press,
supporting the existing administration, aud /
ccrinin partisans of MIR. Van Buren,, also a