Madison Whig advocate. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1839-1841, 1840-03-28

The witty and able editor OF the Pro
whence Journal affords the annexed
sketch of an sold granny" 1t is an easy
thing to call names, and with the weapon
: of illogical ridcule 10 affect an exalted
, character or honorable and useful meas
ures. In the present instance the par
ties who have employed it TO disParage
General Harrison have reason to vince
: under the use of it by hands far stron-
ger than their own.-Nat, Gdz.
some incidents in the Life of an sold
Granny.,'
In the years 1774, 1T75, and l776
there was an sold granny" named Ben
jamin Harrison, who was a member oil
tCongress, and afterwards Governor oil
Virginia; he was one of the fffy-six
s'old grannies" who signed the DeclarI l.
ton of independence; he died, leaving
but little property, for he was an ''old
granny" and devoted himself to his
country with so much zeal in those stir
ring times, that he did not, like the more
sensible office-holders of our day, ac-
quire a fortune out of public employ
ments. He died leaving 4 son named
William Henry Harrison, who was pur-
suing his studies at HamPden Sidney
College when the Indian frontier wars
broke out. Young Harrison was placed
under the care of an sold granny" named
Robert Morris, and was a protege and
favorite of another sold granny" named
George Washington, both of whom, like
the father of Harrison, had spent their
lives in the active service of their coun-
try. Being the son of an sold granny"
and having been brought up under the
tutelage of the two sold grannies" above
named, it cannot be thought surprising
that young Harrison grew up to be an
"old granny" himself.
In 1898, Harrison Joined the army I'M
der Wayne, and that General, being also
an sold granny appointed the young
volunteer as one of his aides-de-canp.
In 1897, he resigned his commission, and
was appointed Secretary of the North
West territory. The year after he was
elected delegate to Congress.
Here he did thing which alone would
establish his inferiority to the present
enlightened race of office holders. The
public lands were then divided into sec
tions of 1000 acres, and were never sold
In less quantity than a whole section
Consequently man who wished TO buy
a far for actual settlement, was obliged
to buy 1000 acres at the government
price, or to purchase smaller quantity
of some SPECTATOR, whose means would
allow him 10 hold a whole section the
price of course, in such cases, was far
beyond that of government lands. Be
ing an sold granny" Harrison never for
a moment considered how much superb
or the interests of a few spectators
were, to those of the people at large, he
obtained the passage of an act allowing
sales of as small quantity as $50 acres,
which brought it within the means of
almost every man.
The following year this sold granny"
was appointed Governor of the territory
of Indiana which is now divided into
several large States. He was appointed
repeatedly, at the request of the inhab-
itants, and held the Office for fourteen
years During this time he was super
intendant of Indian Affairs within the
jurisdiction and sole Commissioner for
treating with the Indians. During this
time, the sold granny" negotiated thir-
teen treaties with the Indian tribes, for
which services being an sold granny"
he never made the government any
charge. The battle of Tippecanoe, and
the overthrow of the Pawnee chiefs,
were considered very respectable SER
vice for an sold granny" and in those
days were thought to give man some
claim upon the gratitude of his country.
In 1919, when war was declared a
gainst Great Britain, this sold granny"
was placed in command of large num-
Der of volunteers to protect the Indian
Territory, and was afterwards appointed
Commander in chief of the North Yves
tern army. His conduct of that war
his turning the tide of disaster, and rails
ing in triumph and victory the sinking
flag of his country, the recovery oil
Michigan, the battle of the Thames.
which destroyed the British army of Up
per Canada, were also thought very
considerable services for an sold granny
After resigning his commission. this
"old granny" was again appointed Com
missioner TO treat with the Indians. In
1916 he was elected member of the
Lower House of Congress, and in 1924,
he was elected Senator in Congress.
froE1 the State of Ohio. In 1925. he
was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary
to Bogota, by John Quincy Adams, the
'old granny" who lately presided over
the House Of Representatives
No man in this country ever possessed
such opportunities for making fortune
out of his official station, especially by
land speculations; from his position in |
the Territory of Indiana, and from his |
knowledge of the country--of it's situa-
ton, resources and growing Importance
The could have easily obtained posses
sion Of tracts of land, the natural rise /
in the yalue of which would have ro,1at
him as rich as Girard or an Astor.-t
But he was an sold granny and having
been educated in the school of such an
.'old granny as George Washington.
he could not be supposed to know as much
as the land receivers and other Office
holders Of our day, who get rich on the
plumber of the Treasury, and then re-
sign their Offices and nominate their sue
cessors. So General Harrison retired
from office as poor as he was when he
entered IT, and now like second Gin
clnnatus-who, We dare say, was alsoi