Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-02-21
WASHINGTON AND HARRISON

Many points of resemblance have been
suggested between the characters of GEN.
WASHINGTON and Gen. HARRISON
Neither of these distinguished men was a
soldier by profession. BY profession and
practice both were farmers. Each OF
them took up arms when his country was
in danger, and laid them down when the
danger had passed. They were equally
conversant with the rules and usages of
savage and civilized warfare.
The first campaign of each was against
the North Western Indians; GENERAL
WASHINGTON under Braddock, on the
banks of the Monongahcla; GEN. HAIR
RIsoN under Wayne on the banks of the
Miami. No two officers in the American
service were ever entrusted with the same
extent of discretionary power. GEN.
WASHINGTON was almost absolute from
the peculiar circumstances of the country
during the revolutionary struggle. Gen.
HARRISON was equally absolute from the
his campaigns were fought, and his dis
lance from the seat otgOvcrnmcnt, whence
his orders were to come. The power
thus necessarily entrusted to them, was
not only never abused, but was exercised
with such singular moderation, and just
regard to RIGHT and law, as to conciiate
the affections and win the confidence of
all upon whom it operated. There have
been statesmen as profound and generals
as successful as either, but Washington
and Harrison are without peer or rival,
in their torbearing, and sci-dcnying use
of power without check and almost with
out limitation. You will in vain search
the public or private life of either for a
single deed violence, of single act
inconsistent with the duty which they
owed to their country and its laws. Cen
eral Washington drove CORVALLIS to
Yorktown and when the ocean opposed
his further retreat, captured him and his
army there, and restored Virginia to the
contcderacy. General Harrison drove
Proctor into Canada, and overtaking him
on the Thames, captured his army there,
and restored Michigan and Ohio to the
Union. Each victory was decisive of
the war, in the part of the country where
it was gained. After the peace of l765,
Washington resigned his commission and
retired to his tarm.-llarrison after the
treaty of Grcenville, in 1875, also resign
ed his commission and retired to his farm.
The invasion of Massachusetts by a
British army in 1875, called Washington
a second time into the military service of
his country, which, after the war was
successfully ended, nc second time
abandoned for the peaceful fields ofMount
Vernon. The invasion of Ohio in 1912,
| by Proctor and his Indian allies, a second
time called Harrison into the military
service Of his country, which after two
years, having recovered the honor and
the territory which Hull had surrendered,
he second time abandoned for the peace
full fields of North Bend.
When the country was almost destroy
ed by the feeble administration of de-
foctivc government, in 1889, Gen. WASH
ington was called from his plough by the
people, to be President of the United Sta
tes.-And now when wicked men have
got into place, and selfish and dissem-
bling dcmagoguc is abusing the power and
patronage of the presidency, that same
people in 1871 wiW complete the parallel,
by calling Gen. HARRISON from his plough
to be in fact as well as name, the PEG
PIES PRESIDENT.