The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-03-12

confidence and his country's laurels. think
i my duty, Mr.. Speaker, here in my place in
the House, to give mere passing notice TO
one or two of those base ISLANDERS, intended TO
detracl from the fair reputation and full conf
dence which General Harrison so richly pos
sesses, and the well. earned laurels which so
gracefully adon his brow.
IL is strange how sense of guilt will drive
the wrong 10 pretended justification, no
matter how false may be the grounds. II
would seem that, sensible that something was
necessary to palliate the arbitrary recall Of
Gen. Harrison from his mission TO Columbia,
it is said that he was recalled or account of
his having intertsred ,ciM The domestic rela-
lions Of The nation" Now, sir, wish to call
tho attention Of the gentleman and his party to
the following simple statement Of facts, which
give the most unequivocal denial to this base
falsehood
"On the 10Th day OF November 1928, Gen. Harri.
son. as Minister TO Columbia, embarked from the United
States on his mission.
I" On the 9Th day Of February, 1929 he presented
his credentials Bogots and was received with great
respect. We congratulate Columbia on beholdnr the
interest which is manifested by the Government OF the
United States TO cultivate the friendly relations
~.th this Republic By sending among distinguish
II
full confidence that his permanent residence in this CAPT.
tai. will contribute generally to strengthen the harmony
and good understanding which happily exists between
the two nations
"0Gieial Gazette Bogota
:" So that ii was impossible that ii could have been
known in the United States the 18th day Of March,
1920, when Gen. Harrison was superseded by Thomas
L. Moore, OF KY, that he had arrived at Colupba
much less that any difficulty had occurred there, Mr.
Moore was appointed on the 18th Of March only twelve
days after Gen. Harrison presented his credentials
Bogota, and no difficulty had then taken place SO
that he not recalled upon any charge whatever"
Not content here, Gen. Harrison is charged
with being fcderalist Of the old school, and a
friend of the alien and sedition law.
This, Mr.. Speaker, is a flat, point blank
falsehood. Do not understand me as charging
it upon the gentleman from Michigan-by no
means, sir---but, sir, the whole life of Gen. Har-
rison shows it to be falsehood. AT the time
referred to in 1899 and 1900, he was only a
delegate in Congress from the northwestern
Territory, and had no vote. He says, in re-
ply to Mr. Randolph in the Senate in 1926,
that having no vote, he did not think it proper
to take part in the discussion Of any Of the
great political questions which divided the two
parties. His business was to procure the pas
sage Of the bills he had introduced for the bene-
fit Of the people he represented. Neither
Mr.. Randolph nor any other person had any
means of knowing his political principles, I'M
less he obtained them in private conversation.
And, continued Gen. Harrison, "my opposi-
ton to the alien and sediton law was so well
known in the Territory, that promise was
extorted from Inc by my friends in the Legis-
lature, that would express no opinions which
were in the least calculated 10 defeat the i'm
portant objects with which was charged."-
Here, Mr.. Speaker, is this charge met by Gen.
Harrison in the Senate, denied and refuted,
and not attempted to be set up Afterwards
And in his address in 1922, he declares him
self "a republican of the old Jeflersonian
school," And defy any man, friend or foe,
to produce any authentic proof in the support
of the charge of federalism, or friendship to
the alien and sedition law.
One word more. He is charged with be-
ing friend of internal improvements, and in
favor of every profligate expenditure of the
public money. In reply, say to the gentle
man from Michigan and his party friends, that
in relation to the power of the Government to
appropriate money for the purposes of internal
improvement, General Harrison appears to
have entertained no doubt. Besides, his votes
in favor of appropriations for the continuance
of the Cumberland Road, one of his first acts
after taking his seat in the House, was to
move to instruct the Committee on Roads and
Canals 'to inquire into the eXpediency OF
granting money, to be expended under the d.
rcction OF the President, for removing obstruc-
tons in the nav CATION of Ohio, created by the
falls, near Louisville, Kentucky. But, sir the
charge that he is in favor of prohgate, or even
ndiscriminate expenditures of public money
is totally false, as all his votes in Congress
show. To use his own language, he ,caS in
favor Of every practical retrcnchment in the er-
penditures of the Government" And in his
letter to Mr.. Sherrod Williams he declares
it to be his opinion that no money should be
taken from the Treasury Of the United States
to be expended for internal improvements bit
for those mhich are strictly national.
Once more, sir, and am done with this
part of the subject He is also charged with
being in favor Of an imposing standing army.
So, Mr.. Speaker, is every citizen in favor of an
army. And the present Secretary of War; in
his last report, proposes to divide the United
States into military districts, similar to the
| districts Of Cromwell, and increase the army
Of militia to two hundred thousand men, one
| half to be left in active service. But it is
well known that General Harrison's principal
reliance for the defence of the country was
not on standing army, but on well dsci-
pined militia. In proof of this, we refer,
among other things, to his report as Chair
man of the Committee on the Militia, made
in the House on the nth January, 1917, and
to the following resolution, moved by him
on the Sd of February, 1877:
/ "Rcsolred That committee be appointed to in
quire whether any, and, il any, what amendments
TO the Constitution of the Uned Siaiea