Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-02-09
RENINIsCENsE OF EARLY
OHIO STATESMEN.
by HON. THOMAS EWING

We copy from the Springfield
Advertiser the following sketches
OF some of the Pioneels Of Ohio.
which we are quite sure will lie in
teresting to most, if not all, Of our
readers:
/ remember Return Jonathan
Meigs at an early day, but did not
not then know him personally.
He was a gentleman Of distinction
! in Marietta, and well esteemed by
men in the country. / saw bin
for the first time on his return from
Mississippi Territory, where he
had been sent as judge. He con-
versed with my father Of the
Territory and its condition, Of
which l, a boy listener, remember
nothing special. He was then a
man of commanding person, and
as thought. fine intellect. Many
years after dined with him in
Marietta, about the time Of Mr..
Adams election to the Presidency
he was depressed IN spirits
thought the Government had fallen
into feeble hands; spoke much Of
Mr.. Monroe as the uIiimus Ro
manOrum, and of his own wish to
retire with Lin to the shades Of
private life. 1t seemed to me that
his mental yigor was much impair
ed, and that he "lagged superauous
on the state Mrs. Meigs was a
bright, intelligent lady, conversed
very handsomely of all things at
Washington OF which a stranger
wished to be Informed, and was
quite favorite in the circle in
which she moved.
Ethan Allen Brown was a Judge
of the Supreme Court. aud after
wards Governor of Ohio. lie
was somnolent on the bench and
did not rank high as a lawyer and
Judge. He conversed well, had
literary taste and was fond of dis
cussino the merits aud construction
Ior the English classics. | remem-
Der his reciting some lines of a
coarse critique on Walter Scott,
by Horace in London; the follow
ing are some of the lines:
"TIe that would rival Walter Scott,
Like Suncho from the lanket shot,
Must soar in devious sprawl"
He served as Governor of Ohio
two terms and was afterwards
Commissioners of the General Land
Office, where he acquitted himself
most creditably, but was at last
invited to resign because he set
his face against the questionable
speculations Of some patriots high
in influence. When he was about
to leave the Office, | addressed to
him a letter in which l called his
attention to the indignant excla-
nation of Dir. Caius, when he finds
Simple in his closet, Dare shall
no honest man come into my
closet!' Gov. Brown retired 81
lently, and lost sight Of him.
| knew little Of Governor
Worthington personally, while in
public life. He was one of the
leaders of the lRepublican party in
the convention which formed the
constitution of Ohio, and was much
censured for giving her a feeble
Executive. After his retirement
from Office, and after began to
be known, he SOL my acquaintance,
and explained to me very fully
the causes which influenced his
political course. He told me that
, Gen. Arthur ST. Clair, who was
, Governor of the North western
Territory, treated the members OF
his Council with great contempt.
Having the veto power, he allowed
: them little share in legislation, and
was indeed an autocrat. He in
stanced case which, he said, in
dicated the general spirit Of his
bearing toward them.
t The early ordinance gave The
Governor a tax Of seventy live
f cents on each marriage license
The council thought the peopl,
$ sho'd be relieved from THE very
: objectionable burden, and un
q willing to ask the Governor t.
surrender the perquisite without
} an equivalent, they drew up a bill
+ giving him an annual sum, a little
larger than the amount received
for marriage licenses, and a bill
| relieving the marriage license o.
, the tax, and offered them at the
/ same time for his signature. Ht
= took and read them, signed the
e one giving him the salary. put his
f veto upon the other, and with
l bow and smile, which the Coun
v Gil considered contemptuous, han
I ded back the two bills. Governol
/. Worthington said that when they
! formed the Constitution of Ohio
n they were smarting under the tyr
i amy and contempt Of their late
q Governor, and that he and a ma
/. iority ofthe Convention acted un
der the impulse; he said time ane
experience had satisfied him tha
e he had been mistaken, and that TIN
G government would be safer an'
+ better with a stronger ESeen'tve
| was, on the whole. well SATISFIED
). with his explanation. lie was
n man of vigorous intellect grea
industry and force of character
and he left favorable impression
when he retired from public life.