The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-01-01
The Death of Gerrit Smith.
IFrom ths l.itt.bar.h rele.Eaph.

the public by the part he bore IN
the overthrow of American slavery /;
not by an active share in public affairs
by holding Office, but by his services as
private citizen in writing and speak
ing against the system, and giving mum
ifcently of his means TO the good cause.
He was also an earnest temperance
speaker, and before he embarked in the
anti-slavery enterprise was one of the
most conspicuous advocates of total alb
stinence in the country. Nor were the
abolition of slavery and temperance the
only reforms to which Mr.. Smith devot-
ed his energies. Though always wealthy
he was the special friend Of the laboring
classes. He adopted the views, to some
extent, of those known as Land Re
formers. He was the champion of the
right of woman to the elective franchise.
He was the warm advocate of nations
and peoples of every cline who wer e
struggling for liberty and independence.
He contrib buted freely and muniicently
" lAlC 1uOduS. IEIC " eio AiO NAfeoS AL
any part of the world who were striving
to better their condition, or were
suffering from privation and misfortune,
that could not draw largely upon his
heart and frequently upon his purse.
| The father of Mr.. Smith, Judge Peter
Smith, was a wealthy landowner of Cen
trail New York, and at one time part
ner of John Jacob Astor in New York
City, where they kept small fur shop.
He afterwards became ole of the largest
land owners in the Union. He counted
his acres by the million, and measured
his possessions by square miles. He
would sometimes buy whole townships
of unoccupied land at a single purchase.
! To show the scale on which he dealt,
when his favorite son Gerrit became of
age, he gave him deed of the entire
town of Florence, in the present county
of Oneida. Gerrit was destined for the
legal profession, but his fathers extend
ed business drew him into his Office as
manager of his affairs. From his youth
he was a politician in the best sense of
| the word, as supporter of De Witt
Clinton and John Quincy Adams. He
was beaten for the State Senate, the first
Office he ran for, about 1880, by the
Jackson candidate, and from that time
forward, he never held any close alli-
ance with either of the great parties of
the country, until down to very near the
outbreak of the late rebellion, but al
ways preferred to speak and act in
public affairs from an independent
standpoint. In 1852 he was elected as
an independent candidate to Congress
by large majority over a popular OPP
ponent. He remained in Congress but
one session, when, having no taste for
Office holding, he resigned. 1t was the
year the Missouri Compromise was re-
| pealed, which he strenuously opposed.
He took leading part in the debates
he made speech of marked significance
in favor of free Cuba, and was specially
strenuous in his advocacy of the right OF
| foreigners who had been naturalized in
this country, to enjoy the protection OF
the American flag in every part of the
world, and at whatever cost.
His palatial mansion at Peterboro'
New York, thirty years ago, looked like
the country seat of an English noble
man; his house was always full and he
was the prince of hospitality. Fashion
able guests from Philadelphia and New
York would be sandwiched with runa-
way slaves and vagabond Indians. The
former were set on the direct road to
Canada, and the latter sent away loaded
down with flour. beef and other edibles
He had a remarkably shrewd eye in Sc
lecting spots for profitable speculation
while yet young man. In 1928, he
purchased someiwater power in the lit
tie village of Oswego, paying therefor
the sum of $4,000. For several years
past that water power has yielded him
an income which represents a capital OF
about $800,0OO.
From a sketch of Mr.. Smith, by
tracts which show the character of the
man.
His father left nearly all of his real
estate to him. 1t amounted to more
than million acres-perhaps nearly a
million and q half. There was nearly
or quite million in the State of New
York alone. Two or three years after
the death of Judge Smith, we were rid
ing with Gerrit Smith in one of the coun
ties of Northern New York. He sud
denly stopped the carriage, and, looking
around him for a few minutes, said
eve are now on some of my poor land
familiarity known as the John Brown
tract;" and he then added, II own eight
hundred thousand acres, of which this
is part, and all in one piece" Every
body knows that Judge Peter Smith
| purchased the most of this land al
sales by the Comptroller of the State
for unpaid taxes, We fancy that Mr.
| Smltn never mlOe mucn OF InlS lanu
taken as whole, though some of it was
valuable. A great deal of this immense
tract he gave away in large parcels tc
negroes and other settlers, frequently ad
ding little money to help them along
But the John Brown tract was by nc
means the sum total of his real estate
He once said to us-this was many
years ago-that he owned land in fifty
six of the sixty counties in the State OF
New York;
His fondness for legal studies,
and his abonnding sympathy for the
friendless and oppressed, led him to ap-
ply for admission to the bar late in life
under rather peculiar circumstances
A poor German in the county of Madi-
son was indicted for murder. He knew
nobody in the county, had not a penny
in his pocket, and the case seemed to
look strong against him. Hearing of the
affair Mr.. Smith applied for admission
to the bar of the Supreme Court, sole.
ly that he might defend this friendless
German. He was admitted, and he