Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-06-22

served nef taithtuiit. 4 hkFt Always non.
Z ored old historic Massachusetts for the man.
ner in which she oherishes the fame Of
those who, in whatever department of ser
vice, have reflected honor upon the com
monwealth; how she calls the roll with
pride; how impatient she becomes when
their names are unjustly aspersed or dis
paraged. have not come here to dispar-
| age that honorable gentleman, be brave
and just judge and heroic soldier whom
the gentleman from Illinois recommended
If the roll of all 1ndiana's sons were
called who led in battle or carried the
knap-sack she would bid me honor them ALL
There is no need that 1 should strive TO
dwarf Others in order that General Benja-
min Harrison may stand conspicuous. He
| stands breast to breast with the foremost Of
| Indiana's soldiers: distinguished also in
vivic trusts; beroieally faithful TO the pub
| lie duty; skillful in marshalling men; in
the sound of whose bugle they quickly
raley and fall into ranks; whom they have
followed in fierce canvasses more than once
TO the d.s9arste charge crowned with vic
tory.
| Standing here on behalf of a man. who
| disdaining ala adyentitious helps, has risen
10 distinction by the force of his own
merits. / should regard myself unchiyalrie
| did not recall, at least in brief review
some of the worthy public schiements OF
| ancestors.
Whatever tends to show that q life which
has been strong and useful has q founds-
| tion in traits that lave long elung to the
stock from which the man sprang, is in the
nature of o guaranty that he may be trust
ed under all trials. Ii is something that
| the public who are interested in being
| faithfully served are entitled to know We
stand here to-day in the imperial city of
| the Northwest. The name of no family
has been more identified than the family
OF General Benjamin Harrison. 1t is woven
into the very fabric of the history of her
people.
need only to give passing reference to
that sturdy Ben Harrison from whom he
takes his name-a signer of the Declaration
of Independence. He was Governor of
Virginia when the possessions of Virginia
embraced the whole of the Northwest
When the Northwest was formed by
Congress into a territory. William Henry
Harrison was first its Secretary and after
wards its delegate to Congress. When the
Indian Territory was fofmed, embracing
all the territory of the Northwest except
Ohio and q part OF Michigan, he was ap-
pointed its first Governor. He held COM
missions as Governor successively from
Adams, Jefferson and Madison. He was q
man of deeds.
While a delegate in Congress he obtained
the passage of law requiring the sales of
public lands to be made in smaller cub
divisions than had ever been allowed be-
fore, so that the first time man OF humble
means might buy from his Government Q
home. The historian McMaster, in his ad-
mirable history of the people of the United
states. has said, with reference to this
Measure, that it did far more for the good
OF the country than even his great victory
over the prophet at Tippecanoe, or his de-
feat of Tecumseh at the battle of the
Thames. He negotiated treaties with the
Indians while Governor, by which their
title TO seventy million acres of land was
extingnished, and the land was thus opened
for settlement In q single one of these
treaties the Indians rellnquished lands
which Embraced a third of Illinois and
vast region in Southern Wisconsin.
He fought the battle of Tippecanoe, and
defeating he plans of the great statesman
and warrio-, Tecumseh, kept the portals of
the west open for the admission of the i'm
migrant And what, though less shining,
was not less welcome TO the settlers OF the
territory, scanty in means and struggling
with difficulties he secured the passage of
laws that made the burdens Of taxes
lighter upon the poor. The tongue of the
farm and the practice of hospitality were
native to him. After the battle of Tippe-
canoe, when parting with regiment OF his
soldiers, he said: III you ever como TO
Vincennes, you will find plate and
knife and fork at my table, and j assure
you that you will never hnd my door shut
and the string of the latch pulled in" And
what he promised he faithfully lived up to.
We hear OF civil service reform as If it
were some quite new suggestion, but Presi-
dent Harrison in the single month that he
held Office directed the heads of the several
departments to give information to all their
ofhcers and agents that partisan interfer-
ence by them in the popular elections,