Omaha daily bee., 1888-07-04
HE Is NOT UNAPPROACHABLE.
Cold -Blooded Stories About Har-
rison Shown to be False.
a VERY GENIAL GENTLEMAN.
Mrs. Harrison a Fit Helpmeet For the
Next President Talks With SEN
atoriaI Associates of the
General.
A Pleasant Man to Meet,

assertion that General Harrison IS unS0Clable
or formal with his friends. When he first
came to the senate in 1881 the newspapers
with unerring inaccuraCv announced that he
was hard TO approach, ana that he would be
q companion for Senators Sherman and Ed
munds, whom they claimed to be cold
blooded General Harrison is we'll known in
Washington among public men, and not one
who has ever met him in his individual ca
pacity will say that he has any traits of un-
sociability. | was talking the other day, to a
senator who served three or four years on
committee with General Harrison and he
said:
~ "Why If / had not seen in the newspapers
statements to the effect that General Harri-
son was hard TO approach never would have
suspected such thing. He is methOdical
and retiring in his disposition. He never
pushes himself forward in public matters and
never goes out of his way TO make
professions of friendship. That Is why
very few people who have met him refer to
him as being hard to approach. When you are
introduced to General Harrison he never
thinks of taking you by the arm and patting
you on the back and telling you that he is
nearly ticked to death to meet you, and be-
fore he knows what you want exclaim that
he wants TO do something for you, and he
never INDUCES in promises until he knows
what he can do. If you will study these
traits of character you will see that they are
those which grow on man, and which make
n higher rank of manhood than we find in
the cffervescent character
% "During his career in the senate,h contn
ned the senator, General Harrison always
hook lunch about 80 o'clock, and he never
. failed to go down TO his committee room and
smoke after eating. 1t was then that he ran
over the columns of the New York and Phil
f, Rdelphia newspapers and INDUCED in soca-
often meet
:, Senate restaurant at lunch time and ask me
10 eat with HIM, and then invite me around
10 his committee-room, where we sat and
smoked and recited "reminiscences of the war
and the practice of the law. 1t was on such
OCCASIONS as these that heused TO stretch him
self and say that he was glad to get OPP
portunity to discharge his mind of senatorial
= hnd other duties; that he never felt like CIV
ang up his time to social conversation until
after he had done all of his work. | was a
member of the committee on territories for
time during the period General Harri-
son was the chairman, and / don't be-
tieve any committee in congress was more
thoroughly congcnial. We used to have the
most sociable sessions possible. General
Harrison always kept u drawer full OF cigars
about his cabinet, and he used to open it fire.
quently and invite the members to enjoy a
social season with him. AT such times we
dismissed our work, put our heels up on the
backs of chairs, and amid the clouds of
smoke related anecdotes and told stories.
General Harrison was proverbal for the
stead adfastness of his friendship. When he
came to have confidence in man he would
trust him to- the farthest extreme. When
member of his committee made statements
bf fact in drawing up reports on bills, Cen
eral Harrison, as chairman of the committee,
never questioned anything. 1t was enough
for him TO have confidence in the member,
and his wide range of knowledge and his
Sseen perspicacity enabled him to instantly
a1etect the right from the wrong, and sep
Rrate exaggeration from fact. Some of the
ferSpgt and convincing briefs | have
ever seen written were prepared by him on
bills from the committee on territories and
military affairs. His knowledge on matters
military was so thorough and his ideas of
Justice so perfect that whatever he did as
member of General Logau's committee was
never questioned, but heartily endorsed.
81 remember one day, a short time before
Senator HarrlsonS term EXPIRED that he
gave Il lunch in his committee room He in-
Sted the members of the committee and
their wives and few of his personal friends
On the outside. Mrs. Harrison was there, and
tell you the general and his wife acquitted
themselves in a manner which completely
captvated everyone present There was
that fines Sc in the courtesy extended that
brought out the admiration of all. They are
a handsome, brany and graceful pair. They
are so thoroughly in love with each other,
and so thoroughly in sympathy that they
., have come to look considerably alike. They
arc both inclined to be stout, and have many
traits of character that are remarkably simi-
lar. The white house would be presided
over in an admirable manner by General
Harrison and hIs lovely wife. Mrs. Harri-
Pas BON captivated my wife and all of the sena-
toriul ladies who met her. Tho general and
n q his wife lived in an uupretentous style.
They did not go into the swim of society like
many people in public life, because, l pre-
sumo that their inclinations, in the
first place, did not lead them
in that direction, and secondly,
because they were financially not able to en-
o. tertain like the millionaires about them
\ | fancy M
q desire TO accept so many courteses from
their acQuaintances without extending some
= thing III return, and that sense of RESPONSE
J. bility and propriety dictated to them the
course they pursued.
Il Another senator who served on the COM
il mittee with General Harrison, and who sat
within two or three seats of him on the floor
l. Of the senate chamber, in discussing the
r general characteristics OF the republican can
didates, said:
''In some newspaper ! have seen para
graph believe it was the Boston Herald
2 stating that although General Harrison is an
able lawyer and an eloquent speaker, he did
not come up TO the expectations of his friends
as II debator on the floor of the senate; that
he seldom INDUCED in the exciting debates,
n md yet when he left the senate his departure
was felt by his colleagues think if you
sun over the Congressional Record you will
find that there is not a senator who has CON
fributed more strength TO his party in what
p he has said than General Harrison. 1t is
!. q true that he did not often get up and weary
his colleagues but l have often
heard him say why he hesitated,
60 tall, AS much some other men. He alb
hors Il bore, and he used to turn around to
mo wien some senator was killing time and
observe that he was amazed to see a man
staud up and consume an afternoon in the
senate without making any impression upon
his hearers. Hens a powerful condenser in
speakng, and can say as much in ten minutes
as pide-tenths of the senators will say in an
!. hour. His idea of strong speech is to throw
,t out the leading point at the Very opening oi
his remarks. This is intended to attract at
tentloa and TO carry his hearers with him.
II also gives him the option on time. If
Gftor lie has made his telling points, he con
cludes that it is better 10 stop, he can do so
without impairing his speech, There is nc
circumlocution in his style OF oratory. In
stead OF going round circle and beating q
path, like one Of his colleagues did recently
when Senator Ingalls, got after him, he goe;
right straight across the field and makes his
point as quickly as possible. He is a capital
story-teller, yet he very seldom INDUCES il
anything of that kind in his speeches. He i:
logical, and believes that his place is among
the men who take u more serious aspect Of
life than is common. AS "A senator he alway;
left the funny business 10 the funny men.
There is method in every action OF Gen