The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-01

arrow leIJ lUS QulVer. Oay-TedJnefeu Dlfus sang
In the trees, and wild flowers under the rays
of a hospitable sun, sent forth an incense so
too sweet for any mortal chemist to initiate
Pillars of purple laZily assembled from many a
wigwam hidden in the brake, and bucks antlered
and fat. shook their noble heads at the intru-
sion and then were lost in the wilderness. Tn
the barge Governor St Clair, tall as sap
ling. straight as warrior, his eyes fixed on the
north bank for traces of Fort Harmer which is
called the city Of Marietta. Citizens and
soldiers welcomed him at the rude landing. and
fourteen cannon shots came back in double echoes
from the highlands beyond. most loyal vel
come you must admit. But that was before st.
Clair denounced tyrant and monarch
ist and before the politicians in the Republican
party hungered and thirsted for the flesh pots
of Egypt. Washington, in the present State of
Ohio. was the first county erected in the North
western Territory. Marietta is now its capital.
Ihe county OF Hamilton was erected in January,
1870, and Cincinnati then, you may rest assured,
was occupied by fallen trees, wild animals, and
tall grasses st. Clair. informed, held
. the relns OF government in no loose hand, for
he evidently understood how to maintain his
prerogatives. Meanwhile, the Indians, who
were not only being swindled but murdered as
well by the whites-the Christian whites with
civilization a trade-Inark-began to make it
decidedly interesting for st. Clair and his
pioneers Their ultimatum that every liv-
ing white man should withdraw from the rich
lands West of the Ohio river, and upon that
issue was the battle fought. st. Clair APP
pointed major general and commander in-chief
of all the soldiers in the Territory, and at the
head of an army he marched away to the north.
The maumee river, on whose banks we now see
the 1ourishing city of Toledo to be his des-
tination. But the noble red men who swarmed
his and pestered his front were alive to the
situation. They permitted the conquering
heroes to proceed for some days, when suddenly
they surrounded the entire army. Six hundred
and thirty white men were killed, and two hun
dred and eighty three wounded 1t is almost
needless to record that ST. Clair marched home
again, and that his soldiers had considerable
difficulty in keeping up with him.
And what a breeze that inClOriOuS campaign
raised! Ticonderoga was revived and retold,
and Congress, as usual, came forward and with
great solemnity and elaboration fought the bat
tie over again in committee meeting and-ex-
onerated st. Clair. Then old Anthony Wayne
was put in charge of the soldiers of the Terri
tory and like Gates in the Revolution he
triumphed where ST. Clair had failed, and
thrashed the redskins. There is politics in
as well as in peace, and the expedition - the
Maumee developed an opposition to St Clair
that increased in vigor seasons came and
went. There was trouble, too. between st.
Clair and the Territorial Legislature, both
claimed the right under law to erect new coun-
ties. We are informed by of ST. Clar's
political friends Federalist of great influence
in those days that the Governor ''placed too
high estimate on the powers of his own
mind" and though modest and unassuming IN
his ordinary intercourse with society he very
rarely yielded his opinion when deliberately
formed" Thus virtue now was serious fault
then. EmigrantS were pouring toward the w est
both by land and sea. and Republicans and Fed
eralists looked beyond the Alleghenies with sell
fish eyes. Party feeling as in the sinful present
was bigoted unto blindness The speck
ST. Glars horizon grew in the daylight and the
dark, but President Adams re-appointed him in
1900 for another gubernatorial term of three
years notwithstanding sundry protests from
residents of the Territory. Private greed also
conspired to make the Governors official life
wretched one well as to influence the laws
and politics of the Territory. Pessimists
referred to the words of st. Clair given here
under which were addressed to the Legislature
at the beginning Of the second session in No
vember 1900 ''The lands IN this Territory
said he. shave been generally held at first by
few individuals in very large quantities andsold
out by them in parcels on credit. Hence it ap-
pears than in some of the counties the greatest
part of the people their debtors, and in the
existing scarcity of money were the payment of
those debts to be vigorously exacted they would
be exceedingly distressed demand of the
debts. accompanied by the slightest hints that
in of voting for a certain candidate further
time would be given would have a certain, per-
haps more certain influence than direct pro-
posal to buy their votes. Hence. few persons
in the different counties combining would have
it in their power to influence the whole cleo
tons in the country, and, instead of a fepresen-
tation of the people. we should have a represen-
tation of the great landlords only" This was
center shot at class of citizens who were
sisting the politicians to defeat St. Clair and it
only served to increase the fury of the Opposi-
ton.
Then came law changing the capital from
Chillicothe to Cincinnati and growing senti-
ment that Ohio should be cut out of the Terri
tory and admitted to the Union. St Clair wac
charged with opposing both the law and tbs
sentiment. Politicians swarmed Chilicothe by
the hundred, clamoring for offices and the Gov
ernors official life. Liberty became the battle
cry of the Republicans. and Jefferson. who was
then President, was bombarded with petitions
and accusations all drawn with pens bitterly
hostile 10 ST Clair Iobb1-is4s yvere sent 70
Washington, but Jefferson refused to act. The
argument was finally made. however. that Ohio |
as State would be a necessary quantity in the |
next Presidential election, and as ST. Clair |
supposed to strongly favor continuance of |
territorial government Jefferson, true to his |
Republican friends and the party that put him |
where he was, yielded to the pressure, and st. |
Clair gave way to Charles w. Byrd, Secretary |
IF the Territory.
The methods adopted by the Republicans to |
compass the downfall of st. Clair would even |
bring blush of shame to the brazen cheek of |
he ward heller of to-day. Nathaniel Massie,
'ich land Spectator and politician, smarting |
inder the rebuke that had been given men of |
lis craft, drew up ten charges against st. Clair
md sent them to Thomas Worthington, who in
urn presented them to Jefferson. Worthing-
on was in Washin eton as the agent of the Re-
,ublicaLs who wanted first the removal of st.
lair, and second, the admission of Ohio
nto the Union as a State for the sake of
he spoils such condition of affairs would give
hem For the part he took in the league
Vorthington well paid He was the first
United States Senator elected in this common
wealth, and the fourth Governor. The charges,
en- in number. were evidently of little account,
or Jefferson fled them away in a pigeon hole,
nd st. Clair served on. much to the disgust of
he SwarmS or offlce-hunterS who called MIN q
eeble old tyrant and Sir Arthur when they |
,anted to be severely sarcastic.
Masse. in his celebrated bill of particulars.
eclared that st. Clair had usurped legislative
uthority, negativedlaw useful to the Territory,
objected fees not his due, granted his son the
Of Attorney General, endeavored to
ontrol the judges of courts and removed those
rho would not obey his mandates, INSTRUCTED
he organization of the militia. and avowed his
ostility to the form and substance of republican
overnment. Perceiving that jefferson was
ather perverse, viewed from their political
tand point, Massie. Worthington and other
MEMBERS OF the cabal put spies at the keyhole of
t. Clair bed-chamber in public house and
emit orators to reason with the President. Both
he spies and the orators were successful. The
primer overheard ST. Clair in private CONVEX
alton make some light reference to the Congress
the United States and the latter quickly
assed the word over the mountains to Wash
lgton and into the Presidents good right ear.
ames Madison Jeffersons Secretary of
tate, and in the month of November 1902 he
rote to st Clair. revoking his commission as