San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1889-06-20
Interesting Political "reminiscences.

cinnati Enquirer soon after Horrison's
election, We clip the following. It is
a graphic pen picture of our pres
idential politics from Jackson down.
William Horny Harrison reached
tho presidency through coalescing
the southern hostility to Van Bnren,
the western passion for tariffs and
internal improvements and the pop
ular palate for military glory. Al
most exactly parallel have been the
lives of Harrison and jackson. The
one had suppressed and removed
the Indians of the South, and the
other had done the same for the
Indians OF the North. The one had
been the major-general of Tennessee,
and the other the military governor
of Indian Territory. Jackson went
off to New Orleans toward the close
of the war, when military discipline
had improved. and boat tho British.
Harrison invaded Canada from De-
troit and beat the British there The
two men were not unlike in their
territorial surroundings. Harrison
had altogether the most decent life.
He had married without the consent
of his father-in law, but Jackson mar
ried without the consent of his wife's
husband. Jackson had to marry his
wife twice. Jacksonlsm had burnt
itself out through the disgraceful
financial operations following the
savage warfare upon the United
States bank. Van Buren, undertook
to keep the ashes of Jacksonism alive,
and put on more temperate fuel; but
there was not enough cultivated 30
ciety in the country at that time to
appreciate president of good mar
ners. When Mr.. Van Buren,, who
was of plain origin, behaved himself
with the courtesy expected OF aruler,
he was nicknamed prince and said
to be taking on foreign airs. Thus
through the original want Of coher-
ence in the jackson revolution the
successor of Jackson found every
thing slipping away from him, and
the country rushed in with man of
some past military reputation who
had neither the physical strength to
live out his term nor the mental equi-
poise to recover and redirect affairs.
AT the time the capitol building was
just freshly completed, but it had
neither dome upon it nor the marble
wings we see atpresent. The grounds
between the city and the capitol had
just been inclosed by IN iron railing.
The capitol building was regarded as
the most artistic building in the
country. We sometimes lose chron-
ology, and it may be interesting to
remember that 1S44is half way be-
tween the organization of the gov
ernment at Washington and the pres
ent year. So William Henry Harri-
son belonged to the first half of the
story of the capital city. When
Polk succeeded him we were half
way between the close of John
Adams administration and the COM
of Benjamin Harrison's.
The slavery issue really came in
with Harrison's election. Before
that time it had only cut strong
figure at the admission of Missouri
in 1920. Harrison dying, his vice.
president, who was restless, COM
mon man. who did not know the diff
ference between bustle and glory,
and who was wholly provincial IN his
composition, saw an opportunity to
cater to the slave states and re elect
He failed, but Polk came
in upon his scheme. We had nothing
else but slavery after that for more
than twenty years. All subsequent
elections turned on the slavery issue
and nothing else, unless little flash
Of gunpowder from the Mexican
war could be used by the wings to
hoist the democrats with their own
petard. The wonderful victory of
Henry Harrison in 1910,
which was nearly q universal one,
vas succeeded by series OF pres
dents the match of whom can be
ound in any Congressional district
If this land. They were politicians
,ure and simple, brought up around
he state legislatures with the excep-
ion of General Taylor. A great
politician ultimately appeared in Lin
.oln, and with him, in spite Of his de-
cent. a great opportunity and crisis.
The Harrisons have retaken the
.ountry through the hard hand of I
necessity having griped that family {
Until the present embodiment Of the
lame was recast and made anew. 6
There had, in the meantime, been 60 {
ng on a decomposition Of tho family }
ype by successive Northern admiK-
ures. The Ben Harrison we see is
My the shadow OF the Virginia fam :
y which, almost by mistake, sent !
ne Of its young scions 10 the west ;
s IN army Lieutenant The name Of
harrison is there, and no doubt some q
( the strain, but a regular New Eng s
nd Puritan Scotch-Irish admiIture I
, well. There was no way for Har-
son 10 have come 10 the presidency J,
| the present time except through :
is complete western Identification.
r