The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-31
EX-PRESIDENT HARRISON
HE DISCUSSES SOME OF THE TOPICS
OF THE PRESENT TIME.
A Word of Warning as to the Making
of States, and Suggestion That
Quantity Is Not Quality.

| that all territory that we acquire must,
when sufficiently populous, be erected into
states. But why may we not take account
of the quality of the people as well of
their number if future acquisitions should
make it proper to do so? A territorial form
| of government is not so inadequate that il
might not serve for an indefinite time, 4"
| said General Benjamin Harrison to me
when l called to see him in his summer
home in the Adirondacks this week.
The political and military life of General
Benjamin Harrison-his army life, his six
years in the Senate and four years Presi-
dent of the United States-are familiar 10
the universal public but the fact that he
was for twenty years at the head of the
bar in his State and found time in his busy
life to follow with dog and gum cutting
down on the wing the whirring quail, and
snatching from boat or blind on the rivers
and marshes of Indiana and Illinois the
water fowl'-addressed by Bryant in his
famous lines, Whittier, midst falling dew
lis not so we'll known.
His experiences as a sportsman first at
tracted him to the Adirondacks, and the
beauties of that land of mountains and
lakes, of splendid forests and delicious air.
confirmed the favorable impression, until
his summer home is fixed in Herkimer
county, on the Fulton chain" of lakes,
eight great jewels-strung on river-mir-
rOring the mountains; all but one, Bald
mountain, whose crown is a precipice of
rocks, clothed to the crest with the wilder
ness the State is so seriously striving to
save. The generals pQStoff1ce is Old Forge,
and his camp, Berkeley Lodge. Berkeley
with three "e's''-was the old home of the
Harrisons, on the James. where the first
President Harrison, the son of Benjamin
Harrison, the Governor of Virginia who
signed the Declaration OF independence
was born.
1t will interest a larger audience than the
American people to know that General
Harrison is putting the finishing touches ON
a book-"This Country of Ours" The book
will be the most careful and thorough piece
of work that he has wrought. He enjoys
exercise, and tramps about unweariedly
with his guns, and uses big hoe until it
is highly polished. If tasks are sought
there is no end of them about a place. But
the general is not fond of those proof sheets
ABOUT our country, as he is steadily adding
ana filling and patching the chapters to
perfect them, Tor tins is a book that is to
bear testimony, and he is longing for the
day-and so are the publishers-when he
can touch it no more. The general does not
mind picking up a law case, for the law
is his profession, and he has an immense
regard for it, as well as the theory that
the very best thing that can be done with
former Presidents Is to let them mind their
own business in peace.
General Harrison would not on any ac-
count enter upon a discussion of current af-
fairs in such a way as to seem to otter his
opinions for the consideration of those re-
sponSible for the conduct of the public busi-
ness. He has had the responsibility, and
now there are a competent president and
Cabinet. They had fullneSS OF information
and the ex-President has no judgment to
offer touching those things expressly be-
In his speeches last year in New York,
the Virginias, Ohio and Indiana General
Harrison said the tariff question had been
whipped out" Asked whether he thought
now the tariff question had disappeared
from politics, the general said it was too
early to be sure of that. 1t was desirable
the tariff should be lightly disturbed. The
fashion of picking up and working over
the tariff whenever there was change in
the administration and Congress should be
avoided The industries that must have
protection in order to maintain themselves
in America would do letter without the
full measure of that to which they were en-
titled than to have it all. provided they
could be assured that by making sacrifice
Of part of the protection due they were not
to be disturbed any more. Whether the
present tariff would end the unfortunate
habit of agitation it was too early to deter
mine. The number of Southern voters for
the Dingley tariff was encouraging. There
was a great deal of sentiment for protection
in the South, and it was fortunate so much
OF IL had DeeQ developed. lie ndQ IOunu IN
Texas, when he visited that State while
President, a strong feeling for protection
and internal improvements river and mar
Dor appropriations; and what he had him
self said and done for the South in the way
of improvements had met with very hand
some popular appreciation. There has been
especially remarkable manifestations of
public approval at Galveston, which he re-
membered with qualifications
AMERICAN SENTIMENT.
The former President does not hesitate to
respond to the American sentiment that is
| expressed in the resumption of the policy
of the annexation of Hawaii Our relations
with the people of those islands and the
dominance of our influence there could not
be ignored. There was an enlightened COM
munity there people of high civilization.
| and a great mass of another sort of peo-
| pie. Also, an old monarchy, that had be-
| come depraVed and impossible. 1t was a
| question as to how the interests of civilza-
| ton in the islands should be guarded. We
| could not when the revolution came, pur-
| sue a dog-in-the-manger policy, refusing to
| take the responsibility upon ourselves and
| refusing to allow others to do This
was to take the responsibility of conserv-
| ing civilization. 1t was our right and place
| to do it, and if we did not England would,
pursuant to her commercial policy. 1t was
Unfortunate that the crisis came just at
| such time The work of annexation had
| to be commenced, and could not be finished
| before there was a change in admlnistra-
was to a great extent, the outcome of the
| habit of our countrymen in regarding it a
necessity that if we annexed territory We
must make a state of it. IL his book Gen
eral Harrison writes of this extremely in
teresting and significant matter:
'Out of this habit of dealing with the pub
lie domain has come the common thought
that all the territory that we acquire must,
when sufficiently populous, be erected into
states But why may we not take account
of the quality of the people as Well as OF
their number if future acquisitions should
make it proper to do so? A territorial form
of government is not so adequate that IL
might not serve for an indefinite time.
| We have the pleasure OF presenting this
most notable paragraph in the manuscript
of the eX-President.
This is a proposition of the highest state
Importance. General Harrison remarks on
this line that the President appoints Gov
ernors of Territories and other officers. and
| Congress superVises the legislation of Ter
ritories. And here is the ready made form
of the establishment of a system that may
be permanent if it is public policy to ac-
not care TO give the capacities of citizen
ship in our national government. There can
be no question of the imminent pertinence
and the formidable application this utter
ance of General Harrison has equipped as
| ne is in constitutional law and having the
| highest range of experience,
1t completely covers the situation In Ha-
| wall, and Cuba, too. OF course. in our re-
| lations with Spain just at this time former
! President Harrison has no more to say
about Cuba than to deplore the increasing
| distress of the people and the mutual dis
asters of the conflict. Rid the American
mind of the bugaboo-that word, by the
way, is not the general SHAT if we annex
any scrap of territory we must hurry up
| and make o state of it. and the way is wide
1 oil tam an ttaglS ffafar ~