The National tribune., 1900-11-22

he contest before tne people III loto
was long and bitter one. Nothing of the
kind had ever equalled il in the country.
The hard times had brought about a
CONFUSION of feeling. and the people clam
mored for a change.
In the Harrisburg Convention. which
was held December i, 1899, Harrison re-
ceived the nomination over Henry Clay
and Gen. Scott.
Notwithstanding Gen. Harrison's stand
ing in the country, he having held many
official positions of trust and honor, he
was dubbed worthy old country gentle
man from Ohio"
This worthy old country gentleman
was a son of Benjamin Harrison. of Nir-
ginia. a Signer of the Declaration of In
dependence.
He first joined the army as Ensign, at
the age of 10. under st. Clair. and was in
the war with the Western Indians. In
1875 he was made Captain, and placed
in command of Fort Washington, on the
site of the present city of Cincinnati.
This fort was laid out on grounds
owned by John Clcve SymmeS. whose
daughter Capt. Harrison married.
In 1891 he resigned his commission. and
was appointed Secretary of the Territory
Northwest of the Ohio, from which, in
1899, he was chosen Delegate to Con
gress.
When the Territory was divided he was
appointed, in 1901. Governor of the new
Territory of Indiana. 1t then embraced
the territory of which came the States OF
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wiscon-
sin.
He had many encounters with the In
dams. and it was during this campaign,
after the unsuccessful attack of the In
dams on his camp at Tippecanoe that
he received the SObriquet of ''TippecanOe."
In 1872 he was appointed to the com
mand of the Northwest frontier, with a
-. i, 4 md
was afterward promoted to the rank of
Major-General.
In 1916 he was elected a member of
Congress from the Cincinnati District, in
which body he sat three years. In 1919
he was elected a State Senator, and in
1924 a United States Senator.
He was made chairman of the Military
Committee. In 1923 he was appointed
Minister to Columbia, but was recalled at
JacksOn's accession to the Presidency.
This running sketch of a most remark
able life has been given to show to what
depths calumny will try to consign a man.
No sooner had the news of his nomi
nation for President gone abroad than ap-
peared in one of the opposition papers in
Baltimore a long harrangue belittling the
candidate and winding up with: Let the
old man stay by his log-cabin door in
Ohio; give him barrel of hard cider and
a corncob.pipe, and / will assure you that
he will spend his days there, smoking his
life away"
This was an evil word spoken without
counting the cost. 1t proved to be the
great eectioneering appeal. The wire
pullers set the ball rolling" enthusiasm
knew no bounds. Men laid aside their
occupations; the whole population seemed
in motion. monster maSs-meetlng was
held at Fit. Meigs, and many of the great
orators of the day were there. AS the
town began to fill up with visitors never
was there such a spectacle presented in
any political demonstration. The whole
Nation had lent its aid in behalf of this
monster meeting. Early IN the day the
professions began to arrive, bands and
martial music filled the air; but the
unique feature of the whole affair was the
log cabin and the barrels of hard cider
placed upon trucks, and forming part of
the procession, which was five miles long.
"Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" was vocifer-
ously sung. The Harrison embIems of log
cabins and coonskins were everywhere
displayed.
A hundred thousand people. it was es-
timated, were present. Gen. Harrison
was there. One Of the orators of the day
said, in looking over the vast multitude:
tains have sent forth their rivulets, the
valleys their streams and 10! the ava
lanche of the people is here"
Men like Webster, Crittenden, Ewing
entered with enthusiasm into the cOonskin
campaign, and drank the health of their
Presidential candidate in hard cider,
There was scarcely town or a hamlet
that did not during the campaign get up
its log-cabin professions and maSs-meet-
ings. Excitement had never run so high
The result was complete victory for the
Wings.
There was a grand jubilee in Alexan-
dria in November in honor of the election
of Gen. William Henry Harrison.
Another Of Nirginia's sons had been
given the highest place in the gift of the
people, and the children of the Mother
Of Presidents" assembled to do him honor.
The freedom of the city was given to
over 1000 visitors. There was a process
sion, and car drawn by four white
horses, in which were 10 young girls. |
Each carried the flag of victorious State. |
Welcome" was placarded on every
house. and the doors thrown open TO
strangers and guests.
Mr.. George Washington Parke Gusts
addressed the crowd in Market Square.
commencing with Friends and felow-pa-
triOts, and most patriotic ladies'" The
adopted son Of Washington, whose hair
was white with the SHOWS of many Win |
tiers, was very enthusiastic over the ''glo- |
rious second revolution"
This meeting was a counterpart Of what |
took place all through the States
The President-elect left his home in |
North Bend soon after the electoral count |
was taken, en- route for Washington.
A graphic account of this journey is |
related by Mrs. Eaton. She is the sister
OF EX-Presidcnt Ben Harrison, and was
honorcd with an invitation TO accompany
:he Presidential party 20 Washington. |
She wss young girl. but recollects Wv |
idly the floating lee that impedcd their
way up the Ohio River. With great diff
Guilty they reached Pittsburg. There they
found the snow so deep. the roads so bad.
that they reluctantly turned their faces
homeward. leaving the President and the
rest 'ot the party 10 make their way by
stage rs best they could.
When they reached Baltimore great
preparations had been made to extend a
royal welcome, and no President had ever
received an ovation comparable to that
given 10y the people of Baltimore on the
occasion Of the entry Of the newly-elected
President, William Henry Harrison. In
fact, it was one of those complete over
turns of public opinion that we so often
see in American politics.
Gen. Harrison was received in Wash
ington with great demonstration by Mayor
SeatOn and the people at City Hail.
1t was 4 rainy day when he arrived at
the depot, yet he walked with his hat i'm
his hand accompanied by an immense CON
course Of people. This was in February.
Hs took short trip to his old home
In Virginia before the inauguration.
The morning OF the 4th of March. 1871.
was ushered in by the salute of % guns,
a carriage. drawn by four horses, pre-