The National tribune., 1901-03-21
DEATH OF GEN. HARRISON.

innate of the Presidents who have ad
ministered the affairs of the United States
during the 10Th century, will, of course
put in the front rank, overtopping them
= all, in purely mental greatness. Abraham
Lincoln. In the next rank to him will be
John Adams and Benjamin Harrison. An
drew jackson is. of course, our finest ex-
ample of 4 purely personal force, accom-
panied by strong common sense, but not
: an intellect of the higher order. Jcffer-
son and John Quincy Adams were men
of the greatest accomplishments, and
minds of extraordinary activity and ver-
satility. But for pure, vigorous mental
ity, accompanied by great force of char
acter, Harrison and John Adams stand
next to Lincoln among our Presidents.
Before Lincoln's time Webster was the
greatest intellect which this country had
produced. Harrison nearly approached
Webster in the clearness of his concep-
tions, and vigor of his reasoning, and was
superior TO him in personal character,
though inferior in the quality of attach
ing men to him. If Harrison could have
had Blaine's magnetism he would have
lowered above every other man in the
country like Saul among his fellows. When
he went to Europe on the Venezuelan
! Commission, and came into competition
with the finest lawyers of the Old World
his superiority was at once manifest.
Great as Harrsons capabilities WERE
| he can, in the final accounting before the
Judgment Seat, show that he made full
use of all the talents intrusted to him.
Though he came of as fine lineage as this
country can boast, this counted for moth
| ing in his success, except the character
and brains which he inherited. One of
his ancestors was that Harrison who sat
in judgment on Charles l., and voted for
the death sentence. His great grand |
father was Chairman OF the Committee |
which reported the Declaration of Inde- |
pendence, and of course signed that i'm |
mortal document. His grandfather, the |
distinguished General who won the vic |
tories at the Tippecanoe and the Thames, |
was the ninth President of the United |
States. All this did not prevent Gen. Har-
rison from being born poor, and having |
'iiS usual SliusSltS VI lEOulleE DOyS 10 Sc
cure an education. He graduated from
Miami University in 1852, when 10 years
of age and began the practice of law in
Indianapolis in 1854, where he supported
himself while waiting for practice, by act
ing as Crier for the court Though the
bar of Indianapolis was at that time Of
exceptional ability, young Harrison soon
made his mark, and business flowed in |
upon him. One of the first great tri-
umphs of his life was when, a slender,
''tow-headed" boy, he ventured into a
public discussion in behalf of the newly
organized Republican party. against those
Democratic giants, Thos. Hendricks and
ID. w. voorhees,. He was laughed at
when he arose to speak, but the hero of
the hour when he closed. He was deeply
stirred by the firing on Fort Sumter, but
his young wife and child prevented his
following his impulses and Immediately
enlisting. At the second call he was
given commission as Second Lieutenant,
but this was speedily followed by an ap-
pointment as Colonel of the 10th Ind. He
went into this new business with the ear !
nestness and determination that always
characterized him, and soon became
known for his proficiency in drill and dis
cipline. He made the 10th Ind a model
regiment, and all his men loved Little
Ben, as he was affectionately termed.
lie won their regard by courage and re-
sourcefulness at the very entrance to the /
field. Almost as soon as he crossed the ! !
Ohio he was hurried off to meet a body ,
Of rebels who had advanced as far as |
Ky. They had burned the l
railroad bridge, and thought themselves
secure from attack, while they had a good
time with their secession friends. But :.
the 10th Ind. had in it men who could :
repair q railroad in quick time, the 7
Colonel made shrewd provisions for sue
cess, the attack was a complete success. 5
and the 10Th Ind. returned to Bowling !
Green proud of having in their maiden i
light killed and wounded 40 rebels, cap d
-ured 10, with a lot of horses and arms.
and lost but one man themselves. a
The 10th Ind. was brigaded with the J
18th Ohio and the 102d, 105th and 10th !
ILL.,, under the command of Gen. W. T.
Ward, and the brigade remained un-
hanged till the close of the war. At the
ierce little battle of Resaca, Col. Harri-
'on led the regiment across the breast il
works, and when Gen. Ward was wound o
ID assumed command of the brigade He =
distinguished himself at New Hope /,
,'hurch, Gilgal Church, Kenesaw, Peach I
Tree Creek, and for the latter was warm l
y recommended by Gen. JOS Hooker for ,
TO Brigadier-General. After :,
he fall Of Atlanta he was detailed to 90 s.
,ack to Indiana and help carry that State f,
or the Union. He did not, therefore, get e
IN opportunity TO march to the sea. He "
tarted back to the front as soon as the "
election was over, but was stopped at
and was put in command of n o,
brigade made up of men of the Twentieth fl,
Corps who had been unable to join their tC
egiments on account of Sherman's move =
nent With this he did splendid service u
n the battle of Nashville and the pursuit a
Il Hood, and then went to Hilton Head. al
o resume command of his old brigade. J'
Returning to Indiana and his law prac- y:
ice, he took front rank at the bar. and q
vas constantly solicited to become a can
lidate for Office. He preferred the law nj
o politics, but was always vitally inter- &c
sted in the success of the Republican fo
'arty, and this led him into politics. He 10
leclined a seat in President Gar6eld's n