The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-24

dogs as he did are always tender heart
ed. More than once l have seen tears
come to his eyes because calamity had
overtaken an old-time friend. He
had taught himself to hide his emo
ton from the world, and evidently be-
lieved in the right of a man to have
, feeling and thoughts which he need
not blazon upon the skies. He was no
gusher. His choicest and most gener-
Gus emotions were for those entitled to
them. He did not take the public into
his confidence concerning his private
affairs or feelings, nor did he assume
that the public had, or could be per-
suaded to have, any interest in them.
He was generous with his money and
with acts of thoughtfulness, but with
out the slightest display. He had
a sense of responsibility which
was abnormally keen. never
| knew one upon whom its weight
| rested more heavily. Until a thing
was done, he could not relieve himself
for one moment of the feeling of care.
This was true of him in both his pro-
| fessional and public lives While to
this characteristic was largely due his
able and conscientious performance of
| duty; it also had much to do with the
/ popular opinion that he was of irascible
| or uncertain temper, cold and austere.
| Those who approached him. or had
| anything to do with him, while he was
| laboiins under the responsibility OF
/ great duty, yet unperformed, were fire.
| quently surprised and panied to see APP
| parent indifference to what they had
| to say or perhaps an exhibition of i'll
nature, and many of them left his pres
| ence feeling that he was either bad
tempered or cold hearted. Had the
same person seen him few hours later
when the task had been finished, to his
satisfaction, he would have found a
| cheerful and gracious man, anxious to
| treat well all who came in contact with
| him. / have known two men who saw
| him in the same hour; the first one
came away complaining of the most
uncivil treatment which he had re-
| ceived, while the second came away
charmed with the cordiality of his re-
| ception. Between the visits of the two
men a troublesome question had been
| answered, difficult problem had been
solved-the first visitor saw the clouds
and the second the sunshine.
Politician of First Rank.
Gen. Harrison was a superb poll
tician, and party organizer in a broad
way, dealing with men in bulk and
| with the expressions of great princi-
| pies. He never mistook dead for liv-
| ing issues, nor did he select a weak
| man for an important command. His
| judgment of the men, who knew him
was remarkable. He saw no place for
the unclean or the unlawful,
| and every step which he climbed
as a politician was the result of an
honest effort. When the little band of
friends, having particular charge of his
campaign for the nomination in 1885,
| left Indianapolis for the convention, he
said to them; / want the nomination
If it can be obtained honestly and fair
| ly-I would not receive it in any other
way. / know you would not be parties
/ to getting it for me in any other way
| You may be asked to make promises
of places, and preferment should l be
nominated and elected, and, therefore,
l want you to know what my purpose is
| in that respect. l will not make a
promise to get the nomination, and if
nominated, 1 will not make a promise
to secure the election. l want you to
know that l would not keep any prom
/ ises that you might make, in spite OF
| what / have said
Frequently during the convention
delegates asked that promises be made
| concerning places and preferments, but
they were always told what Gen. Har-
rison's views were on the subject, and
| no promises were made. Some of the
| delegates even went to Indianapolis
| uuiluS the convention TO ask zen. Har-
rison for promises, but invariably they
returned to Chicago disappointed. He
was nominated and elected without
| promise, and thus was perfectly free
as occasion arose, to select the right
men for the right places, as far as il
lies in the power of a President to do
so.
Did Not Want denomination.
Gen. Harrison did not want to be
renominated in 1892, and had the men
who saw fit to oppose his denomination
been in a frame of mind which would
ALLOW them to believe the truth, his
name would not have gone before the
| Minneapolis convention. In August,
1891, prominent politician told me
that he and others, whose names he
gave, had met in Washington a short
time before, determined to oppose
Harrison's denomination and had
begun the work of organizing
the party against him. My informant
suggested that If the President would
| send for three or four of the men
whose names he gave, talk with them
about the approaching campaign, in
dictate willingness on his part to ac-
cept the nomination, and allow them
| to feel that he would appreciate their
support, all opposition would cease and
the nomination might be made by ac-
| clamation. l promised that this view
should be brought to the attention of
the President, and l spoke to him of
1T at the first opportunity. He at once
said that he did not desire to be re-
nominated, but even il he did wish the
denomination he thought it would be
| unwise to quiet opposition by making
the leaders of it feel he would be un-
1 der particular obligation to them if
they changed their positions. He adj
hered to this conclusion in spite OF all
that could be urged by his friends.
"As late as February, 1892, he said to
me that he did not desire renomina-
tion that his family would regret it:
that he was so constituted that he
could not have a peaceful or happy
hour in the presidency; and that he
would issue a statement to the public
at the proper time, withdrawing him.
self from consideration as a candidate
But this was not done. because his OPP
ponents began electing delegates who
were pledged or instructed to vote
against him, and at the same time