Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1938-11-24
Thursday

Me- cConnelsville, Ohio, T
United States was committed to m,
4 IA years ago....it was my ambition.
to render it fourishing my ambi
tion has been gratifed... (and) m.
labours crowned with success. - ;
My private affairs have been en-
tirely neglected. run into grea
confusion. !. (and) now demand m.
attention.
i While all through he had tried tt
avoid personal remarks to his op
ponents he was human enough tt
break out at the last with, persons
who return injuries for favors
solicited by themselves, can nev.
er be men of probity.. (and) from
those who held office have receiv
ed many injuries. (and) been
treated with the blackest ingrati-
tude... The governor disdained to
revenge injuries offered to the
| man..
During the past few years Tiffin
| and his followers had gradually Sc
cured more and more influence at
Washington and were now about to
bring pressure to bear sufficient to
have St. Clair removed. / will pass
| over much correspondence relating
to their methods of procedure and
come to the letter from Madison,
the secretary of state, to ST. Clair,
in which he was informed of his re-
moval, as the letter says, g.. On ac-
count of an intemperance of Ian
guage" in his remarks to the con-
stitutional convention respecting
congress.
st. Clair replied on December
21st, 1902, to Madison, and in his
letter says, "....Your letter of the
22nd of November..up receipt
of (which) my commission as gov.
ernor of the Northwest Territory
should cease....was delivered. lon the
14th...." The president has dis
charged me from an office...I was
heartily tired OF. six weeks sooner.
than / was determined to rid my.
self off," 81 cannot agree.
there was. ...intemperance or inde-
corum of language towards the leg
islature of the United States. :. (or)
a disorganizing spirit Of evil ten
dency and example. ...unless an hon
est and true representation of
facts. deserve such epithets.. Corr
that the rules of conduct enjoined by
by public station. were in any way
violated. unless such rule. lis blind
Obedience...." 81 scruple not to
precedented intrusion Of the legisla-
ture of the United States. Into the
concerns. of the Northwest Terri
tory. (and) the transferring Of
about 5000 people,. without their
knowledge or consent....fr a coun.
try....where they were in possession
and self-governing....to another.
where they will be deprived of that |!
WAS something worse |
than Incorporate and indecorous....
and. had it happened in Germany.
no man in America would have hes /
itated to have used harsher terms"
." Degraded as our country is, and |
abject as too many Of her sons /
have become, there are still vast /
proportion of them who will be at |
no loss for the proper TERM" 1t
is such as this. bring out the fig
ures in the proper, place." g.. (Your
letter. produced in me no emotion 7
but that kind of derision... which
physiognomists tell us is...the invol-
untary expression on the counten-
ance of a certain mental sensation.
which I do not choose to name"
This letter had been sent by Byrd,
who was secretary of the territory
and nothing could excuse Madison
for sending this letter by the hand
Of bitter political and personal en-
emy. Byrd had refused to dis
charge his duties for months, and
when St. Clair was absent from the
territory had removed some of his
appointees and put Republicans in
their places.
Byrd had devoted most of his
-ILlO W dlulUS Hill III vi
he opposition to ST. Clair. All this
vas known to Madison, but, then.
Byrd was engaged in his work Of
making a new Republican state.
1t was surely a case of studied
lisrespect to one who had devoted
lis time and efforts to making a
tate out of a wilderness.
Too little has been written about
st. Clair and the work he did in lay
ng the foundation for the states toI
,e carved from the Northwest Ter
itory.
Our school histories barely name
lin and 1 know Of no good biogra-
)hy that has been written of him
ind only now and then do we find
linn mentioned in the general his
ories.
Surely there is a place for some
student of research to write life ,
If Arthur ST. Clair and the great
york he did.
And so we close this phase OF
he articles relating to the North" ,
vest Territory by saying: Vale, Ar
hur ST. Clair, the Federalist; en-
or Edward Tiffin tha RanubIican