E 7^0 1-, lUu PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIFE Gkn'Iv Bknj. Harrison In American politics appeals to prejudice have become the common methods of warfare. With men of sound judgment such appeals always fail as they ought to, and in the reaction help. rather than injure the one aimed at. The selection of the governing power of this great Nation should be determined by the calmest and mo-it enlightened judgment of the people, and not by prejudice or passion. In pre- senting their candidate the Republican party confidently appeals to the sound and deliberate judgment of the people. His private and public character is without a blemish. Honesty and integrity have characterized his life. His opponents have attempted to array one great branch of American citizens against him, by false- hoods and appeals, not to their judgment, but to their prejudices. Such attempts are deliberate and wanton insults to the intelligence of those they try to influence. So much depends on the labor element in this country that wage-workere are naturally very tenacious of their rights and sensitive on every point which affects them. This is known to the Democrats, and to arouse them in opposition to Gen. Harrison they have undertaken the task of misrepresenting and lying about his record on certain questions, expecting that the workingmen of this country would accept their lies and not investigate for themselves. In this they will find they have committed a serious blunder, for there is no class of the American people w^ho study more or investigate more patiently the record of public men. In this effort to deceive, the Democratic leaders have been and will be aided by a few men who have been active in labor agitations, and who are now engaged in this misrepre- sentation from interested motives. ins CHINESE RECORD. Among the falsehoods put out, and most persistently repeated, is that when a member of the United States Senate Gen. Harrison opposed all efforts to restrict Chinese immigration. That movement was set on foot by American workingmen and was vehemently urged by them. It is not a crime for men to differ in this world on matters of public policy, and if Gen. Harrison was conscientiously op- posed to restriction, every honorable workingman would honor him for it. Had he been so o})posed and yet favored tlie restriction asked for, he would have been a demagogue, selling out his honest convictions for political popularity. But no vote or sjjeech of Gen. Harrison can be cited in proof of any such oi)position, the fact being that every vote and speech proves the contrary to be true. A man may be opposed to a bill and yet not opposed to the relief sought to be obtained by the Gfft fBrs. Benjamin Harrison [ SHORT RKVIEV^ -OF THE- Public and Private Life Gen'l Benj. Ha'rrison What the Working Men Say of Him. HIS RECORD AS A SOLDIER, AND HOW HE APPEARS AT HOME. L ^-^bill. Let us illustrate: The employes of a certain large establishment, to obtain a J^ redress of grievances, go out upon a strike. Some one of their number proposes v:^ and insists on a resort to violence, and advocates the use of the torch. Others op- "^^ose such jneasures. Could it be claimed that those thus opposed were against -^securing a redress of grievances? In reality, would not such opposition prove them I to be the true friend of the cause of labor and of the strike itself? Now let us ap- vply that to the case in question and try Gen. Harrison by that standard. Let him oe judged from the record, from what he has said and done, and not by the mere assertions of Democratic newspapers or by interested agitators. Gen. Harrison did oppose the passage of the lirst bill on the subject, not be- cause he was in favor of Chinese immigration, but for the reason, as stated by him in his speeches in the Senate while it was underSdiscussion, that it was in contra- vention of existing treaties. He urged that the true way was to seek a modifica- tion of the treaty. Another bill was proposed and for the same reasons he voted against it. He was a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations which con- sidered and reported the present law on the subject. He joined in reporting that bill and voted for it. Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, who was deeply interested in procuring the passage of the restrictive act, declared on the floor of the Senate tliat it was the best bill that had been proposed on the subject, and would be satisfactory to the people of the coast. As to his record on this question let us see what the papers of the country have said, and take the testimony of those the most deeply interested. The Cincinnati Commercial- Gazette thus pertinently and tersely puts the whole question : Much has been said of General Harrison's record on the Chinese question, and there has been some fussy objection to it. All there is of it is that Harrison in the Senate objected to the violation of the treaty obligations with China, though op- posed to Chinese immigration. This is the record : " Mr. Harrison entered the Senate at the beginning of the Forty -seventh Con- gress, in 1881, and sat till March 4, 1887. On April 27, 1882, a discussion was had in the Senate on House Bill 5804 : 'A bill to execute certain treaty stipulations with the Chinese.' Mr. Harrison made two brief speeches on that bill, occupying only a few lines uf the Record, and printed at pages 3359 and 33(50 of the Con- gressional Record, Forty-seventh Congress, first session. Mr. Harrison contended that as the treaty used the word 'laborer,' it was not in the power of Congress to enlarge the meaning of that word by legislation ; that whatever the word ' labor- ers ' implied in the treaty that same word would be held to have the same mean- ing in any law that Congress might pass. He asked Senator Grover, of Oregon, the pertinent question, whether, if he found the proposed law and the existing treaty in conflict, he would still persist in passing the law and thus trampling upon our treaty obligations? To this inquiry Mr. Grover made no reply. Mr. Harrison's logic was invincible, and it was sustained by the Senate. It may be added that this position has since been maintained by every President and Secre- tary of State down even to (irover Cleveland and Secretary Bayard." The California delegation looked this matter up, and finding there was noth- ing in it cast the vote that announced the nomination of Harrison. The people of California are very deeply interested in this matter, and their views of General Harrison's record should be accepted as authority. On this sub- ject Hon. William W. Morrow, member of Congress from the San Francisco dis- trict, says : 4 " The Page bill was considered in the Senate in the early part of 1882, and Sen- ator Harrison voted against it The bill, however, failed as a law to keep out Chinese immigration, and was amended in 1884. There is no record as to Senator Harrison's position on the amended bill, but it is known that he favored the addi- tional legislation ; but even the law as amended proved ineffectual, and in the XLIXth Congress I introduced a bill which became known as the Morrow bill. It was drawn with considerable care, as I was familiar with the subject, having been Assistant United States Attorney at San Francisco and familiar with the Federal jurisdiction. The bill was approved by the Collector of the Port, the United States Judges and the United States Attorney, and it was supposed that it would accomplish everything that legislation could do under the treaty. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator Fair, the Democratic Senator from Nevada, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, of which Senator Harrison was then a member. I had occasion to meet with members of that committee sev- eral times while the bill was pending before the committee, and among others with Senator Harrison, and I know chat he was in favor of excluding Chinese immi- gration, either by suitable legislation under the treaty, or a new treaty that could make exclusion absolute. I remember that he and I were members of a small party that went to Philadelphia in the early part of 1886 to attend a dinner given by the Clover Club. During the trip I had quite a talk with Senator Harri- son on the subject of Chinese immigration, and T was gratified to find that he was not only in favor of further legislation in restraint of such immigration, but he was in favor of a new treaty that would provide for absolute exclusion. "The bill introduced by Senator Fair was considered by the Committee on Foreign Kelations of the Senate, and passed the committee unanimously. It was reported to the Senate by Senator Sherman, who said : ' The bill has been carefully examined in the Committee on Foreign Relations, and as far as I know every pro- vision was assented to with entire unanimity.' This statement will be found on page 4,958 of the Congressional Record of the first ses.sion of the XLIXth Congress. It is well known that Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, is extremely radical against Chi- nese immigration. In discussing this bill (which Harrison voted for in the com- mittee, as I have just stated,) Senator Mitchell said : ' This bill is a great improve- ment, permit me to say, in my judgment, upon any bill that has ever heretofore at any time been reported by any committee of either branch of Congress upon this question.' The Senator's speech will be found on page 5,109 of the Congressional Record of the first session of the XLIXth Congress. The bill passed the Senate unanimously, but was smothered in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which Mr. Perry Belmont was chairman, and the only action the Democratic House took in furtherance of the action of the Senate on the Chinese question was to pass the Chinese indemnity bill, providing for the payment of $147,000 to the Chinese for the Rock Springs outrage. " But it is said that Senator Harrison, in 1882, opposed legislation against Chinese immigration, and that he voted against an amendment to the bill then pending, offered by Senator Farley, providing that hereafter no State Court or Court of the United States shall admit Chinese to citizenship; and repealing all laws in conflict with the act. Senator Edmunds opposed this form of amendment, saying that the naturalization laws did not authorize naturalization of Chinese. The Senator was correct. Four years before, in 1878, Judge Sawyer, the U. S. Circuit Judge for California, Oregon and Nevada, had decided on the application of Ah Yup that a native of China of the Mongolian race was not entitled to be- come a citizen of the United States. On the authority of this decision. Senator Edmunds proposed au amendment in these words : ' Nothing in the act shall be construed to change the existing naturalization laws so as to admit Chinese per- sons to citizenship.' Senator Harrison voted for this amendment in preference to the one proposed by Senator Farley. This is all there is in this vote. " Senator Harrison was undoubtedly opposed to the abrogation of a treaty hv indirect legislation. He was in favor of a clear-cut proposition for abrogating the existing treaty, with its annoying limitations, and excluding the Chinamen absolutely, and it is an interesting fact that this is precisely the position occupied by the Senators and Representatives from the Pacific Coast. We have favored an abrogation of the present treaty, because of its limitations on the power of Con- gress to legislate in defense of the country. Senator Harrison has occupied pre- cisely this position, and his votes on the amendments to the Page bill prove this fact beyond a doubt. Furthermore, Senator Harrison's position has been justified by the fact that a new treaty has been negotiated, with the approval of both par- ties, under which Chinese immigration will be stopped. The bill introduced by Senator Fair in the Senate is the bill which Senator Harrison voted for in com- mittee, and it is worthy of note that this bill is the framework of the new treaty just negotiated with China, The press of the coast says : [Portland Oregonian.] " The nomination of Harrison is a happy outcome of the contentions of the convention. Harrison will receive the united Republican support. His career has been active, honorable, patriotic, and thoroughly American. On the Chinese question his course has been honorable and right. He properly maintained that we have no just right in violation of a treaty to pass an act to deprive the subjects of China of the privileges guaranteed tliem by treaty, and insisted that good faith and international amity required that China be asked to modify the treaty before we should enact any extreme legislation. It can not be denied that this position waa right. Subsequently, when the objections were removed, Harrison joined in reporting and voting for the restriction bill prepared by Senator Fair (Dem.), of Nevada. But the immigration of the Chinese is no longer a question of practical importance, since restriction keeps them out, and their number in the United States is gradually decreasing. It is complained that some do evade the law and enter the United States, but if this is so it is due to official laxity on the part of our present administration." [Sacramento Record- Union. 1 "The Democracy has already resorted to the mean device of reporting Chinese as celebrating the nomination of General Harrison. It goes without saying that these stories are made out of whole cloth. The record of General Harrison has been thus early misrepresented because the Democracy fears his nomination more than it would have done that of Blaine, Sherman or Gresham. General Harrison has never been a man of concealments concerning his ideas upon public cjuestions. His views have never been matters of doubt on the Chinese (juestion or any other. As a lawyer he opposed useless legislation, and when it came to defense of treaty compacts he stood by the honor and integrity of the government, wliile opposed to any system that degrade.'* the American workmen, and for this he is now assailed. He reported and votetl for anti-Chinese legislation as soon as treaty compacts ad- mitted it, and he stands pledged upon a platform clear and satisfactory upon the question discussed. He is disclosed in strong favorable contrast with his opponent, who but a few short weeks ago was anxiously inquiring of Californians if it waa r 6 not possible to Christianize Chinese and bring them into harmony with our system of civilization— thus displaying a surprising degree of ignorance upon the subject. If tliere are those who would otherwise support General Harrison, but who are fearful that he, in common with some millions, years ago did not understand the Chinese as we do, and therefore can not vote for him, in the name of conscience let them go ove^ to the Democracy, with all its glaring offenses and its open assaults upon the vital industries of the country and the cause of the American laboring citizen. But it is preposterous to suppose that any man who looks at the matter calmly, and is in harmony with the positive protection platform upon which General Harrison stands, with its pronounced championship of home industries and American labor, and its antagonism to Chinese immigration, and who is aware, as the fact is, that General Harrison is the sincere friend of these causes, will be led to desert to the Democracy." ISan Jose (Cal.) Mercury.] " If the Democrats can derive any comfort from quoting this old and abandoned [Chinese] record of General Harrison they are welcome to it. The only reason the Republicans can not produce a similar record of Cleveland is that in 1882 he was too obscure to have made a record worth presentation upon any national issue." [Nevada Territorial Enterprise.] " It was understood from the beginning that the convention at Chicago would choose wisely and well. It was only in debate as to whom the choice would fall. We now know the men and everybody is pleased. Harrison and Morton .will hold the entire strength of the Republican party, and will gain largely from Democrats who are dissatisfied with the course of Mr. Cleveland." [Santa Cruz Sentinel.] " Good statesmanship consists in devising measures to secure the success of prin- ciples. Good politics consists in devising means to secure the success of parties. Judged by these standards, the work of the Chicago convention shows good states- manship and good politics. The advancement of the Republican principles and the restoration to power uf the Republican party are, we believe, fully assured by the nomination of Harrison and Morton." [Nevada Territorial Enterprise.] " His word is good in letter and spirit, and he has accepted a position involving a distinct agreement to keep every promise and defend every principle in the Re- publican national platform. This alone is sufficient answer to the Chinese hum- bug. To go further : The Chinese question is entirely of the past and is not, nor has it ever been, a party question. It has been settled for twenty years to come — a longer time than General Harrison will hold the office of President — but should treaty complications arise during his term the platform will be the guide of the President in the course to pursue." Senators Mitchell and Dolph have also declared that the General's record was satisfactory to their constituents. If so, what becomes of the silly attempt of the Democrats to create a prejudice against him on this ground in the Eastern States? THE GREAT STRIKK OF 1887. Another lie started from Indianapolis is to the effect that during the great railroad strike of 1877 he swayed himself in bitter hostility to the strikers, and urged the employment of force to end the strike. Again the record is against the traducers. Not only is the record against tliem, but his wliole life. The facts are, in brief : During the strike the citizens of Indianapolis organized what was known as the Committee of Safety. Gen. Harrison, together with other prominent Republi- cans and Democrats, was a member of the committee. The testimony of all the members. Democrats as well as Republicans, is that at all times and under all cir- cumstances he counseled moderation, holding that the strikers had great cause for complaint, and that they would not violate the laws if the matter was properly set before them. He was on the Committee of Mediation, and maintained the side of the strikers. This is borne out by the testimony of the strikers themselves. A number of the strikers were arrested, some of them for interfering with the run- ning of trains on the O. & M. R. R., Gen. Harrison being the attorney for the re- ceiver of the road. The men were sentenced to ninety-nine days in the jail. After serving, a few days Gen. Harrison went to Judge Drummond, who had tried the cases, and prevailed upon him to release them. It is charged that he commanded the troops called out on that occasion. He was solicited so to do by Gov. Wil- liams, a Democrat, but he declined. He did command a company that was called out to defend the arsenal. Let us look at the testimony. Hon. Joseph E. McDon- ald, a leading Democrat, says : " The organization of that committee was for the purpose of providing protec- tion for the city and property, if an emergency should arise to make such action necessary. It was not anticipated that any riot would be precipitated by the strikers, but beyond them, for which they were in no wise responsible, was a dan- ger that had to be guarded against. It was on that account, and that alone, that the ciimmittee was organized. From its members a sub-committee of five, consist- ing of (ieneral Harrison, Albert G. Porter, Franklin Landers, ex-Governor Baker and myself was chosen to consult with the strikers in order to bring about a peace- able solution of the difficulty. All of us on that sub-committee were in accord, and our relations with the strikers were pleasant. Every member of the com- mittee was in favor of peace, and there was no divergence of opinion." Gen. Fred. Knefller says : "Harrison's company was detailed to protect the United States armory. He put this important point in a stage of defense. It is certain that Harrison acted in a tliorouglily humane and proper spirit all through. He repelled any sugges- tion of attacking the strikers unless it should become necessary, and when the strike ended he exerted himself to have the arrested strikers treated leniently. About 200 had been sentenced to 90 days' imprisonment for contempt of court. General Harrison went to Judge Drummond, suggesting that the law had been sufficiently vindicated by the pronouncing of this sentence, and asked that the men be released. Those who had already begun their terms were relea.sed, and others were discharged, and nothing more was heard of the prosecutions. The In- dianapolis Sentinel acts not only very unworthily in attacking General Harrison, but in a party sense very foolishly, since the most prominent Democrats in the State were as much engaged in the preservation of order as Harrison. It was simply a citizens's duty." r TESTIMONY OF STRIKERS. Frank Alley, who is in charge of the reducing station of the Indianapolis Gas Company, was an influential member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers at the time of the big strike. Speaking of that strike, he says : " I read the Sen- tinel's article, and I saw nothing in it concerning General Harrison which was not to his credit rather than to his discredit. He did what any good citizen ought to have done under the circumstances. It was that sort of action which saved the city thousands of dollars which it would otherwise had to have paid, as was done in Pittsburgh. Why, nobody can be blamed for trying to save property and perhaps human life. If you can blame men like General Harrison, why don't you blame Governor Williams, who called out the militia ?" " Do you think there was at any time any danger from the strikers them- selves ? " "None; the apprehension was on account of the rabble who sought to take the opportunity to plunder or pillage. Why, I took up a gun and helped them defend property in Louisville, where I was at the time." Dairus E. Crawford, of 125 Garden Street, who for a long time bas been an employe of the Vandalia Railroad Company, says : "I am one of the men who was in the strike of '77. I can tell you all you want to know, and moreover I am glad to do it. It was in July, on a given Monday, that the first outbreak occurred. I was then in the Vandalia Yards, and had been for some time. I don't deny the fact that I was in the strike. I don't deny that I helped to stop the trains on the I., B. & W. and the I., C. & L., as it was then, now the Big Four. There were a number of us yardmen connected with it. A Deputy United States Marshall placed me under arrest, along with Chas. Githens, P. Dean, and others, and entered us on the charge of interfering with trains. On the Wednesday following our trial be- gan, closing on the next Friday. .Judge Drummond presided, and C. W. Fairbanks and Major Gordon were prominent figures in the prosecution. All during that trial everybody who was there knows that Albert G. Porter and Benjamin Harri- son were the two men who stood out in prominence for their lenient and sympathetic actions. Harrison did all he could and on all sides he could. Why, I was in a restaurant that day by the postoffice, and while I was eating in walked a Deputy Sheriff with five men in handcuffs. They had been brought up from Vincennes> and were in custody on the same charge I was, only they were employes of the O. & M. Railroad Company. General Harrison said he would see these men acquitted if it was in his power, and they were, through his influence, cleared. Well, our trial came off. We were all sentenced to ninety-nine days in the Bartholomew County jail. But at the end of twenty-nine days we were pardoned out through some then unknown influence. But I am confident, as were the others, that it was General Harrison who interceded in our behalf. Why, you ask me? Simply be- cause I know the man — I know that our pardon could not have come through the other side. Yes, I can truly testify to the General's leniency and generosity to all of us men all during those times, and I am here to say that if I am alive I will vote for him for our next President." Alexander McAlpine, Superintendent of the Western Car Company, but who was at the time of the strike Master Mechanic of the Vandalia, said that during the trouble it was learned that sixty-four tramps were near the city, and that they threatened to come in and bring about a reign of terror. " The strikers," he con- tinued, " went to the ofiicers of the Vandalia, I., B. & W., and all other roads in- volved, and said they would not be responsible for anything of that kind. They / _ asked for police powers so they could help preserve the peace. General Harrison was one of the Committee on Mediation, and he used his influence toward a set- tlement of the difficulties in favor of the strikers. It is due to him that the. war/es of the men were raised. A few hot-headed fellows went to the General and asked: ^ Why don't you fire upon these men?' The General replied, ' I do not propo.se to arm myself and go out on the streets and shoot down my neighbor?.'" It has been charged that General Harrison has said one dollar a day was enough for a laboring man. If he, had so said, it is a little singular he should in- terest himself to procure an increase of wages for the men. The silly lie needs no other refutation. INDOKSED BY CHIEF ARTHUR. P. M. Arthur, the head of the Locomotive Brotherhood, says in regard to the support of Gen. Harrison by the labor organizations : " I have no doubt but that they will give him a strong support. Thev recog- nize him as a safe man, and he stands on a sound platform. General Harrison has nothing in his record that should prevent any Republican workingman from voting for him. I regard his nomination as a strong one, and know his friendlv attitude toward organized labor. Sometime ago I went to Indianapolis to straighten out a difficulty between our men and one of the local roads, and it was principally through the good offices of General Harrison that a strike was pre- vented and matters were adjusted. Mr. Harrison has proven himself a friend of labor — at least he has shown a kindly feeling toward the Brotherhood. A com- mittee, of which I was one, waited upon him once, and he received us most cordi- ally and did all he could do for us. He secured an audience with the President for u.s, going with the committee to the executive mansion and waiting until our interview ended. He made a lasting impression on the delegates, and I do not think one of us will ever forget him for the kind reception he gave the Brother- hood through the committee. By his action he showed himself the friend of the working class." FURTHER INDOR.SEMENT BY LABOR MEN. John Jarrett, the labor leader, who, two years ago, knocked out "Horizontal" Bill Morrison, expressed himself as well satisfied with the Republican ticket. *' The selection of Harrison and Morton was a good one," he said, "and the plat- form is excellent, every i.s8ue being clearly drawn. I called at the headquarters of several labor organizations to-day, and find the sentiment of all our labor leaders is that a better platform could not have been framed. As to tiie candidates, thev were satisfied with them. McKinley, you know, was our choice, but Harrison is a good man, and will get the support of all true protection ist,«. "AVe can not condemn Mr. Harrison for voting against the Chine.se immigra- tion bill. The provisions of the bill were at variance with our treaty witb China. He claimed that the matter should be adjusted without a violation of the treaty. He voted conscientiously and deserves credit for so doing. I do not think his action on the question will have any weight with tiie working people. We know he has been for years in sympathy with the laboring eUusties, and should get their support. I have heard lab(jr leaders who are Democrats express their intention of voting for him. President William Wiehe and Stephen Madden, assistant secre- tary of the Amalgamated .\88ociation of Iron and Steel -workers, are both enthu- siastic .protectionists, and, of course, will support the ticket. Those of the laboring 10 class who will vote the Democrat ticket are dyed in the wool and would vote no other, no matter what the i?sue might be. They are largely among the Irish element, and are uncongciously working in the interests of Great Britain." GENERAL HARRISON AND KNIGHTS OP LABOR. [San Francisco Chronicle.] " The Knights of Labor are a keen and intelligent set of men ; they sometimes, in moments of excitement, fail to perceive that rashness or unnecessary antagonism of capital must in the long run prove detrimental to them, but they may be de- pended upon to single out with perfect accuracy the party whose aims most coin- cide with theirs. That party is the Eepublican party, which, through its repre- sentatives, has always consistently advocated internal improvements and protection to American sailors and opposition to free ships ; it is the party which elevates above all things industry, and declares that the protection of American labor against the encroachments of foreign competition should be the first duty of Amer- ican statesmen. Benjamin Harrison stands on this platform, and as the exponent of the idea that well-paid labor makes a good workingman and a good citizen, he will receive the suffrage of every Knight of Labor who detests the doctrine preached by Cleveland, Mills and other free-traders, that the chief aim of statesmanship is to make things cheap, and to accomplish which they are willing to sacrifice the decently paid labor of the United States. HIS ACTS SPEAK FOR HIM. Illustrative of his kindness and broad charity, a well-known railroad man, who has worked his way up from the humble walks of labor, tells this incident: " I was living in two rooms on the same street, within a door or two of where Gen. Ben. Harrison lived, eighteen years ago, in this city. I did not know the General or his wife then, as I had been married but a short time and had but lately moved into my rooms. My wife was taken sick, and strangers as we were, the General frequently called at the door of our humble home to inquire of her condition, and many a time Mrs. Harrison brought in to my wife dainties to eat, and was always cheery in her kindly words. Poor, and stranger as I was, it made an impression that will be green in my mind as long as I live. Talk about laboring men not voting for General Harrison ! No truer or more sympathetic heart ever beat in a man's bosom than his, and that of his wife, for poor men, and for one I'll be in at his election to rejoice with the others." Mr. Anderson, a mechanic of Indianapolis, relates the following: "When General Harrison was building his present residence, I was one of the mechanics employed by the contractor. The General paid the contractor in full, who then absconded, leaving the workmen unpaid. The General was not legally bound to us for a dollar. He owed no man anything on the building. When he was in- formed that we were unpaid, he sent for us and told us to make out our claims. We did so, and he paid the whole seventeen in full. I shall vote for him and do all I can to elect him." On the question of wages, the General said himself, in a public speech : " The simple fact is, many things are made and sold now too cheap, for I hold it to be true that whenever the market price is so low that the man or the woman who makes it can not get a fair living out of the making of it, it is too low." Other citations of a similar character might be made, but this is sufficient. y\ 11 HIS RECORD AS A SOLDIER — FIGHTING JOE HOOKER S TESTIMONY TO HIS PROFES- SIONAL WORTH. Fighting Joe Hooker thus made known his opinion of General, then Colonel Benjamin Harrison : Headquarters Northern Department, \ CiNiCNNATi, C)., October 31, 1864. J To Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War: I desire to call the attention of the department to the claims of Colonel Benjamin Harrison, of the Seventieth Indiana Volunteers, for promotion to the rank of Brigadier General of Volunteers. Colonel Harrison first joined me in command of a brigade of Ward's division in Lookout Valley, preparatory to entering upon what is called the Campaign of Atlanta. My attention was first attracted to this young officer by the superior excellence of his brigade in discipline and instruction, the result of his labor, skill and devotion. With more foresight than I have witnessed in any officer of his ex- perience, he seemed to act upon the principle that success depended upon the thoroflgh preparation in disciple and esprit of his command for conflict more than any other influence that could be exerted in the field itself, and when the collision came his command vindicated his wisdom as much as his valor. In all the achievements of the 20th corps in that campaign Colonel Harrison bore a conspicuoi ; part. At Kesaca and Peach Tree Creek the conduct of him.^elf and command were especially distinguished. Colonel Harrison is an officer of su- perior abilities, and of great professional and personal worth. It gives me great pleasure to commend him favorably to the honorable Secretary with the assurance that his preferment will be a just recognition of his services and martial accom- pli.shments. Respectfully your obedient servant, Joseph Hooker, Major General Commanding. NO BETTER SOLDIER THAN HE. Ex-County Clerk M. G. McLain, a one-armed .=oldier, who followed General Harrison's lead in a good many hard places during the war, is a great admirer of his old commander's soldierly qualities. No man, he says, was dearer to the boys in the line than General Harrison, and it rose from one single element in the man's character — his determination to take the leading part in whatever he asked his men to do. He, too, recalls the bloody charge at Resaca, where his own right arm was shot away, and the sight of General Harrison waving his sword aloft and shouting in that shrill voice for which he was noted: " Come on, boys." Con- tinuing, he said: "One scene has always lived in my memory. Our old chaplain, Allen, a man who was beloved by all tlie boys and for whom almost every man in the regiment would have given his life, conducted service on Sunday with Colonel Harrison, as it was then, and Lieut.-Col. Sam Merrill as-sisting. I have often heard General Harrison ofl'er up the prayer for the boys' welfare and protection down there on those Soutliern fields, so far away from home, and many times have heard him address the boys in place of the chaplain. Never to my knowledge, in all the trying times of war, did I ever see one thing from him unliecoming a Chris- tian. I think the battlefield and the camp bring out wliat there is in a man about as well as anything can, and I liave seen General Harrison tested in every way. As a soldier courageous, sympathetic and enduring, the army had m< better." " How was he a^ a disciplinarian ? " 12 " Going out as he did, a civilian and without any military training whatever, he became one of the closest students of the science and art of war there was in the army. As he does in everything else, he threw his whole heart into the work of making himself a proficient officer and his regiment a well disciplined body of men. And he succeeded in an eminent degree in both instances. General Harri- rison was a very sympathetic man. Whenever a soldier was hurt in the discharge of his duty none was readier to offer sympathy than he. And as a result of this trait of his character he always looked after the welfare of his regiment with scrupulous care. He never went to bed at night without knowing that the boys were going to have as good a breakfast as could be secured in the morning. You can rest assured these were favors that were appreciated by his men. Scattered over the country as the regiment is, I dare say the news of the old commander's nomination will recall a thousand tender memories of the days of 1863, '64 and '65." KIND AND COURAGEOUS. Richard M. Smock, who was a member of General Harrison's regiment, in re- lating some incidents of army life, relates the following incident: "In the winter of 1863-4 we were encamped near Nashville. As all who were there at the time will remember, it was one of the coldest winters on record. Hundreds of soldiers perished while on picket duty. I remember that during one of the coldest nights I was on picket and suffered greatly with the cold, when I saw a man approaching from the direction of the officers' headquarters. I halted him and when he gave the countersign and advanced I saw it was General Harrison. He had a large can filled with hot coffee, and when I asked him what he was doing he said he was afraid some of the pickets would freeze to death, and he knew some hot coffee would help the men to keep alive. He was the most welcome visitor I ever met, for I really believe I would have frozen before morning had not the coffee been brought. After leaving me the General passed on to all the other pickets and cheered them up with the beverage. Hia act was one of kindness. The men on duty were nearly all from his regiment, and his personal friendship for them in- duced him to get up out of his comfortable quarters in the dead of night, prepare that coffee and bring it to us. General Harrison was always in the thickest of the battle. I remember that on the 14th of May, the day before the battle of Resaca, our regiment was ordered to advance through a strip of woodland which ended at the foot of a hill. On the brow of an opposite hill were ths rebels, and the posi- tion which we were ordered to take put us in direct range of their guns. We were subjected to a terrific fire, and as we could see no reason why we should be com- pelled to occupy such an exposed position, many of us wanted to fall back. Gen- eral Harrison was with us, on foot, at the head of the column, and he said we would obey orders and stay there if we died. Our ranks were thinned by the bul- lets of the enemy, but we held our position, and (general Harrison never left his advanced position." HIS CARE FOR THE SOLDIERS. [Col. Samuel Merrill.] "In the army he was indefatigable in his care for the health of his men, and took pains to see that they were clothed, and that they were not imposed upon. His men all honored him greatly. Although they did not like his discipline, they liked him as a brigade commander in a fight. In regard to his discipline, he would be spoken of as a strict disciplinarian. He exercised great care to see that his m-en were supi)lied with clothing and food, and that sanitary hiws were ob- served. While other States had inlluence at Washington, and were pushing their officers ahead for high positions, the State of Indiana, having fewer general officers in proportion to the number of privates than any other State in the Union, did not push her officers into prominence, and the result was that, although General Harrison was as capable of commanding a corps as any of the corps commanders, his modesty and nnwillingnei-'s to ask for anything for himself kept him from taking th^ high position to which he was entitled and for which he was fitted. General Harrison is a member of George H. Thomas Post, of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is very popular among the soldiers of his own State, and he has never pushed himself forward in the Grand Army any more than he did in the field, but has left to others the seeking of official position. "In the march he was merciful, protesting against unnecessary haste. Frequently he would take the guns and accoutrements of some poor worn-out fellows and carry them before him on the saddle. Often I have seen him dismount and walk while a sick soldier occupied his place on the horse. Those who were ill in the field hospital testify that they were not forgotten by their kind commander, but that he was deeply interested in their recovery, constantly making inquiries as to their welfare and suggestions for their comfort. " He protected the private soldier from imposition by those in authority, as a father would his own children. Once when we had been cut ofT from our supplies for a long time the men became so ragged that it was pitiful to see them. At last a partial stock was received by the quartermaster. Some of the officers appropriated the pantaloons to their own use. As soon as this was known General Harrison com- pelled these lordly fellows to strip, and turn this clothing over to the rightful owners. If at any time he felt that he had wronged one, his sense of justice gave him no rest until he had repaired the injury. " He did not have a code of morals to be observed at home and negltctfd abroad, but there was the same purity of conduct and conversation while a soldier in the field, as when a citizen going through his daily round of duties, with all the sweet restraints of family and friends." RECOLLECTIONS OF A COMRADK. [Capt. ll.A. Ford.] "General Harrison was a brigade commander in our division of the Twentieth Army Corps, and I came to know him well. Indeed, 1 was indebted to his kind offices for the most interesting military association I had as adjutant and chief of stafi' to the celebrated Irish refugee, (ien. Thomas Francis Meagher. Harrison was a thoroughly kind }ind good man, very popular with his command, and a large army acquaintance. He was an able and courageous officer and I have no doubt that his prompt, well-directed action saved the day at Peach Tree Creek at a criti- cal moment of the Atlanta campaign. But for him I think our army on that field would have been cut in two, and at least one wing of it rolled up and badly shat- tered. " When Wood delivered his savage attack the colonel happened to be away from his brigade at an advanced position a little to the right held l)y Eastern troops. General Ward had been returned to the head of the division, and with his stafT, upon which I was then serving, was resting, unexpectant, upon a knoll in the rear. The first onset fell where Harrison was, and he, divining at once the character of 14 the attack, and the need of immediate resistance, came dashing down the hill on his splendid charger, riding down bodily a partly barred gate as he flew, and with- out an instant's hesitancy for orders, moved his brigade to the top of a short but sharp slope, at whose foot it had been halted, and forward until the enemy was met, as he was almost at once. Other troops connected speedily on the right and left, and here the impetuous rebel advance was stayed once for all. But I have always felt that if it had had the advantage of a charge down the slope upon our unpre- pared lines they would have been driven in hopeless disorder into anti across the deep stream in our rear, and the battle would, in all probability, have been lost. " Harrison was the hero of Peach Tree Creek, which made him a brigadier. He was the senior field officer in the brigade at the previous battle of Kesaca, bore him- self gallantly in one of the most desperate and deadly charges of history, that which captured the redoubt and four guns, and took command of the force after General Ward had been wounded and retired from the field. His service through- out was honorable and efiicieut, and would have advanced him to a more promi- nent position had he been an older man. ■ I am sure that no one met him in those ect, while it d(K?s not repel liking. 1 do not believe it possible to find a man in Indianapolis who does not know him, at least 20 by sight, and yet the General was never known to enter a saloon in the city. His public prominence has no back passages leading to it that start in'the slums and wind through the devious ways of ward politics. "As his personal character has been of singularly even growth, the result of an upright nature full of generous traits, governed by an even temperament and sub- jected to an iron will, so his popularity and his influence over men are the natural result of a clear, simple, commanding mental and spiritual stature. " His manner is frank and cordial ; his greeting warm ; his whole bearing at- tractive. He has a singular faculty of making friends. He has all the courtesy of good will to others. Not only are his friends legion, but they have the warm- est attachment to him as he has to them. He is a somewhat reticent man as to his own affairs, and does not impart inmost confidences to a stranger. His long legal training has made him deliberate and cautious in that respect, and he is not ef- fusive. But he is a friendly, sociable, unassuming American gentleman. "The visitor to General Harrison's house will scarcely have crossed the threshold before he discovers another trait of his character. As the ostensible master of the house walks through the hall the real king of the establishment appears — Benja- min McKee, the General's grandson, whose experience of this life spans only fifteen months. The baby crows when he sees his grandfather, and every trace of the busy lawyer and dignified statesman disappear in an instant as the child is lifted in his welcoming arms. Then there is a romp with the baby for half an hour. The General's fondness for children is not limited to his own descendant. Every boy and girl in the neighborhood knows him and loves him, as he knows and loves them all. There is something in the sweet innocence and unconscious trust of childhood that has a peculiar charm for this husband and father. There is some- thing in his kindly way and protecting manner that must have a peculiar charm for childhood. Mrs. McKee, the young mother of this petted grandson, is a tall, slender, graceful lady, with dark hair and eyes, and a social charm that would be difiicult to describe." A GOOD PEN PICTURE. [Boston Advertiser.] '' General Harrison is a man slightly under medium height. His figure, how- ever, is very broad and compact. His large head is set well down between his broad, high shoulders, as his neck is very short. His face is of an almost deadly pallor, although the Senator enjo^^s excellent health. It is the complexion of a recluse. His eyes are a grayish blue, deeply set under a very prominent bulging ft)rehead. His nose is straight, slightly curving outward, and square at the end. His thin-lipped mouth is shaded by a very light, long, curling moustache, while the lower part of his face is hidden in a long, sandy, gray beard. The hair upon his head is of the same color, and is combed very smoothly tight to his head so as to show plainly the outline of the skull. He always dresses plainly in black, and has a great fashion of walking up and down the Senate chamber with his hands in his pockets." LIKES HIS HOME. [Special in Pittsburg Dispatch.] "The General has a strong prejudice in favor of Indianapolis as to other things besides base ball. It was shown by a remark he let fall to the correspondent to-day : ' It has often been suggested to me that I should go to New York,' he said, ' but I don't think I could do it. I'm a fellow that roots deeply, I think it 21 would almost break my heart to have to leave this home and start a new one somewhere else. I suppose I could make more money in New York, but I don't think it would repay me for my home.' " HIS DEMOCRATIC AVAYS. [Indianapolis Special in Pittsburg Dispatch. 1 " A story was told by one of his friends to-day illustrating General Harrison's simplicity of life. .A. week ago, it is said, a Catholic Church fair was about to be opened here, and the managers asked a number of leading men, including ex- Governor Porter, Governor Gray and General Harrison to make speeches upon the occasion. General Harrison also would be most happy. The committee hinted that if he would name a convenient hour a carriage would be in waiting. 'Oh, never mind that,' said the General, ' thi« is for a benevolent object, and there is no need of spending any of ihe money for a carriage for me. I had just as lief go in a street car.' " IMPRESSIONS OF A MASSACHUSETTS DELEGATE WHO CALLED AT INDIANAPOLIS EN ROVTE HOME. [Boston Special to New York Tribune.] " J. Henry Gould, one of the Massachusetts delegates to the national convention at Chicago, did not return to Boston until Friday. After the convention ad- journed he went to Indianapolis, where he congratulated General Harrison, for whom he had voted from first to last, and took part in a great ratification meeting. He was the only member of the Massachusetts delegation to visit Indianapolis at that time. When asked, upon his return to Boston, what he thought of the action of the convention, he said : "'The nomination of General Harrison was the best possible solution of the question before the national convention, and prevented heart-burnings in the party. I took the position that the doubtful States should be consulted on the selection of candidates, as those States would really be the battle-ground for the campaign. I adhered to this view from the time of leaving home until the nominations were made. I had the confidence of General Harrison's managers and attended all their conferences, and am glad to say that his candidacy was conducted in the most honorable manner. They antagonized no other candidate, conse