Crawfordsville Record, Volume 4, Number 34, Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, 16 January 1836 — Page 1

CRAWFORD

RECORD "LIBERTY AND UNION NOW AND FOREVER, ONE AND INSEPARABLE."

SVILLE

Volume IV. Number 34.

PUBLISHED WEEKLY, BY I.F. WADE, At $2.00 per annum, payable in advance, or within three months after the time of subscribing; $2.50 within the year; or $3.00 after the year expires. No paper will be discontinued, unless at our option, without special notice and pay - ment of all arrearages. Advertisements

Not exing 12 linc Buren, of New ville almost totally disregarded. tZ&SJtoZ"- CC j York! The claims of these gentle-1 During the excitement consequent Ot-ADVERTisEMENTs, for a limited time, or, men, so far , only, as pertains to j upon such a state ot affairs, he from a distance, must be paid for in advance, tj)eir con(jnct as public servants, we commenced his gubernatorial caotherwise they will be continued at the cx-j gjiaj jnvesijfTale Nvjln camncss, ! reer, under the imposition of more fJbSstk- ! candorand impartiality. - important and responsible duties, - I General Harrison, at an early j than, since the establishment of our AX ADDRESS j period of his life, exhibited many of j national confederacy, have been ! timer hnl1 n A -.ti in rrtnc t r:i i t ' fll t rilSlod tO the liailds of aflV OIW

TO THE PEOPLE OF INDIANA, BY THE HARRISON CONVENTION. Fellow citizens: Twelve months will not have elapsed when you will be again called on to select, from among yourselves, a chief executive magistrate. This is a duty, the most responsible of those which pertain to freemen, and is interesting and important, because vested in you by the constitution of your common country. It has been deposited in your hands to preserve and perpetuate the form of government bequeathed, as a patriot legacy, from your fathers of the revolution, and as a guarantee against encroachments upon your sovereign power. And, although difference of opinion and honorable competition may have separated and divided many of you, upon subjects of a political character, yet that reorganization of parties which now exists, requires of you an investigation, impartial and deliberate, of the leading principles of national policy, by which your country has been distinguished since the most trying times of its history. The liberty and happiness of yourselves, and of the successive generations who may follow you, do not depend upon the rise and fall of parties, or the malignity and rancor which signalize and sustain their conflicts. The permanency and security of your happiness is only to be effected and maintained by a prevention of every infraction upon your rights, or any transfer of your legitimate sovereignty into the hands of those, the substitution of whose opinions for your own, would subvert every principle of constitutional law and freedom. It is important to your best interests, that every individual amongst you should understand the real questions involved in the ensuing presidential contest. To conceal those questions, would be dangerous to your institutions, and lay the foundation for that most dangerous heritage to your posterity a disorganized and dissevered government. It is not a struggle for party ascendancy. It does not assume the character of a mere party contest. It is an effort, upon the one hand, to wrest from vou the dearest of your rights; and, upon the other, to perfect the security of your sovereign power. It is an exertion, upon the one hand, to secure the triumphs of a self-created band, and upon the other, the preservation of law and equal justice. It is a struggle, against the immediate interests of the WEST, and especially of Indiana, and upon the other hand, their protection & permanence. It is a war upon the one hand, against the .constitution of your country, and, upon the other, the prevention of every inroad upon the dear-bought privileges of freemen. A selection from among the candidates already proposed, of one to preside over your destinies for four years succeeding the expiration of the term of the present administration, involves considerations too important to be overlooked or disregarded. There are two individuals, each of whom is likely to be-

CRAWFOR

come prominent in the west, in the estimation of their respective friends. Both of these are now fairly before the people of the Uni- ted States, and the one or the other you will, most likely, be compelled to select. One is general William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, and the of character, which were so prominentlv developed in his father, during the progress of the revolution-

ary war. Descended from one, jans, and caused the relinquishment whose firmness in the cause of; of their title to the immense fertile freedom was fully tested in the! valleys of the Wabash and White times that gave birth to our country rivers, which, at this day, afford the and its liberty, the distinguished re- j most ample means for agricultural publicans of '76 soon directed their j industry, and are the homes ot a attention to him, as one capable of: population second to none in ensubserving the purposes of govern- terprise, and in their love of repub-

ment nriri nrnmotinor tho. rnds forlhoan institutions. It wasforscrvi-

which it was originated and de- signed. Accordingly, in 1797, when but twenty-four years of age, he was appointed secretary to the Northwestern territory, which, at that time under the government of general St. Clair, comprised the whole of that extent of territory northwest of the Ohio river, which now constitutes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and the territory of Michigan. Having served in that capacity for two years, during which time his conduct afforded abundant evidence of superior talent and ability, he was elected a delegate to represent the territory in congress. It will be recollected, that at this time, no less than four thousand acres of land could be sold, by the laws of the United States, except fractional sections on river banks. This afforded to the speculator every opportunity of converting the labor and industry of the honest and hard working settler to his own profit and emolument, and completely divested the poor man of the power to secure a home and a competency. The practical disasters incident upon this system were witnessed by general Harrison --and he sagaciously foresaw its ruinous effects upon the new and western states, if persisted in, during the progress of their settlement. Consequently, upon his entrance into congress, he procured the passage of a law, providing that onehalf of the public lands should be . sold in sections of six hundred and forty acres, and the other half in half sections of 320. This was the only plan that could, at that time, be adopted, in consequence of the rival interest created in the east through a fear of the too rapid settlement of the west. It was the result of compromise and concession, and was the origin and establishment of that system which increased the population of the territory beyond a parallel, and still provides a home for the industrious and honest man. During the same session (1800) the territory of Indiana was separated from the Northwestern territory, and, in 1801, general Harrison was appointed its governor. Invested, by that appointment, with almost unlimited power, he undertook the discharge of the important duties thus devolved upon him, with a determined resolution to effect the security of the white settler, and promote the happiness of the Indian native. He found the five thousand souls, who, at that time, were the entire population of the territory, in constant fear of depredation, and the various tribes of savages, interspersed throughout the country, existing under the influence of those arts of villainy which had been unremittingly practised by the

DSVILLE, INDIANA, JANUARY 16, 1836.

British superintendant of Indian affairs for Upper Canada, in order to secure their alliances, in the event of an open rupture with the U. States. Every principle of amity had been violated, in the connection between the natives and the white traders, and the treaty of Green-

man. He set about, and after the most indefatiguable exertions, ef-

fected the conciliation of the Indices like these--services affording a remedy for those unfortunate difficulties which had hitherto frustrated every effort to secure a correct administration of the law, that produced a commission from the war department of the United States, in 1802, giving to the governors of the Northwestern, Indiana, and Mississippi territories, the entire "superintendance of all business relating to the Indians in their respective territories," and an accompanying complimentary letter to general Harrison, from Thomas Jefferson, then president of the United States, in which that profound philosopher and venerated statesman says:--"Of the means, however, of 'obtaining what we wish, you will 'be the best judge, and I have giv'en you this view of the system 'which we suppose will best pro'mote the interest of the Indians 'and ourselves, and finally consol'idate our whole country into one 'nation, only that you may be ena'bled to adapt your means to the 'object. For this purpose we have 'given you a general commission 'for treating." While engaged in the discharge of that commission, opnornl ITrirrisnii vn flriirvnr1 tr k M M. -m -M. V. m h w a " V V jl I t V -9 J encounter all the difficulties incident to the peculiar character of the natives. Had they been permitted to judge for themselves of the benevolent policy of our government, they would soon have perceived its benefits, and yielded to the appeal so forcibly made to them by general Harrison, at the treaties of the Wabash and Fort Wayne. But excited to insurrection among themselves, and the feelings of the government misrepresented to them by insidious and villainous white men, who had become their associates, they manifested the most harrassing impatience for war, and refused to relinquish their claim to the western domain. These difficulties, however, were gradually overcome by the perseverance and firmness of general Harrison, and small portions of territory were occasionally ceded, until the right of domain to the Mississippi river was permanently secured, From this time to the cession of Louisiana, general Harrison was constantly engaged in reconciling the Indians to the pursuits of agriculture and the practice of morality. He succeeded in the reformation of their habits to such a degree, that the most powerful chiefs were known to deliver the offenders of their various tribes into his hands for punishment. His duties, however, were destined to become still more arduous. In 1803 the province of Louisiana, by a treaty between the United States and the consular government of France, with all its islands and dependen-

cies, was ceded to the U. States.--The country thus added to the

lands of the southwest, was annexed to the territory of Indiana, and the authority of general Harrison was consequently extended from the straits of Michilimacinac to the gulf of Mexico, embracing a tract of country four hundred and fifty thousand square miles in extent, and now constituting the states of Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, and the territories of Michigan and Arkan-sas--which now sustain a population of two and half millions of souls. Here he had to encounter all the various prejudices peculiar to the people of the frontier settlements, who were congregated from every portion of the union--some for gain and speculation, and others as daring adventurers. The manner in which he discharged that duty is sufficiently evidenced by the many complimentary letters written him upon its termination, and the frequent appeals made to him to induce his continuance in office. Although the appointment of all public officers, the judges of the territory excepted, was reposed in his hands, yet he appealed, in every instance, to the people, to whom the right of selection properly belonged, and was never known to appoint any individual to office, who had not received the free and unbiased suffrages of his fellowcitizens. In this he put into practice those principles, which he had imbibed in his childhood, and evidenced by his acts that he regarded the unlimited exercise of power, by one man, as an act of usurpation, tending to the overthrow of every privilege secured by the war of the revolution. In 1805, the territory of Indiana resolved on entering upon a second grade of government, and a legislative council, of ten persons, was proposed by the house of representatives. The names of the individuals thus nominated were forwarded to the president of the United States, who returned them to gen. Harrison, confiding the entire power of selection in his hands. And thus Mr. Jefferson, again, gave demonstrations of his entire confidence in the integrity, patriotism and fidelity of gen. Harrison. Upon the assembling of the council and house of representatives, he delivered a message of some length which may now be seen in the archives of your state, and which contains those sound principles of state policy, by the adoption of which you have become what you are. This was an important crisis in the history of your country, and a crisis, too, which fully tested the public virtue and integrity of general Harrison. The early settlers of the territory had subsisted under the most trying and afflictive circumstances for a number of years. The warwhoop of the savage had startled the infant from its slumber, and the fond parent too often found it weltering in its blood--a prey to the fury of a fiendish foe. The corn field of the husbandman was guarded with the rifle of the pioneer, and every ingress and egress of the white man was at a peril incapable of being borne but by the stoutest hearts. Under this state of things society could not long have remained, and it was the duty as well as the object of general Harrison to remove them, and throw around the disaffected and the jealous, a shield of governmental protection. But individuals have not been wanting to accuse him of ambition and an anxiety for the possession of power. Did he, at this time, evidence the influence of motives unpatriotic, unworthy, or ambitious? Could he not have exercised the most supreme power which he possessed, to his own and the aggrandizement of his friends? Most certainly he

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spirit which guided him in after life, he rather chose to repose it in the hands of the people to whom it properly belonged. This he did by urging the adoption of a second grade of government, and sharing that power which had been entrusted to him by the national government, with a legislative council and house of representatives. From this until the actual breaking out of hostilities between the whites and the Indians, the intermediate time was devoted, by gen. Harrison, to removing the defects in the militia system of the territory removing the property qualifica- tion of voters in Indiana, and extending the right of suffrage to every freeman--settling conflicting questions between the whites and the natives--securing the correct administration of justice and law, and guarding against the insidious efforts of Tecumseh to incite his countrymen to deadly conflict. Upon the breaking out of hostilities with the Indians, gen. Harrison was appointed, by the governor of Kentucky, in 1812, commander-in-chief of the Kentucky militia, which appointment was subsequently approved by the legislature of that state. A very few months had elapsed after the reception of this appointment, when he received from Mr. Madison, then president of the United States, the appointment of commander-in-chief of the Northwestern army. In 1813 he was the successful commander at the siege of Fort Meigs, where he displayed that superior military skill, which had previously distinguished him at Tippecanoe, and afterwards at the battle of the Thames. In the same year, and while prosecuting the arduous duties pertaining to his station, the governor of Kentucky--the venerated Shelby, the lamented hero of King's mountain--called around him thousands of his brave and chivalrous Kentuckians, and marched to the banner of Harrison, under whose command he immediately placed himself and troops.--Forced marches for four or five days ensued this union of the two gallant veterans the one a hero of the revolution, the other a disciple of the gallant Wayne, until, on the ever memorable 5th of October, they achieved a glorious victory over the forces of Great Britain and their savage allies. The remaining portion of general Harrison's character as a commander, is well known to Indianians. They will never forget the battle-fields within their borders, which remain a lasting monument of his renown. Upon the defeat of the Indians, general Harrison returned to private life, where, in the capacity of a plain and unassuming farmer, he remained, with the exception of having served a few years in the house of representatives of the United States, and in the legislature of Ohio, until elected, by the latter body, to the senate of the United States. While there, he sustained with ability, and supported every proposition, having for its object the advancement and promotion of western interests. He voted in favor of a graduation OF THE PRICE OF THE PUBLIC LANDS, the DONATION OF THEM TO ACTUAL SETTLERS, and the CESSION OF THE REFUSE LANDS TO THE STATES IN WHICH THEY LIE, FOR PURPOSES OF INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT AND EDUCATION. He supported the CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL ROAD THROUGH OHIO, INDIANA, AND ILLINOIS, and voted in favor of APPROPRIATIONS FOR ITS CONTINUATION.--He voted in favor of the DONATION OF PUBLIC LANDS TO OHIO, FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF HER MIAMI CANAL, AND TO INDIANA FOR HER WABASH AND ERIE CANAL. He voted in favor of "settlement and preemption rights" to the industrious settler of the west. And he voted for every measure affording protection to the western states. From this station general Harrison was called, in 1828, by Mr. Adams, who appointed him envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to the republic of Colombia, in South America, from which station he was recalled in 1829. Since his return to the United States, he has continued to pursue the honorable occupation of an agriculturist, and has only consented, in consequence of the united acclamations of so many of his countrymen, to become a candidate for the most elevated office within the gift of a free people. The most prominent competitor of gen. Harrison, for the vote of Indiana, is Martin Van Buren, of New York. And who is Martin Van Buren? He is the candidate of the officeholders and office-expect-ants, who nominated him for the presidency, at a convention assembled in the city of Baltimore, in May last. The first account we have of his political life, is while he was a member of the senate of New York, at the time when Mr. Clinton was nominated as the federal candidate for the presidency, in opposition to Mr. Madison. The support he then gave Mr. Clinton, afforded abundant evidence of that spirit of opposition to the institutions of his country, which was most prominently developed in the conduct of those with whom he was united. Shortly after the success of Mr. Madison, and during the prosecution of the war, Rufus King, of New York, (for whom Mr. Van Buren voted) was elected to the senate of the United States, avowedly opposed to the administration. Upon his entrance

could. But, impelled by the same