Newspapers / Highland Messenger (Asheville, N.C.) / July 15, 1842, edition 1 / Page 2
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s i ttiore waa realty bo much of tho frank Wit Kara. Cartuiou left, that niy observations, at tho moment, resulted in ho unwelcome bus-j-icions. In the course of our short inter :". view, old recollections were revived, old scenes rehearsed, and new subjects, Intro iluccd. Carluton was so brilliant, sa hap. - py, and sot much like his former self, that ut tho end "of an hour I had rjulte forgotten tho embryo impression? excited at the mo ment ef meeting.': . x '.--"- In tbo evening I was at his house. - If rny jittcmipiL bad Jkscol arrcstcdon roecUlflH8erabIo levity would at timesproYokcy5rfr in? Carluton, by somo undcfinablo altera- tion in his appoaranco, it was doubly so . when Caroline, or Mrs. Carleton, made her upjKiarance in the silting room. She was cheerful, but hcrchccrfulncss seemed rathor Ibrccd than spontaneous. Her brow was slightly clouded, and her beautiful blue eyes appeared moro fixed and cast down than formerly. Slio affected" to bo gay, "but evi. Gently it required an cfiort to be so -There was, too, an oppcarniico of marked sub mission, mingled with (car, in her manner, ultogtiher unlike- liar wonted, hearty ebul litions of feeling. 'I thought I could per ceive, also, that when her eyes met ihoso of Carleton, there was an appearance of nomeuung hko shrinking, or restraint, as though thiire.were certain bounds beyond was not right 1 noticed again the unnatu ral flush on CarlctonV face. It was now inure apparent than at our meeting in the morning. A sudden conviclton of the truth (lashed across my mind. I did not embody the ideas I gave it'rio language, but there it was enthroned like a demon, a nu as in cfiuccnhlc ns the impress of eternal trutli Carelan teas a drunkard,. Of this tcrriblo trutli I obtained evidence enough on tho following morning. I need not repeat it hero. I left the villago and saw no moro of him for several years; and when subsequently I did, he was a pcrfoct wreck, both in person and in fortune. In deed I never saw a moro disgusting lump of humanity. Bloated, filthy and brutUh, ho had been at different times, an inmate . f the work-house, thcj iil, and the house of correction, from all of which he came forth seven-fold more a monster of dopra vity, than when ho. entered cither. Poor Caroline! slio had drained tho cun of wretchedness to tho very dregs ! She had been driven from her pleasant home her furniture and wardrobe", piece after piece, had passed out of her possession, till at last fittc and her little boy were tenants of a ' miscrablo hovel in a remote corner of her native town.' To their abode Carluton would at times find his way ; and there, in stead of meeting frowns and reproaches, instead of being repulsed and driven from the door, as an outcast and a scourge, she, who in the budding hour of womanhood, had sworn fidelity and love before the altar rf her Cod, extended to the lost inebriate, the hand of affection and kindness. There, ho who had sunk in tho scale of Humanity, even lower than the most degraded of his species, was warmed and nourished, by the very being whosotropes and aspirations he :Jaa JorcVcrCTUsbeU!WunanLjJiau artT indued, an enigma! All weakness when danger appears in the distance, but indo mitablo in tho hour of trial ! From tho lips of Mrs. Carleton herself., I learnt the sickening story of her long years of suffering and wretchedness, yet in the recital, not ono unkind expression, not a singlo term of reproach, cscapod her lips whilo speaking of her hatband. For Ins conduct fcho offered no excuses nothing in palialion of his dreadful courso of life, and whatever might havo been her hopes, she gave utterance to no expectation that he would ever again return to tho sober walks of life. Tho rich overflowing of her buoy, ant heart seemed forever dried up, or crush ed bmcath a load of misery , for whose nbr leviation, time, the lost prop of the wretch eJ, had brought none of its healing balm. With tliu interview closed my acquaint. ico Avirtrthis once interesting family. Ytr roUod a way n4 14ftd easednt mly- Uxlhifik of their condition, except perhaps at long iutcrvals, when some kindred inci dent culled to mind tho ruin of tlioso in whoso welfare I had accidentally ocqiircd no inconnidcrable interest. Inn word, they became to mo as though they had never been. In the cnursc of lant summer I had occa ftion to visit tho interior of Massachusetts. Arriving near nightfall at a small town in the county of , my horse jaded, and . ..- tnj'sclf in need of rcjr, I daw up at a - somewhat uninviting ntrti3 tinuw, the only, ono in the villago, wh're 1 ordered supper ' and demanded accommodations for the night. I noticed & considerable concourso . 1 f .1 it i . . oi people anoui tne nouso aim in mc puuiic - rtwrri, and fromthccionversfltion gitmg oTi7 learnt there was to be a temperance lecture ; thalcveningjiLthc town house, KtandingA fow rods distant from the hotel at which I had stopped. I enquired of my host who was to address tho meeting, whether a townsman of his or a stranger? r " A-strangcr, I reckon,' wos the reply. - VVo -havo nonc of that sort of animal in this town ; folks hero mind their own busi- LIICBS." " Do you know thenamo of the lcctur cr?" "Hav'nt asked," was the laconic an swer, and tho publican turned into bis lar, to serve a customer to a glass of brandy. Hy this timo tho room was nearly full. Somo were drinking, nnd others ridiculing tho great temperance movement, of which thoy had heard much and seen something. 1 soon perceived, however, that the cause had made littre or no progresf here, and I was well satisfied on another point, that those present, at least, wero determined it should not 5 I yet was pleased to notice when the hour arrived, that nearly all made their way to the town house; some perhaps to " create disturbance, nnd others to while u,way an Idle hour before taking their last ' glass for tho night With the crowd J passed over and took my scat in a rcmota corner of the building. The houso was soon filled to overflowing. The body of it was taken possession of by alaro concourse of ladies; whilo the outer scats and.gaIlaneaworQ occupied mostly by, men end boys. ; IN ear the main entrance, tatho broad aisle, within the building, stood some twenty or thirty tough looking men," with long beards, poorly clothed, and mani festing that sort of breeding usually picked up to grog shoos and low drinking houses. Their vulgar, merriment,' and lhcir over strained attempts at wit were insullerably disgusting. Dut what grieved mc most was to see the mala part oi the audience often join in the half suppressed laugh which their stead of discountenancing their ill-timed and shameful violations of propriety. But this scene was of short duration, for in the J ..' i I i f "! I. 1 - very jiiiosi 01 weir jutting uiiu jucruigwe lecturer itiadu his appearance,, in company. with a very respectable looking gentleman, who I afterwards understood was a citizen of the town, " Mako way for the slcam engine!" cried one of tho persons standing la tho.aislo, as tho lecturer was passing through tho crowd. " Now for a cataract of cold water !" ex claimed a companion at his elbow. 14 Landlord 1" shouted a third, " give us n nipper of gin cock-tail with a tomahawk in it.'; t ; , . . . . This last attempt at wit produced a gorie ral laugh which died, away in alow titter Iu the mean timo tho lecturer mounted the little dock at the farther end of the hall lie was a largo, elegnntly.formed, middle- aged man, with dark h;ur and dark eye brows, beneath which rolled a full mellow pair of eyes, as clear as a living undisturbed fountain of water. lie surveyed the audi cnee for a moment, then stepping upon tho raised platiorm, brought lnmseli to a speak, ing attitude within the nicho of the desli biCoro biin. lis commanding fkurc nr rested every eye; all tumult ceased, and each member as if spell. bound, suddenly hitamo as silent and motionless, as would htvo been so many marble statues ' I am here," commenced tho speaker, inp clear, strong, yet musical tone of voice, slightly inclining his body over the desk, " I am hero to relate the history of a drunk- aW of a drunkard wlio during 1 mg years of pnmitig.itcd inebriation, passed through all grades of human existence, from case ani affluence down to tho lowest depths of porcrty and wretchedness. In a word, yosr speaker is hero to relate the history of lusown deerauation. Willi this simple exordium, followed by a lew othor observations, tho lecturer en tend upon tho recital of the incipient steps in kis career ot ultimate inebriation, detail, ingin all tho simplicity of truth tho effects produced on himself, on his standing, and finally on his wife and family. Before the expiation of the first half hour, every thing butthe speaker and his subject appeared to have been forgotten, and as he went on, his own sober earnestness began to show itself on the focliogs of his audiencn. Whilo recounting tho first deviations Tromi the pat!) of sobriety his stated drains, and the gradual formation of that habit which in the end overwhelmed him and all concerned with hfm in otiecommorr yortcx of rui n those poor follows, standing in the aisle, to whom I havo before referred, ono aflcran- other began so near the speaker, till, with out concert, or knowing why, they formed one compact group, directly in front, and almost within reach of tho lecturer ! Such a scene 1 had never before witnessed, and I trembled, I confess, lest ho who had rais cd the storm should be able to control and direct it to tho end for which it had been excited. I was mistaken. Every new effort was crowned with now success. At length he spoke of the wrongs which intem perance had heaped on the heads and hearts of woman. lie. related with thrilling mmutencra the miseries which his own wife hnd endured, painted in lan(;iinjre as dark and gloomy n the sulijccT7t&TUie "flaTnpTTimelyliovct in which fr years hIic had resided, in tho midst of Hvcrty and wretchodncss j and then, as if suddenly impelled by an irrcistiblo flood of innpiration, gave utter, ance tp one of the most thrilling and lofty pane, gyries on women 1 ever heard. As ho viiuinnra--led ihi virtues thoir pfttient-emhirnnce of wronjr their angelic meekness in the hour of af fliction, their boldness in the midst ofdanger, their constancy, and more than all, their never- dying hope, his (light was fearfully grand, like mountain piled on mountain, while every hearer sat in breathless silence to hear the towering cli-' max of this brilliant display of eloquence, and pa. negyric. For my own part, I was wholly unpre. pared for this effort on the part of the speaker. I trembled at tho giddy height to which he had mounted, and sat with my hands grasping the railing, expecting every moment to sec him buried under tho weight of his own gorgeous encomium; but at this moment of intonso nnxiety, the speaker suddenly ou d on tho very summit of dys effort, and canting up'his eyes, exclaimed, in a tone c vrn painful from its clearness and energy, 1 Merciful Uod V whut 'an Inexhaustible fountain of kindness and liunevolenco hast Thou created in the heart of woman ! T!ie cfT.-ct was oloctrical, A slight stir through. out the house indicated the relief ol tho au !i;nrc, and I doubt whether, in a moment after, there was a tearless eye in that heterogeneous assembly. was the picture he had drawn, so giddy the height to which he had carried himself, and so cay and yet to majestic his. descent, that at tho instant of relief I started to my feet, and in a moment after found mysulf standing in a side, aialc within a few foet of the orator, Tho first sentence uttered of. tor this change of position arrested my attention. The sound of the sjicakcr's voice seemed familiar. I cast a scrutinizing glance at bis countenance another, and another my heart-was in mythroat the lecturer was Wm. Carleton ! At this moment of recognition I forgot myself forgot every thing. Here was the very man whom years before I had seen in the lowest depths of degradation, a burthen upon society, a disgrace tohis8ecics, and an object of pity to all who bad known him in his better days. llre he stood be fore me, rtdcrmtd, an apoetlo of temperance, drawing tears from all ryes, and captivating all hearts. ,On recovering' once more the. current of the discourse, I found the sjieaker.makiiig an appeal to the intemperate to come forward and put tneir names to the Reformed Drunkard's Constitution, a copy of which he threw upon the table before hira. He gave a plain onvnrniahed account of the rise and progress bf this new movement; spoke of. the hundreds of thousands to which the long catalogue of the ransomed had swollen along the shores of the Atlantic, and wonnd up by urging, once and again, all, howver low, however do, based, to begin that night the glorious work of re form. ' And now commenced a scene of thrilling in- tcrcst. t torn nrery part of the honso, men and even women, eagerly prcascd toward the table. The old inebriates already pointed out, whose bo- I lit Old meuriaica aircauy pwniea oui, w. i dies had been for years steeping in liquid fireand yonn men lutt oa ths threshold of deituietion, J one titer another, jdaeedTheir name upon that hold women leading up their husband, father tltclr son, and sister tb'eir brother All fear of nuiculo u forgotten conviction bad orcreoine every ether consideration t the bead and the heart were for the first time, perhaps, for many roar, found in harmony, and men did the bidding of tfaeir conscience ai in the day af Paul and hi associates hven ike Uindlora $M4 tear ! ' I noed not describe my interview i!h Carleton that nicbt. ; Wa both eta yed at the same house. occupied the same room, and excepting- a slight tinge or mcianciiully, 1 lound him H e sumo noble spirited leUow-ne was at our tirnt meeting twen ty year before.-- On the following" morning we parted, be to lubor elsewhere in tlie great cause to which be was devoting every thought, and I to pursue a tiresome tourney over the utmost inter. minable bills of Berkshire. On my return I could not resist tho temptation to take AI. in, my way, though soma twenty miles out of my direct route, 1 found Mrs. Carleton as described to me by her husband on the nwbt of our unexpected meeting at, goo was all life and animation. Hor soft blue eyes bad regained their wonted lustre, and tlio rich glow of her checks, a lit lie mellow ed by time and sorrow, indicated that nil was now right both within and without' They had return ed to the identical house formerly occujnrd by tlinin and their once bsaulilul little boy, just now his father's shop. Then happiness was complete And now. gcnUo reader, we will tako leave of Win, t urlcton, the Krjorinea Drunkard, adding only, that the truo original .of tho foregoing 4alo is now m one ol the .Middle states, laboring Willi unbounded success in the cause to which l'rovi To the Freemen of tlio Twelfth Congressional District of North Carolina: Fellow-Citizens : I am informed somo persons arcendeavorinrj toexcite publicprc judice, and make political capital out of the appropriations which Congress nvidoto do- Iny the funeral expenses of 1' resident liar- rison, and to pay the balance of one year s salary to his uged and aflhcted widow To prevent misapprehension I will briefly submit the facts and reasons which induced mo to vole forthoso appropriations. Tho hislory of Cqngircssional legislation abounds with similar instances, npproved and voted If or ly all jmrlics, from tho foundation-of the ( i jvcrnmcnl down to the present session I will mention a few prominent precedents, taken from the journals of Congress and now lor tho law and the testimony, Gen. Washington was President of the United States from the 4th day of March, 1783, until the 4th day of March, 1797 eight yearsr lie died in December 1799 nearly three years after his Presidentia term expired, and when ho was'a private citizen and yet, on tho 3 J day of Miy, law, umgrcss passed a law appropriating Uircc tlious.md two hundred dollars to defray tho expenses incurred in doing honor to tho memory of Gen. Washington. (See tho 3d volume of tho laws of llio United States, page 397. ) Congress likewise authorized, by joint resolutions, that a marble monument should be erected by the United States, in tho Cap. itol, to tho memory of Gen. Washington, and oopjr-of thosoTcsohftrons wnrrrrjl reel cd to bo transmitted to Mrs. Washington, entreating her to assent to the interment of the remains of Gen. Washington under that monument e-the samcToIumc, para 41U l George Clinton, the Vice President of the United States, who served during the last of Mr. Jefferson's nnd the first of Mr. Mad. ison's administrations, diod at Washington iu the year 1812, and ho was buried at the public expense. hlurulcc ucrry, another ice President of the United btatcs, el at Washington in tho year 1814, while riding in a carriage from his lodgings to tho Capitol ; and ho too was buried at the public expense, and a monument was also erected over his "rave by a special appropriation of Congress. In tho year 1812, the city of Caraccus, in South America, was nearly destroyed and atmiltilnted by ancorthrjtrae ;-andon the motion of Nathaniel Macon, who was remarkable for strict economy and strict construction, a resolution passed Congress by a unanimous vote, which caused an op pro;4aticmtjfift7hoTrsTncr dollars "ofthe public money to relievo the distresses and stifllii ins of hundreds nnd thousands of Hiinan beings in that distant and devoted city, who were 'houseless and homeless and starving for daily brcjid.l Well, if Con grcs had power to give and appropriate fifty thousand dollars of tho public money to relieve sufloring humanity among distant strangers in a foreign country, I presume it was right and proper, at least, to provide one year's allowance for an aged and dis. tressed widow inour own country, whowas the wife of a good and true old soldier. From the first establishment of tho scat of Government jn this city down to tha pre snttime, whenever a member of Congress dies hero during the session, he is, at the public expense, buried in the Congressional cemetery, or burying ground, and a monu- nicnt h erected over his grave to mark the spot where tlio remains of the deceased re pose, ond to indicate to near relatives and pilgrim strangers tho ombaTjflhosc-wlTg died in the service of their country, far dis. tanl from friends and home. The death and funeral of each member of Congress in this city costs the Government about nino hun- dred dollars- Living is dear in Washing. ton, but dyins is much dearer. Not only Presidents and members, but tho officers of Congress, have boen buried at the public expense, when they died in the public ser vice. I will state two instances which ap. pear upon the public journals, and are fresh in my own recollection. I alludo to the cases of Overton Carr, Doorkeeper of the House, and Stephen llaight, Sergeant at Arms of .the Sjuate. They were political friends of President Van Burcn, and died during bis administration, when ho had a majority in both branches cif Congress. The salary of each of these officors was fifteen hundred dollars per tinnum, to be estimated from the first Monday in Decem ber of every year. Overton Carr died in March, 1839, before the fourth month of his dutica bad been performed and yet Congress directed, not only that he should be buried at the public expense, but that his widow shauldus paid thcoalance of his sal- j . . ary up to the end of the session, just 03 on the verge of manhood, was buy t"wwridow-f-StfT7rien Haight, deceased, late though bo had lived to perform his year's work for the public. Tho case of Mr. Cnrr is a strong one, but case o(Mr4 Uaight la much stronger, to illustrate and sustain the appropriations now . tho subject of in. vestigation. Stephen llaight, a citizen of Vermont, waa the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate ; his annual salary was fifteen bun. dred dollar ; his timo of service began on the first Monday in December, 1810, ho died on tho .13th .day of January, 1841, about ono month and thirteen days after his public labors commenced, and ten months and a half before hijyearVwbrk: had teen finished, and before his full salary had be come duer Now, what did the Van Curcn Senate of tho United States say and do . in roistion to their deceased Sergeant at Arms? 1 will givo their own words from their own journal: 44 Senate of tue United States. January 13,1841 Resolved, That tlieSecrctary-of tho Sen. ate be directed to pa"y, '4s apart of the con. tingent expenses of the Senate, the sum of (ivo hundred dollars to the order of the borgeantat Arms of tho bonate, to del ray the expenses of placing his body in a pro. per manner, and in a secure coffintcarcful. ly protected, in the- public Vault in the Con gressional burying ground at Washington, and the expensoot tho transportatioTrof tlio body to his friends in Vermont,-and its buri al there ; and that tho Secretary be, and ho is hcreby,furthcr directed to pay to the said widow tho salary or the deceased lor tho residue of the term for which lie was elect ed." Amount paid under the above resolution to Anah llaight, widow of S.TIuight : For funeral expenses $500 15a I a nee of salary 1,373 Total 81,875 Now, fcllow-citizens, you perceive tho two cases just stated both occurred under the administration of President Vun Burcn, and are exactly the same in principle as that of the late President Harrison. They all died before their term of service ex pi red , and before their respective salaries became due, and yet they are buried at the public expense, and the widow of each of those olhccrs was paid that balance of the salary which her husband wouldj have re ceived if Pjovidencc had spared his life to the end of his official year. - It appears to mo that tho long services and high public station of President Harrison should, at least, entitle him and his widow to the same rule of justice that has been awarded by his enemies to a doorkeeper under the admin istration of President Van Durcn. It is a bad rule that won't work both ways. This is no new principle. Precedents ore nu merous in the history of tho Republic. During tho list' war, Oliver Hazard Per. ry, a captain in (he navy, won a most splen did victory for his country, and captured the entire British fleet on Lake Eric. Very soon after that nnval victory ho joined the army under Gen. Harrison, and acted as one of his nids in the glorious battle of the lhamcs. Perry died in 1819, nnd Con gross granted to his widovan aiicyTfp du. ring her natural life, and also to each of his four children until they severally came of age; making about one thousand dollars a year to the family. Mrs. Perry is still liv ing, and I hope may long continue to enjoy the bounty which a grateful country con ferrcd for the noble sorviccs rendered by her gallant husband. Perry and Harrison were fellow-soldicrs and brothcr-herocs. -One conquered upon tho water, and tho other upon tho land. Now, I think, if it was right to grant relief to Mrs. Perrv for Itje, it could not have been wrong to give airs. Harrison one year s allowance. In tho year 1828, Jacob Brown, the com.' manding general of the army of tho United States; whose" salary iraFdbouTs i x th ousaTi J dollars per annum, died soon after his yearly service began, nnd long before the end of the year when his whole salary would havo been duo. Congress appropriated to the wiuow oi uen. Drown me uuiancc ov tne salary which would have been due her hus band at the end of that year. The acts for the relief of Mrs. Brown and Mrs. liar rison are precisely the same in principle. My distinguished and lamented predeo.es. sorTtho Hon. Samuel P. Carson, Gov. Mc Dulhe, Gov. Hamilton, and many of tho most prominent politicians, of that day voted for the appropriation to relievo Mrs. Brown. Tho same just principle and pa- triotic policy has been practised, not only among the. high officers of the republic, but among the faithful soldiers. AVhcn a sol- dicr dies in the public service, or is tilled battling for his country, he too is buried ot the public expense. But a grateful country docs not stop there. The Government an nually makes an appropriation to pay pen sions to our old officers and faithful soldiers as long as they live; and. afAcjLlhGg-axfi- dend and gone, then many of their widows receive pensions in consideration of tho public services rendered to the country by their gailant husbands. Now, with such lights and'such examples before the nation, let mo ask what manner of man was President Harrison, that we may understandinglyeterminc-what public respect should . bo paid to his memory and extended to his family. Harrison has serv ed his country in almost every capacity, from an ensign to a major general, and from a delegate to a President. His long and useful life has been chiefly devoted to his country, and not to the acquisition of wealt h. He owned a good tract of land, and rery little other property . He once had a large family, though death had reduced the num ber of his children, and greatly increased and multiplied his cares and troubles by throwing on his hands and protection the widowed wives and infant orphans of his own children. There were Ciree wid. oust and rune often grandchildren, allAcpen dent on him for support and education. One of those widows was the daughter of the gallant Gen. Pike, who was killed in battle on the northern frontier during the last war with tho British. Harrison had adopted into his family a poor youth, Neville, the grandson of Gen. Daniel Mor- can, the hero of the baltlo of tbo Cowpens. Vhcn 'William Henry Harrison, a private citizen, and farmer of Ohio, with very limi ted means, was laboring to support and edui cato this 'very interesting- little flock," of fatherless and fortuneless children, he was called and elected, by an overwhelming majority of the people of the United States, to preside over this groat republic. He was welcomed and installed into his high office. Tho confident hopes and sanguine anticipations of the future were directed towards tho patriot President fresh from the peopler- But the-nncertaintjrof ifo like an April day, at ono hour shows forth all tho beauty of tho sun, and by and by a cloud takos all away, teaching us mortals ' what shadows wo are, and whatshadows we pur sue.,r On tho 4th day of ipril, 1841, Pre. sident Harrison died. II Jj sun then set to rise no more forever. The death of such a man, at such a timo, in iuch an eminent station , was a national calapity.. Tlio qurSr tion still recurs, what waa,to be done with the dead body of Gen. Harrison; what for his disconsolate widew; npd what for tho ate Widew: njid wnat tor MO descendants of Ilarrjon, Pike, and -Morf Congress not being in scision when Pre. sident Harrison died, ais Clbinct issued the following order: j " Wqxhitigpn-;!AprilA,lQil ' u The Marshal of the District of Colum bia will superintend tho funeral ceremonies of tho late President of the United States, and will proceed to make all the necessary arrangements. Whatever expenses shall bo necessarily incurred will bo paid." Tho Marshal (Gen. Hunter) is a decided friend of President Van Duren, nnd a very honornbld man. He made all the necessa ry arrangements, and caused whatever ex pense was incurred in tho funeral ccrcrno". niesof President Harrison. All that Con gress did in this matter was to appro priate throe thousand and eighty-eight dol lars and nino cents to pay the items in the account sanctioned and presented by Gen. Hunter. That sum appears largo, but it is near two hundred dollars less than Congress appropriated in May, ISOO, to pny funera' honors to the memory of Gcri. Washington, If your father died a great distance from home, among strangers, and was decently buued, you would dislike to dispute tl,T nc count if somo of the items were high When a great and good man dies while presiding over seventeen millions of people it is not expected the funeral will be ono of ordinary character; but such ceremonies should be manifested as will be respcclfu to his station, and to the Government and people over which he presided. But, at al events, I do not think it becomes the politi col friends of President Van Buren to en. deavor to make political capital out of the amount of this oppropriation, when the whole, expenditure was caused and made tin. der the direction of Gen. Hauler, one of their own party. Congress, at the beginning of tho extra session of 184I, resolved, by a unanimous vote, to hnng black crape over the Speaker s chair of each House ; and that each mem bcrwould wear crape on -his-left nTrrr," for thirty days, as a mark of respect to tho memory of President Harrison. AH that was done nt the public expense. Now, l apprehend it will puizlo loco foco logic to convince any body that it was right to vote and appropriate public money to buy erapo for two hundred atd ninety four members of Congress to wear mourr.ing for President Harrison, and yet it vas not right to buy one winding sheet to enshroud the deud body of that same President! Away with nil political Phamccs llcy often have the people iu their mouths,and seldom in their hearts, lbnt man mist have tho disposi tion of a hyena who can dig into tho grave and uncoffin tho dead to nnkc political capi-tolp-p9rty -pnrposes-. rlf 'rr biTrou:r,"bittCT party man has a natural passion to play low game, and net the demogue, let him sc loct some other place ftr his theatre than the grave-yard, and son other subject than -distressed widows and hdp!esorphansr"it must be a ad cause that itquires a Christian to turn Turk. Harrison was a Soldior, nn officer, and a President. According to thCdeclaration of Col. II. M. Johnson, hdwon moro battles than any other general during tho last war. His first commission was from Washington, and hjs last from the people of the United States. ' To do justice to the family of the deceased, Congress had only to follow tho precedents prescribed in the cases to which I have referred ; that is, the widow of Com modore Perry, the widow of den. Brown, i the widow of Overton Carr, and the widow of Stephen llaight. To relieve the widow of thellate President, (herself surroundod by indigent widows and orphans,) Congress appropriated to Mrs-Harrison the balance of the President's salary. Tlio whole amount of the salary is twenty. five thousand dotla rtuTCoWreson1yallp wed the wido w . ,t. -,.fiii tne naiance oi mat sum wmcn nau ocen paid prior to' the passage of that act- m Mrs. Harrison was entitled to that appttinria- tion, not only, upon former precedents and patri- otic principles, but in consideration of sacrifices made, and compensation for large sums 01 money expended, and debts contracted by Uen. Harrison in making necessary arrangements preparatory to entering on the public jluties of President of the u 11 iled Males, v nen a private man is compelled to kave home for four yean at one time, be must make great sacrifices, and necessarily neglect much private business, aa well as make large out lays to meet out fits before going from home. If a private individual has to encounter heavy losses and expenditures in anticipation of such a pro tracted absence. What must have been the enor. mous sacrifice and expenditures of a plain farmer, of limited circumstances, like Gen Harrison, when he was breaking up bis borne, and going to live in the Presidential mansion, where custom and public duty required him to see and entertain, not only hundreds of American citizens, but foreign ministers from all the courts of the civilized world. Upon this very same principle, when any citizen of the United State is appointed a foreign min ister to any foreign country, he receives by ap propriation from Congress 18,000 for the first year that is $3,000 or his outfit, or preparatory arrangements, and $9,000 salary for each year he acts in that capacity and then one quarter of that salary when b returns borne. In tho year 1835, Wm. T. Barry, of Kentucky, was appoint, edby Gen. Jackson our minister to Spain. Mr. Barry left the United States, and got as fax as Liverpool in England, where he died, but never reached Spain. Well, Government thun paid nirvo thousand dollars- for bis outfit, kis mAurj m to bis death, and a quarter of his salary to defray the expenses of bis fuinily back to the Uiiiu j States, making tbo aggregate amount ot fourteen thonsand lie iundred undjifly dUm. The on ly difference in Uie two eaaes is this Gen. Har rison fot to Washington, took his oath of office organized his administration, and acted as Prcsi' dent one month 5 but Mr. Barry never got within fine kundrtd miU of Spain, and never acted a, foreign minister one minute. Now, ' fcllow-citi sens, compare the two casoa j look on that picture and then upon this. Afr. Barry and his widow received fourteen thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, which it r thututand two kundrl fft jr dollar more than a foreign minister's yearly wiuijr, uuh. llluiigim film WIOOW both Iq. fcther only received -one year's salar, and no more. . And yct,etrang aa it may appear, the very persona who appwred of-tlmt large payment to Mr. Barry and bia family for starting, not en. ing to Spain, are the very same individuals h0 now make objections to relieve and indemnify tho widow Harrison for tho losses and debts sustained and created by her husband in anticipation of his public service. No principle is better scttkd and established than that private projtcrty g,,all no. taken for public uo-wilhout adequate compcna tion. Surdy nojiurf man will say it is rirht to sell Hint. Ilairmon out of houso nnd homo because her hustiand was elected President nf tl it:..i states, and died before his ofr,ei:.l irm ...""7 I-cannot-eoncei ve howanv man whn head of a patriot and the heart of a Clritinn ohjoct to he funeral excuses of a veteran 'war rior and a noble commander or to an act to ro. lievo and indemnify an aged widow, wJiose dwell ing-houso, during the hu.1 war, was -most freely and kindly thrown open .Uumcuivo and comfort the siok and aftliotod in our army. He who can object to, and attempt to make political capital out of euch humane acts, I fear would begruilge the price of tho shroud that cnvolopcs the dead body of his father, and deny his mother that "one year's allowance" which the just law of North Oarolinaijives to the poorest widow in the State The favor and mercy of Divino Providence can never rest and abide with Ihoso who wrong tlio soldier, widow, and the orphan. Patriotism, piety and charity forbid it- But if political pedlars, "re." gardless of social duty, and fatally bent or! min chief," will trade and speculate on utieh political capital, lot t'jciu beware of the wrath to come. On this birth.day of our Independence. I need make no appeal to tho descendants of tho Whirr,, in iny district, who fought and conquered at Kin" Mountain and the f'oir I'tns. Th-; liintory of thiwc scenes we learned from our fathers, now silently sleeping in death, almost within eannonjiliot df thoso battle-grounds. No son of a Whir in North Carolina will ever stand by theirs. re of his father and say, he objects to the funeral expenses of a good soldier, or to one year's allowanco to bis sur. viving widow. No, never, nrter. I ask pardon of my constituents and country, men for having gone into this protracted catalogue of morality ; but when the bitterness and mad ness of party Hpirit will spare neither the living nor tlio dead neither agn nor sex neither tho widow nor the orphan I felt that a sense of du ty and the cause of truth, just i-mj, and patriotism, required some ono to present to tho peopla the facts and circumstances of this case, collected and taken from the. journals of Congress and the history of the country. I now, with confidence, submit the whole matter to a virtuous and intul ligenl community for their impartial verdict. Kospcctfully presented, JAMES GRAHAM. Wunhington July 4, 1842. Samuel L. Soitmard, the" beloved nnd respect, cd Senator from the Slate of New Jersey, and late President of tho body of which bo had long been o distinguished ornament, is no-wore. Our fuic. bodings of tne fatal tcrininfVtmi of tlm HtneBM tin der which he had long suffered have bocn real, ized. He died at Fredericksburg, in Virginia, in the midst of his friends, and surroundod by all tho members of his family, on Sunday lant, at about . " ciota mine mornings We shall not dim the doseryed cuIofv honlnwrA upon his memory in the annunciation to the Se nate of their loss, by any attempt on our own nart to dojuhlicu to the' various merits of tho deceased. llo was, to our personal knowledge, with few equals in all tlio relations of Son, Husband, and rawer; anu lie was, or all things, as true a Friend as iver breaUicd. As a citizen he ever enjoyed the highest estimation ; aid his abilities are best proved by the elovated stations to which they have induced his fellow-citizens successively to call him. age of Mr. SocniAiin was shout rears. He must have bocn srcnerallv thoinrhi to be nu,, h older, so young (for this country) did he attain high reputation, and so early did that reputation bring him into Public Councils. Ha was chosen to be Chief Justice- ofJiis own State as rarlv ns at twenty-right years of age. Ho became a Sena tor of tho Unitod Slates in the year 1HS1 j and (n thc-j'cax 1&23. he. wim appointed by-IVemdVnt-Mokrok to the highly responsible nost of Seern. tary of llio Navy, the duties of which office ho discharged with pre-eminent abibtv un to thne.lnsn of the Administration of Mr. Amm. Fnrii. year 1B33 he again took bis scot ns a Senator trmn JMJiauVO.-bliitoTd4adverafnp.rfr-Tm moment of his laRt illness, faithfellv dieharieil the duties' of that houorablo station. Not. Int June 28. '' A Colloquy. How do you do, Mr Smith J" " Do what ?" " How do j'ou find yourself 7" " 1 nover lose myself, " How do you feci ?" " Protty smooth, I guess feel of mc and sec." " Good morning, Mr. Smith." " It's rather a bad onc wet and nasty." Good SrrNK. A Kentucky n'rl, havinir mar. ricd a fellow of mean' reputation,' was taken to task for it by her uncle. ' ' t know: mvcle," replied shc that Joe is not good for much, but he said 1 darmiot have him, and I won't take a stump from any body." " This is my dog, and that is my place in the sun," saysa child to hi weaker playmate. This is mo type ana image oi usurpation and tyranny among children of a larger growth-- SriecTACxr. "Do you suppose" that person ean see any better by tlio aid of glasses 7" eaid a 1 man, in company. - ' " I know ho canansacrcJkiopcr, " or afto , I have taken half a dozon glasses, I can sec dou ble." . . . Father Hamilton relates tlicfollowing good an. ccdote : An Irishman just from the old country, and four Yankees, went into a public house to get some dinner together--A turkey sod four-. quails .... were set before them, and Paddy not knowing exactly how to proceed, waited till other helped themselves to a quail each. "Och, by my sowl" thought Pat " and its every man for his bird is it :" and so be helped himself to tho turkey without further ceremony. - u I am so tired" said the big wlicel to the little one. " Who poke V said the little wheel to the cart. " Not me I always hold my tongue" said the cart turning round the comtt.Ualtinurt I'ot. The fellow who wrote this is not "up to the huh." A cart never ha a iongutllrtltmttr? Sun. Did tlio ninny ever sec an ot cart ?lialtimore Clipper, , Did you ever see an ox cart four times as tirtd asthe oxen 7 Pie THE COLLEGIAN'S CONFESSION. O ! it make my head or he to read Payne, ' And yet I confess I like Akin I'm decidedly partial to Hog. But own I'm no lover of liacen. IJiave read lb " Descendant -of Ham," " AuoTTaretnif on Greer I adore ; Pope, Mil too and Byron ar good. But Stw-ikcf a terrible bore, X
Highland Messenger (Asheville, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 15, 1842, edition 1
2
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