Benjamin Harrison

BENJAMIN HARRISON, twenty-third President of the United States, was born at North Bend, Ohio, August 20, 1833. His father, John Scott Harrison, was the third son of General William Henry Harrison, ninth President of the United States, who was the third and youngest son of Benjamin Harrison, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independ

John Scott Harrison was twice married, his second wife being Elizabeth, daughter of Archibald Irwin, of Mercersburg, Pa. Benjamin was the second son of this marriage. His parents were resolutely determined upon the education of their children, and early in childhood Benjamin was placed under private instruction at home. In 1847 he and his elder brother were sent to a school on what was known as College Hill, a few miles from Cincinnati. After remaining there two years entered the junior class at Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, where he was graduated in 1852. Was married October 20, 1853, to Caroline Scott, daughter of Dr. John W. Scott, who was then president of Oxford Female Seminary, from which Mrs. Harrison was graduated in 1852. After studying law under Storer & Gwynne in Cincinnati, Mr. Harrison was admitted to the bar in 1854, and began the practice of his profession at Indianapolis, Ind., which has since been his home. Was appointed crier of the Federal court, at a salary of $2.50 per day. This was the first money he had ever earned. Jonathan W. Gordon, one of the leaders of the Indianapolis bar, called young Harrison to his assistance in the prosecution of a criminal tried for burglary, and intrusted to him the plea for the State. He had taken ample notes of the evidence, but the case was closed at night, and the court-house being dimly lighted by tallow candles, he was unable to read them when he arose to address the court and jury. Laying them aside, he depended entirely upon his memory and found it perfect. He made an eloquent plea, produced a marked impression, and won the case. Since then he has always been an impromptu speaker. Formed a partnership later with William Wallace, but in 1860 the latter became clerk of Marion County, and the firm was changed to Harrison & Fishback, which was terminated by the entry of the senior partner into the Army in 1862. Was

Prefatory Note

This volume comprises the papers of Benjamin Harrison and of Grover Cleveland (second term). The events of these two Administrations of eight years, though highly interesting, coming as they do down to March 4, 1897, are so recent and fresh in the public mind that I need not comment on them.

This volume is the last of the series, except the Appendix and Index volume. The work of compiling was begun by me in April, 1895, just after the expiration of the Fifty-third Congress. I then anticipated that I could complete the work easily within a year. Though I have given iny entire time to the undertaking when not engaged in my official duties as a Representative, instead of completing it within the time mentioned it has occupied me for nearly four years. The labor has been far greater than the Joint Committee on Printing or I supposed it would be. I had no idea of the difficulties to overcome in obtaining the Presidential papers, especially the proclamations and Executive orders. In the Prefatory Note to Volume I, I said: "I have sought to bring together in the several volumes of the series all Presidential proclamations, addresses, messages, and communications to Congress excepting those nominating persons to office and those which simply transmit treaties, and reports of heads of Departments which contain no recommendation from the Executive." But after the appearance of Volume I, and while preparing the contents of Volume II, I became convinced that I had made a mistake and that the work to be exhaustive should comprise every message of the Presidents transmitting reports of heads of Departments and other communications, no matter how brief or unintelligible the papers were in themselves, and that to make them intelligible I should insert editorial footnotes explaining them. Having acted upon the other idea in making up Volume I and a portion of Volume II, quite a number of such brief papers were intentionally omitted. Being convinced that all the papers of the Executives should be inserted, the plan was modified accordingly, and the endeavor was thereafter made to publish all of them.

In order, however, that the compilation may be "accurate and ex haustive," I have gone back and collected all the papers-those whic should have appeared in Volumes I and II, as well as such as were uni tentionally omitted from the succeeding volumes-excepting those simpl making nominations, and shall publish them in an appendix in the las volume. While this may occasion some little annoyance to the reade who seeks such papers in chronological order, yet, inasmuch as they a appear at their proper places in the alphabetical Index, it is not believe that any serious inconvenience will result.

The editor and compiler has resorted to every possible avenue and ha spared no effort to procure all public Presidential papers from the be ginning of the Government to March 4, 1897. He has looked out fo every reference to the work in the public prints, has endeavored to rea all the criticisms made because of omissions, and has availed himself of a the papers to which his attention has been called by anyone; has dil gently and earnestly sought for same himself, and has, as stated above inserted all omitted papers in the Appendix, so that he feels warranted i saying that if he has given to the country all he could find and all an critic or reviewer has been able to find he has done his whole duty an reasonable complaint can not be made if any paper is still omitted. I view of the inaccessibility of many of the messages by reason of their no having been entered on the journals of either House of Congress, and o the fact that the Government itself does not possess many of the prod lamations and Executive orders, it may be that there yet can be found few papers omitted from this work; but with much confidence, amount ing to a positive conviction, I feel that assurance may be safely given tha only a few, if any at all, have been overlooked.

Congress in June, 1897, by law requested me to prepare an index t the entire compilation. I am now and have been for over two year engaged in this work. I hope to be able to give the last volume, which will include the Appendix and Index, as above stated, to Congress and the public in about two months. It would have been completed at thi time but for the fact that in addition to making the Index simply a index to the various messages and other papers I have added to it th encyclopedic feature. There will therefore be found in the Index, in alphabetical order, a large number of encyclopedic definitions of word and phrases used by the Chief Executives, and of other politico-historica subjects. It is believed that this feature will not detract in any manne from the Index, but, on the other hand, will add largely to its value and to the value of the entire compilation.

NOVEMBER 24, 1898.

JAMES D. RICHARDSON.