Speeches of Benjamin Harrison, twenty-third President of the United States;: A complete collection of his public addresses from February 1888, to ... and culture in the nineteenth century)

by Benjamin Harrison

In 1888, Benjamin Harrison campaigned for the Presidency in the manner common for candidates of his he stayed at home in Indianapolis and spoke to visiting delegations. In 1889, he traveled to Washington to take up residency in the White House, and made a few brief trips out of town. In 1890, he undertook a train journey lasting more than a week and covering nearly 2,700 miles, making stops and speeches in seven states. But in 1891, he did something no other President had done to that a transcontinental train journey lasting a month and covering more than 9,200 miles. On this voyage, he visited and made speeches in nearly 200 municipalities in no fewer than 18 states and three territories which would soon join the union. Later that year, he followed it up with a two-week, 1,400-mile journey through New York and Vermont, with another 30 stops and speeches.This volume, originally compiled by Charles Hedges in 1892, is a complete collection of Harrison's addresses from February 1888 to February 1892, in chronological order, including all his campaign speeches, several important letter, and the numerous speeches delivered during his tours. It also includes extracts from his messages to Congress.Unknowingly contrasting his subject with the politicians of today, Hedges writes in his "it is not the purpose of this book to present a few selections of oratory, laboriously prepared and polished, or occasional flashes of brilliant thought. From such efforts, prepared, perhaps, after days of study and repeated revision, one can form but an imperfect idea of their author. Such a compilation might show the highest conceptions of the man, and evidence a wide range of thought and a surpassing grandeur of expression; but it would be but a poor mirror of the man himself in his daily life." Instead, he wrote, the people deserve "to observe the character of their public servants, to come into closest touch with their daily thoughts, and to know them as they are--not when prepared for special occasions, but day after day and all the time." The vast majority of the speeches presented here "were delivered during the presidential campaign of 1888, often four or five in a day, to visiting delegations of citizens, representing every occupation and interest, and during his tours of 1890 and 1891, when he often spoke eight or ten times a day from the platform of his [train] car."He goes on to laud Harrison's efforts, noting that among other reasons, the speeches are notable "in the fact that, while delivered during the excitement of a political campaign and in the hurry of wayside pauses in a journey by railroad, they contain not one carelessly spoken word that can detract from their dignity, or, by any possible distortion of language, be turned against their author by his political opponents. With no opportunity for elaborately studied phrases, he did not utter a word that could be sneered at as weak or commonplace." And also that "no thought of sameness or repetition is ever suggested.... One marvels at his versatility in adapting himself to every occasion, whether he was addressing a delegation of miners, of comrades in war, or of children from public schools...."This modern edition is newly typeset, and accompanied by maps detailing Harrison's journeys prepared specifically for this volume.

580 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States (1889–93); he was the grandson of the ninth President, William Henry Harrison. Before ascending to the presidency, Harrison established himself as a prominent local attorney, Presbyterian church leader and politician in Indianapolis, Indiana. During the American Civil War, he served the Union as a colonel and on February 14, 1865 was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a brevet brigadier general of volunteers to rank from January 23, 1865. After the war, he unsuccessfully ran for the governorship of Indiana. He was later elected to the U.S. Senate by the Indiana legislature.

A Republican, Harrison was elected to the presidency in 1888, defeating the Democratic incumbent Grover Cleveland. Hallmarks of his administration included unprecedented economic legislation, including the McKinley Tariff, which imposed historic protective trade rates, and the Sherman Antitrust Act; Harrison facilitated the creation of the National Forests through an amendment to the Land Revision Act of 1891. He also substantially strengthened and modernized the Navy, and conducted an active foreign policy. He proposed, in vain, federal education funding as well as voting rights enforcement for African Americans during his administration.

Due in large part to surplus revenues from the tariffs, federal spending reached one billion dollars for the first time during his term. The spending issue in part led to the defeat of the Republicans in the 1890 mid-term elections. Harrison was defeated by Cleveland in his bid for re-election in 1892, due to the growing unpopularity of the high tariff and high federal spending. He then returned to private life in Indianapolis but later represented the Republic of Venezuela in an international case against the United Kingdom. In 1900, he traveled to Europe as part of the case and, after a brief stay, returned to Indianapolis. He died the following year of complications from influenza. Although many have praised Harrison's commitment to African Americans' voting rights, scholars and historians generally regard his administration as below-average, and rank him in the bottom half among U.S. presidents.