The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-11-07
How the President Flee. Received the

How the President Elect Received the
r.aiser- News. ado er,....... .. .
A Galena telegram to New York paper
gives the following interesting particulars of
the manner in which General Grant received
the news on the evening of the Sd inst:
After depositing his vote for Congressional
and State candidates, this afternoon, General
- to the house of the Hon. e. B.
GRANT Wen. Nore arrangements had been
Washburne, WI. telegraphic returns. The
Maine e pfe1gru oU,vvv majority, ana she has
kept her faith" The next announcement was
received from the Hon. VIM. E. Chandler, that
New Hampshire had gone Republican by at
least 5000 majority. Soon reports came in
thick and fast from all parts of the country, but
as yet they are varying. Many of the friends
of General Grant came in, anxious to hear the
news. Much sport was made by the General,
who had written out an estimate of the maiori-
ties for either candidate in the different States
several days before. This he allowed no one
to see except as each State was compared with
his estimate, and in nearly every case he
proved a prophet The two States first named
gave exactly the majorities he had predicted,
and the Presidential candidate seemed much
more pleased at his political sagacity than at
his success. Indeed, during the evening he
manifested neither anxiety nor citation, while
every one else was excited as the changing re-
turns came in. The " inevitable cigar" was as
\
had displayed at Vicksburg and at Appomat-
tox was as conspicuous as if he had still been
at the head of million soldiers. Galena, which
had almost always been strongly Democratic,
and had given Mcclellan majority of 100
there in 1864, was announced as having gone
for Grant by majority of nine, at the very
moment when dispatches came in proclaming
Republican gain in Seymour's own Deerfeld.
When Connecticut was certain for the Union,
the whole room, Grant only excepted applaud
az Hi hn cd TO lie
appointment. He had calculated on $4,000
majority in Massachusetts, but the old Bay
State was announced as giving him 10000 ma
jMfty, and he acknowledged the error in his
calculations. As the evening wore away, the
success of the Republicans, in Pennsylvania,
Ohio and Indiana became sure. Messages from
Grow, and Colfax declared that all doubt
about these States was past. Every New Eng
land State was now certain. -
Michigan and California came into line, the
Pacific coast responding to the Atlantic and
the Lakes, and West Virginia, with an unex-
pectedly large majority, took her place, while
Nevada and Nebraska reached across the
Rocky Mountains, hailing the Alleghanies-
Bands of music saluted the victor from the
streets; fireworks illuminated the neighbor-
hood, aud cannon announced the peaceful
victory of Grant. But Grant was still as calm
and impenetrable as ever. His adherents
were elated, but his equanimity was undis-
turbed At length word was brought that
North Carolina was loyal once more, the first
Southern State that had voted since 1861. The
room was crowded with Congressman, Judges,
town and country politicians, army officers, re-
porters, all apparently more eager than the
man on whose account they were gathered.
While they compared the returns, ard linger-
ed to receive more, dispatch arrived from Pc
troleum Y. Nasty, who forwarded his resigna-
ton as Postmaster, and announced that he
had gone into the grocery business After this
the torrent of news and congratulations was
lncessant, interrupted only by the comments
of the little party, but more than the requisite
number of electoral votes was now secure, and
by degrees the citizens dropped away, and
little after midnight the President elect of the
United States retired from the scene of his
latest triumph as modestly as he had left the
ago he received the previous surrender of the
enemies of his country