Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-23
PRESIDENTIAL COURTESY.

Grant treated the Boston anti-infia-
ton committee who called upon him
with great discourtesy, and the New
York committee on a similar mission
ppear to have Jared even worse. Mr..
Cyrus w. Field gives a reporter for the
Ncw York Tribune the following state
ment in regard to their treatment:
THE Committee arrived at the door
of the Presidents room, and he (Mr.
Field, being the Chairman, went in
ahead. The President was there to
meet the committee, but before five
words had been spoken Gen. Butler
entered the reception room by the door
leading from Gen. Babcock's Office, and
with a curt apology, merely saying he
would notdetaint the President a minute,
but the business was important, drew
Gen. Grant away from the committee
into the recess of a neighboring widow.
The subject of the conversation could
not of course be heard, but Gen. But
Ter appearedt to be talking very earnestly
and energetically. Instead of occu-
plying the President only a
minute, he kept him engaged for
fully ten minutes, leaving the COM
mittee standing the whole time. As
the President had made the appoint
ment, the members of the committee
felt very much annoyed at this inter
ruption, and looked upon it as an act
Of discourtesy. When Gen. Butler left,
the President advanced to the end of
the long table, and intimated that he
would hear the committee. hr. Field
then introduced the other members of
the committee, and Mr.. Low began his
address, when a second interruption
took place. Some person entered the
room from Gen. Babcock's Office and
whispered in the Presidents ear 1t
might have been Gen. Babcock himself,
but as he only remained a few seconds
CMr. Field could not be positive. Soon
after, Senators Logan, Ferry and Car
penter entered the room from Gen.
Babcock's Office, and in a very diseour-
teous way stood by while the remainder
of the interview proceeded. The COM
mittee had expected that the interview
would have been a private one, and the
presence of these Senators was at least,
under those circumstances, an act of
great discOurtesy. Whether or not the
President was a party to it, he Mr..
Field could not say; if the former, 1t
certainly seemed to be an act not very
complimentary to the committee, who
were not even asked if the presence Of
any other persons would be objection
able, or even the slightest notice given
to them, directly or indirectly, thatany
other person would be present. If the
President was not consulted in the mat
ter. the interruption of the three Sena-
tors was an act of rudeness on their
part. As o as the business which
had brought the committee to the
White House had been transacted, the
members all left the room, as they did
not wish to trespass on the time of the
President. The Senators, however, re-
manned behind, and he Mr.. Field had
since been informed that Senator LO-
Gan had made a remark not at all COM
plimentary to the committee or the I'M
portant mission upon which they had
come"
Mr.. D. E. Hawley, a member of the
committee, expressed very strong feel
ings of annoyance at the conduct Of
the three Senators. He said that Sen
ator Logan stood in a leaning attitude,
with his hands in the pockets of has
~pantaloons and a cigar in his mouth
during the whole interview. Senator
Carpenter entered the room with the
CIGAR in his mouth, but after a while
took it out and held it in his hand
Had the Senators desired by their ac-
tons TO express a contempt for the
committee, they could hardly have been
successful. as the conduct of Sen
ator Logan was not only discourteous
and ungentlemanly, but positively dis
gushing. Mr.. John 7. Johnstone said
he looked upon the action of Cen But
Ter and the three Senators, as the result
of a conspiracy, to prevent the Presl'
dent from committing himself IN his
reply to the committee. 1t is very cvi'
dent that the members Of the commit
tee feel quite sore under the reception
the President gave them, and the treat
ment they received from others during
the interview, which it was In his power
to have prevented.