Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-03-08
vote for General Blair. and give him hi.

Certainly / will, /" he replied, and tax.
ing up bis nat, said in parting: 81 will
see him at once. taT
bad known Father De Smet intimate
ly from the time was mischievous boy
at college until that hour. and had never
heard fall from his lips the faintest iBdi.
cation ct interest in public men or pub.
lie measures; did not know that be was
even acquainted with General Blair. and
was as much surprised at his ready ac-
quiescence in my request as il be- had
accepted On invitation to the theater.
Some time afterward it may have been
the same day, il was certainly a very
short time after the scene have iast de-.
scribed, be came inte my store aud his
sslutation was:
! Senator A---- will give his support
and vote to General Blair for the United
States Senate
VI course | felt graii6ed and there.
npon ventured to express nv surprise at
The active interest he had displayed in
the matter Said he:
Il have asked Senator T. 10 vote
Tor General Blair as a special personal
favor to me, aud told him why 1t would
pc great favor. will now tell Won
In 1863 | think il was, our father pre-.
YlnelaI, at my requestyhad granted me
permission TO visit again, after u long
absence, my poor children OF the forest
the Flathead And BlackIeet Indiana 7
had fully prepared for the Journey when
| discovered that the UAited States GOV.
ernmen. had, for military reasons, drawn,
Its lines along the entire Indian frontier,
and It was, Therefore, impossible 10 get
through without pass, was Informed
that could not gets pass without going
70 Washington. | accordingly journeyed
to the capital; but on my arrival | found
that all OF my friends who had been
members of Congress az my last visit
wers either dead or in the rebellion. /
had no alternative, therefore, but to call
on General Blair, who was then repre.
seHtlng st. Louis in the lower house
Haying never met him, | went to his
residence, and introduced myself and
the subject of my mission, and asked his
good Offices. BE requested me to call
on him the following morning at 10
o'clock, and in the meanwhile be would
see what could be done. did 80, en-.
tered his carriage, and was driven to the
White House 0n the route he was
kind enough to say that he had heard Of
my labors among the Indians, and inal.
" asked me il | had any money with
which to reach my destination. told
him that / could get sufficient to bring
me TO the borders Of civilization, and Al
ter that laughiugly remarked that |
would walk the rest Of the way. After
leaving the carriage. and when Just about
to enter the Presidential Mansion, he
stopped me and said: Father De Snet
am about to introhnce you TO President
Lhacoln, and to ask from him favor for
you. Please promise me that you will
express no'surprise at what either he or
l may say, bat that you will content
yourself with thanking him if he grants
my request, | readily accededI We
found the President in his room leaning
upon his hand with weary expression
OF countensnce as though be we're enter.
tanning sad thoughts His face, however.
lighted up at our coming, and after being
formally introduced we took chairs and
he opened the conversation with this re-
mark to General Blair:
Frank, is Father DeSmet trying to
make a Catholic out OF you, or are you
trying to make Presbyterian out of
him, whch2
Neither, Mr.. President, but I have
come here to ask q favor for him from
you. ana U.I
What is it2
Mr.. Stanton tells me, said the Gen.
erRl, that the 4th Cavalry, think it ia
the 4th Cavalry, is stationed out on the
Northwestern frontier, and that they
have no chaplain. l want you to make
Father DeSmet the chaplain Of the regi.
mept and give him twelve months fur.
Tough, at which time he expects to re.
turn from his mission, when he can re.
sign, unless he wants to 20 into the war
/ THE President immediately took nm
his pen, wrote few lines, and handed |
the paper to General Blair, saying, Take
that to Stanton. onfv T"sI
Before | had time to say word, Mr.. |
Lincoln took me BY, the hand, and bid.
ding me adieu, remarked: You will do
more good out there than all my soldiers
and commissioners, There was pay at |
tached 10 the position flor believe |
ranked as msjor), but l never drew it.
OF course | thanked General-Blair for
the handsome manner in which be had |
spoken for me, bat l never until now had |
an opportunity of doing him a service in |
return. And now you know why want
to see him in the Senate"
Both Father DeSmet and Frank Blair
rest to-day under six feet of Missouri
soil, but let US hope that the noble quail,
ties Of heart that marked the statesman.
no less than the sublime self.abnegation
that distinguished the priest, have en-.
titled both to habitation among the
blessed ones who circle around the throne
of the Eternal "t'N'" j. D. +.
Value Oh Personal NoAtness!