The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-03-31
THE LAWYER WAS SATISFIED.
Fatal Effects Of fnterrupttrg q spssoh-Ansc-
dote Of General Mahlon D. Manson.


During the campaign of 1872 Gsnsrsl Man
son was frequently besought By soldier
Democrat to speak in the township OF Gil
Doe, Benton county. There were scarcely
any Democrats in the community, and they
had been annually held up as bad examples
OF degraded citizenship by Colfax and bis
followers. They wanted to be vindicated,
and they wanted General Manson to do II.
More for the qualification OF this one SOL
der Democrat than anything else, he con-
sented, and wrote Gilboe in the list of his
appointments. -itsf
Meeting young man in the neighborhood
as he was riding leisurely along the road, the
general asked:
What are thoss people doing over yonder
in the.woodsY' pointing to where q stand
was being raised.
There's going to be a speaking tonight.
Some kind of general, who is Democrat, is
going to make a speech" was the reply.
will anybody come out to hear himG
20, yes; guess they'll all come, I'm go
ing"
The General found a number OF acouaint-
ances. one friend from Montgomery county,
who was going back, resolved to stay over
and hear his speech. the Republicans were
very courteous to him, and Squire Tolman,
in whose woods the meeting was to occur,
consented to preside as chairman. Pres
emily friend came to the General and in
formed him that the Republicans bad law
yer from Fort Wayne in the audience who
would answer him. That piece of intelli.
gence eerved to make the discourse q success.
An average Fort Wayne lawyer would be as
spring chicken in the claws Of a matured
hawk TO interrupt General Manson, after he
had once got the attention of an audience OF
farmers
He held his audience for two hours, and
at the close gentleman in store clothes and
boiled shirt cautiously arose and said: 81
do not wish TO be thought impairment, but
1 would like to know il General Manson is
aware of the fact that the Pacific road bill
passed Congress long before General Grant
came to the presidency"
Il will take pleasure in oblIgiDg the gen.
tleman," responded the general, and at the
same time thank him for giving me occasion
to make one of my statements clearer. The
Pacific railroad bill was passed before Gen
eral Grant became president, but IL was in
operative and void. 1t was a dead letter
Grant was president, he approved the
bill increasing the subsidy and
stealIDgs to nearly $4,000 600.
and at the same time refused his signature
to bill that was to pay poor soldier the
price of two horses shot under him during
battle"
II have heard" replied the lawyer. "that
same charge before, and have searched the
Congressional Record diligently, and failed
to find anything about it."
81 have it with me" answered the general,
''in McPherson's handbook and call upon
the president TO read"
The president read. "Do you dispute the
- - AZ
BY this time it became evident that the
audience was pretty much one sided. An
influential Republican. but sincere man,
arose and said: Il believe everything that
General Manson has said, and 1 don't like
10 see him interrupted"
II don't dispute the authority" answered
the lawyer; Il only say that could not find
il in the CoDgre ssional Record"
That is the trouble with you, my young
friend. That which you do not know about
politics and the country's history would
make much larger book than that which
you do know. A great many things have
taken place to which your attention has not
been called" Then addressing the audience:
Its trouble with too many of them.
have told you nothing but facts to-day. and
the popular ignorarcs of those facts accounts
for the existence of the Republican party"
This was followed by loud applause, and no
reply from the lawyer. When the returns
ca me in after the election, General Manson
read that upwards of 20 votes ahead of the
Democratic ticket In Gilboe township, Ben
ton county, was placed to his credit.