The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-05-08
A BRAVE DEED RECALLED.

In HIS recent ADDRESS before Ine count !
Republican Convention, Mr.. Creswell
referred. with very natural pride to the
fact that he was one of the members OF
Gen Grant Cabinet in favor o.. the veto
of the Imitation Bill. to sign which such
unprecedented influence WAS eAerted upon
the President. In Mr.. John Russell
Young's recently published = Tour OF
Gen. Grant. he gives the following very
interesting personal account of the veto,
as recited by Gen Grant himself:
81 hear Il good deal in politics about cx-
pe,lienry, said the General, one day. eth"
only time ever resolved to do an expedient
thing for party reasons, against my own
Judgment was on the occasion of the eN-
pmsion or imitation hill. | never was 81
pressed in my life TO do anything Us - sign
lat bill, never. 1t was represented to me
thlt the veto would destroy the Republican
party in the West: that the West and
South would combine and take the couil-
try, and agree upon even some worse plan
pudiation. Morton, Logan, and other
friends whom respected, were eloquent in
presenting this view. ! THOUGHT At LAST
| WOULD TRY AND SAVE THE rARTY, AN
AT THE SAME TIME THE CREDIT OF THE
NATION, FROM THE EVILS OF THIS BILL.
| resolved to write 4 message embodyin@
my own reasoning and snlne Of the argu-
ments that had been given me, TO show
that the bill, as pissed, did not mean ex-
panson or iniia:ion and that it need not
affect the country's credit. The message
was intended to soothe the east, and satisfy
the foreign holders Of the bonds. | wrote
the message with great care, and put in
every argument could call up to show that
tn, bill was harmless, and would not ac-
complish what its friends expected from it.
Well, when | finished my wonderful mes
sage, which was to do so much good to the
party and country, | read it over, and said
to mvstlf, Whit is the good of all this :,
You do not believe it, You know it is not
true Throwing it aside | resolved to do
what | believed to la righi--vrto the bill.
I could not" sail the General, smiling
" tand my own arguments. While l was
in this Woodland it WAS an anxious time
with me, so anxious that | could not sleep
at night, with me a mos: unusual rirc,tm-
stance-the ten days were passing in which
a President must sign or veto a bill. On
the ninfh day l resolved infteNbly to reto
he bin, and let the storm come. gave or
lers that would see no one and went into
the library to write my message ::
When the Cabinet met, my message was
written. | did not intend asking the adj
vice of the Cabinet, rs | knew Il majority
would oppose tia veto. ! never allowed
made up When the Cabinet met, said
that had considered the Imitation bill
read my first message, the one IN which
tried to make myself and every one else be-
lievc what I knew was not true, the mes
sage which was to saws the Republican
party in the West, and save the National
credit in III. East and Europe. When fin
ished, said that, as this reasoning had not
satisfied me, had written another message
read the me sage of veto, saying that l
had made up my mind to send it i'll. This
prevented Il debate, which | did no: want,
as tn quelti IN had pissed beyond debate.
There was only one word changed, on the
suggestion of Mr.. EoboSon, | said, if re-
member, that no patent medicine scheme
of printed money would satisfy tbs honest
sentiment of the country. HohcsoR thought
The patent medicine alluSion might be
unnecessarily offensive to the friends of In
tlation. So changed it, although wish
had not, the country might have accepted
the word as a true definition of tia IHf ,tion
scheme"
The story of this courageous act, which
gave the Republican party new lease of
life, and infused into it fresh blood and
vigor, is peculiarly pertinent Il. Ills time,
when ill-tempercd zeal for party lavo-
rites is betrayins tlroughtless Republi-
cans into reckless and injudicious crit
eism of the nan to whom the country
owes So much.