The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-07


Bank. This was very wise appointment.
Bruce found three commissioners with
salaries of $1,000 each, and lot of clerks,
eating up the poor resources of the depos-
itors without doing any work. Bruce acted
very promptly. He introduced a bill turn
ing out all the parasites, appointing John
Jay Knox, the Comptroller of Currency, to
take sole charge OF the work at a salary of
81, 900 year. His able management stopped
all the stealing, and has since paid 60 per
cent. to the depositors.
When Bruce frs. took his seat in the Sem
ate he saw there plenty of men whom he had
known earlier in his career. But as none OF
them recognized HIM he made no sign. He
took his seat with great modesty, and gave
strict attention to his own business. In this
way he dsarmed all possible criticism. One
dly, after he had been in his seat two years,
Senator Bogy of ST. Louis came over and
took a seat by his side. Bogy was a very arts
tocratic old gentleman, member of one of
the oldest French families i'll st. Louis.
As he sat down by the colored Senator he
said: "Mr. Bruce, have bill here want
you to vote for 1t is matter in which l
have great personal interest 1t has moth
ing at all political in it. Look at it, and tell
me what you thing
Bruce laughed as he said, Senator Bogy,
hope we shall arrange this more satlsiac-
torily than our last business transaction"
Our last business TRANSACTION. What do
you mean.
do you not remember meeting me before
my coming to the Senator
Most decidedly no."
II think | can refresh your memory, SEN
ator. Some twenty years ago you were one
day running down Olive street. in hurry,
to catch steamer. You were carrying
very heavy valise. The day was very hot.
Don't you remember a colored boy
came up and offered to carry the valise
down to the foot of the levee for
quarter? You ran along with the
boy. Soon the wbarf-boat dock was
reached. The boat was just swinging out
You ran and jumped on board. You called
for the valise. The colored boy put the
valiss behind his back and called for his
quarter. You hunted, fished out a quarter
| tossed it ashore, but the gap was too wide to
toss back the valise. The captain had to
stop the boat and back up before you could
get the valise. Do you remember thatF'
'Well, should say l do"
81 was that colored boy"
Bruce is very fond of politics. He has
| been in every national convention since 1868.
| He was once called to the chair at the last
Chicago convention. Bruce now remembers
with pride, that out of all the delegates clam
oring for the floor, he recognized James A.
Garfield. He made sixty speeches during the
canvass of that year. and received the per-
sonal thanks OF Chester A. Arthur for his
services in New York. Bruce is the only
Republican speaker in Mississippi who has
never been stopped or interfered with. He
| is very adroit. He carefully avoids any ap-
| peals to the passions or local pre- JUDGES of
| his hearers. When canvassing once against
| a Confederate colonel they came together at
joint discussion.
| The Confederate colonel spoke first. He
made a bitter attack upon Bruce. Said he:
| This man YVES once slave. He has sup
| ported himself for years by mental labor
have been among you always gentleman. l
have led your troops into deadly battle. Am
l not more fitted to represent you than man
who is only just risen from a mental posi-
| tion?'
When Bruce came to reply he said: ut is
true l was born humbly and had to support
myself with mental labor. do not question
| but what my opponent never worked with
his hands; but do know that if he had been
born in a mental position he would have been
there yet"
This reply made such storm of laughter
that Bruce had everything his own way at
that point.
He went to one back town in Mississippi,
one day, where no Republican had been
allowed to speak for years. He was wise
enough. not to make his attempt in the even
ing. When he went to the courthouse, at 2
| O'clock he found it filled with whites. There
were two or three thousand colored people
outside, but not one inside. Bruce did not
| like the look of tie situation. He asked the
postmaster why the colored people stayed
outside. He said There has been good
deal of shooting in that courthouse, and the
colored people will stay out until they see
how matters are going"
| Bruce took his cue at once. He started
his speech with funny story. This made a
general laugh. In a moment after the laugh
| the courthouse was fairly black with ne
groes crowding into the allies and every
available space.
Bruce confined himself to the tariff, and
was congratulated at the conclusion of his
| talk by both races.
| When Bruce first came here he had a
! white coachman, who used to look not at all
out of place upon the box of the Senator'S
coupe Now he has a colored man, who
wears plain livery Bruce's secretary at
the Treasury is white. In the morning
twenty or thirty people, white and black,
will be seen waiting for an audience. Bruce
has been singularly fortunate, but he de-
serves his good fortune, for he has worked
| for it.
He was appointed Registrar of the Treas
ury May 81, 1881, by President Garfield. 1t
was just after Conkling and Platt had re-
signed. The Democrats were in the major
! ity. President Garfield said to Bruce: ~
want to make you my Registrar, but do not
want to see you slaughtered. l think l had
better wait until the Senate adjourns, and
| appoint you then"
| Bruce was hurt. "Mr President" said he.
II would be willing to have my nomination
go to a Senate made up entirely of Demo
| Gratis"
The nomination was sent in, and Bruce
was paid the unusual compliment by having
| his nomination instantly confirmed, with
out reference or a single objection.
| If the white vote in Mississippi should
ever divide so that the large colored vote in
that State can be made available, Bruce will
come to Congress. He has more influence
with the colored people of the South to-day
than any living oolored man.
Erysipelas to Order.
Medical News
! Modern surgery does not simply deal with
mere practical questions, as is shown by the