Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-04-06

taxpayers convention was called, ana
The result was ian appeal to Caesar"
delegation of twenty of the most
distinguished men of the state came
here; Gen. James Chestnut. who died
| recently, was at its head. | went with
them. by appointment, to the white
house to present the bill of grievances.
As We We're passing up the stairway to
me presidents reception room Senator
John }. Patterson. the carpet-bar rep
resentative of the Palmetto state, passed
| down. He had grin on his somewhat
sardonic face, which was indicative of
disaster to those he grinned at.
Gen. Nj. c. Butler, now senator, GER
tainly construed it as danger signal.
for he said to me: Now. | wonder
what Patterson has been up to?" The
delegation was not long in finding out,
When they filed into the reception-room
Grant was standing to receive them,
che clinched hand resting on the table.
an angry flush upon his face, and an
expression of the eye filter for the bat
tle-iield than for the reception-room.
He went through the ceremony of intro
duction coldly, and then said: What
can | do for you?' w. ID. Porter,
Charleston's most famous LAWYER. pre-
sented the resolutions of the conven-
ton and the protest of the taxpayers of
South Carolina against the continued
existence of the state government. Mr..
Lathers unrolled three long proof sheets
of an individual protest. which he would
have proceeded TO read had not Grant.
with an impatient gesture. interrupted
him. .'Gentlemen,' said he. that all
you have TO say concerning the present
government of South Carolina is true |
do not admit or deny. The administra-
ton of affairs in that state is in the
hands of those who were elected bv
large majority of the people to repre-
sent them; YOU must find Your remedy
at the ballot-boX; but even if had it in
my power to prevent the evils of which
YOU complain do not think | am bound
to do so. Why should help those who
shamefully abuse me:9 The convention
which sent you here even dragged the
name of my wife into its debates and
made her the subject of false and sean
dalous accusations"
nv was
The members had not expected any
very warm sympathy, but this turning
of the tables was too sudden to find
them prepared. Those who had noticed
the exit of Honest John Patterson"
were. however. not so much surprised
at Grants familiarity with the proceed
ings of the convention. The sly poll
tician had primed Grant for the recep-
ton, and on the table close to Grants
hands was a newspaper clipping-the
report of Gen. Mart Gary's speech in
the convention.
Gen. Gary. as chairman of the COM
mittee on federal relations. had opposed
an appeal to Grant He denounced him
As drunken tyrant, not whit better
than his fallow-radicals in South Car
olina. while Moses and his fellow
thieves, said he. ''are robbng the peo-
pie of South Carolina. Grant and his
fellow-thieves are robbing the whole
people of the United States. While
negro harlots are peddling legislative
pay certificates i'll the streets of Colum
pia, the wife of Grant is selling the Sc
crets of the treasury to the gamblers of
Wall street"
So the taxpayers delegation went
away sorrowful. If Grant had been
calm enough TO listen to explanation he
would have learned that Gen. Gary's
report and speech had been markedly
rebuked by the convention. which re-
ierred the report back TO his committee,
and adopted an address temperate, non
partisan and conservative in its place. |