The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-08
AN ANECDoTE OF GRANT.
The Chilling Reception He Gave Delegation
from South Carolina.

The Chilling Reception He Gave q Delegation
from South Carolina.
Washington Critic.
The assertion that General Grant has never
been profane man. as many Of our generals
were has recently been illustrated by anecdotes
showing that he refrained from swearing under
very trying circumstances l never heard the
General swear, but certainly saw him mad
enough to make things blue if he had broken
out.
In the spring of 1874 a delegation came here
from taxpayers convention in South Carolina,
to expostulate against the intolerable extrava-
gance, folly and fraud of their State government
Fyeas Moses ''the young native. Governor" as
he had been dubbed by those who thought car
pet-baggers the sum of all evil, who had shown
them that the finger Of Moses was heavier than
the lOins of Scott, was nearing the close of his
term To prepare for desperate effort to re-
deem the State, non partisan taxpayers' con-
vention was called, and the result was IAN ap-
peal to Caesar"
A delegation of twenty of the most distin-
guished men of the State came here: General
James Chestnut, who died recently, was at it's
head. | went with them, by appointment, to
the White House to present the bill of griev-
ances. AS we were passing up the stairway to
| the Presidents reception room, Senator John j.
Patterson, the carpetrbag representative of the
L
his somewhat sardonic face, which was indica-
tive OF disaster to those he grinned at.
General NJ. c. Butler, now senator, certainly
construed it as danger signal, for he said to
me: Now wonder what Patterson has been
finding out When they filed into the re
ception-room Grant was standing to re.
ceive them, one clenched hand resting on
the table, an angry flush upon his face,
and an expression of the eye filter for the battle
through the ceremony of introduction (coldly,
and then said: What can do for your w. d.
Porter Charleston's most famous lawyer, pre-
sented the resolutions of the convention and the
! protest of the taxpayers of South Carolina
against the continued existence of the State gov
ernment Mr.. Lathers unrolled three long
proof f-sheets of an individual protest. which he
would have proceeded to read had not Grant,
with an inpatient 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
administration of affairs in that State is in the
| hands of those who were elected by large
majority of the people to represent them;
yon must find your remedy at the
| ballot box; but even if l had it in my
| power to prevent the evils of which you com
| plain, / do not think am bound to do so. Why
should help those who shamefully abuse me-
| The convention which sent you here even
| dragged the name of my wife into It's debates
4
| accusations"
| The delegation was dumbfounded. The mem
| bers had not expected any very warm sympa
! thy. but this turning of the tables was too sud
den 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 proceedings of the conven
ton. That sly politician had primed Grant fol
| the reception, and on the table close to Grant:
hands was newspaper clipping-the report Of
| General Mart Garys speech in the convention.
| General Gary, as chairman of the committee
| on federal relations, had opposed an appeal tc
Grant He denounced him as drunken tyrant
| not a whit better than his fellow radicals il
| South Carolina. ''While Moses and his fellow
thieves" said he. 'are robbing the people o.
South Carolina, Grant and his fellow-thieves arr
robbing the whole people of the United States
While negro harlots are peddling legislative pay
certificates in the streets of Columbia, the wife
of Grant is selling the secrets of the Treasury
| the gamblers of Wall street"
| So the tax payers delegation went away sor
| rowful. If Grant had been calm enough to lister
to explanations he would have learned that Gen
eral Garys report and speech had been marked
| ly rebuked by the convention, which referred
| the report back to his committee, and adopted
an address temperate non-p partisan and conserv
| ative in its place.