The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-03-07
hiking 4 President.
The Influence of Small Things in the
Worlds Affairs-What u Glass of
Liquor Did.

The Influence of Small Things in the
Worlds Affairs--What Glass of
Liquor Did.
From the Chicago Tribunel
At private house on the West Side
the other night some men We're chat
ting about the viscissitudes of Presi-
Dental elections and the part played
by luck in every persons life. An in
cident as trivial as a shower Of rain
has turned many victory into a Wa
| terlOo. \ fool utters an Alternative
sentence, and the destiny of nation
is perhaps changed, and history hangs
upon a silly phrase. Cleveland's al
/ legged luck was particularly touched
upon, and while it was under discus
sion the host said: BY the way, |
sometimes tlatter myself that | made
Grant president. The year the war
/ broke out | was a drummer for the
old grocery house OF Smith & Williams,
on Lake Street. | frequently visited
Mattoon, H., and the last time | did
so was during that eVentful year. |
knew the firm OF Monroe Bros at
Mattoon, consisting OF Frank, James
and Bird Monroe. This time ! went
10 the store as usual, and asked Frank
where his brothers We're. If YOU want
to see them, was the reply, you must
90 out 10 the camp. They have Joined
the army As | was about to start
some one said that the boys would
appreciate little good whisky, as
they couldn't get anything of that
sort in camp. ! walked over to Griffin :
bar and got two flat quart TASKS
his best liquor, putting one III each
IL, H..
all right, and room ran across my two
friends. While we were chatting | told
them what | had in my pockets, and
asked them where | should unload.
Come to the colOnel's tent, said one
of them; he is an old officer, and he
appreciates drop OF something as
we'll as any one
I'VE went to the cOionel's tent, and
| was introduced to a red-faced, stur-
dy-lOOking man, who struck me as a
typical soldier. He was a man OF
irascible temper, as | afterward
learned, but he had done good service
in the field, having served with dis
tlnctlOn in the Mexican war. Well, we
all sat down and began drinking The
time quickly slipped away, and one
quart flask was empty. We began on
the other. | soon felt that had tax
en- enough, and that the best thing |
could do was to get out of camp and
attend to my business. So I said
goodbye to the boys, and left them.
Early the next morning | was on
my way to Chicago On the train |
bought copies OF the Chicago papers
and was surprised to see, figuring in
Oh 4 . !,
colonel. | read beneath q dispatch
dated the night before from Mattoon,
H., giving an account of serious
trouble III the camp that | had visit
ed. 1t seems that the colonel became
violently drunk, engaged in an alter
cation with one OF his officers and,
drawing his sword, severely wounded
the latter. Such an occurrence, of
course, made a terrible scandal, and
the colonel was peremptorily dis
charged from the army.
AT this time t. S. Grant had his
hands IN his pockets waiting for Job.
He had high recommendations to the
governor, and was promised the first
vacancy that would occur. The col
Onel's discharge made a vacancy for
HIM IN the regiment at MattOOn.
He took the place, and from that
day he followed fortune from one vic
tory to another, until he entered the
White House as president of the ma
ton.
II met the Monroe boys afterward
in Kentucky during the war. | re-
member one OF them said to me then:
That whisky OF yours decided the
conduct of this war SO it did, and,
perhaps, the destiny OF the republic"
True" said a member of the party,
getting at the pith of the story more
quickly, your bottle of whisky sent
one man to the White House and the
other to a drunkard' S grave"