Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-07-30

relate some personal "reminiscences. he Ql0
not do this through any personal egotism or
vanity ON his part, but believed that some of
Grants personal acts would be more interesting
than an elogium. During the last two years OF
Grants administration the speaker was in the
| United States Senate. He received from the
President all the official courtesies due Sena-
tor from his official relations. Continuing, the
speaker said Our friendly relations was the
result as | might say, of an accident 1t will
be remembered that Grants administration
closed on a Sunday, the 18th of March had
introduced a bill for quoting a certain class of
land titles, and it had passed both Houses As
1t had net been returned. | began TO get anxious
l called upon the President, found him alone
and asked him what were his objections to the
bill. He replied that he had referred it to the
Interior Department, and it had been returned
to him with objections l said to him. " Very
well, will go and see them about it, AS 1
started to leave, l turned and said, Mr. Presi-
dent, | will not see you again. l wish to con-
graduate you upon the success of your Admins:
tration, and to say that no people feel more
As | was going to the door he called
me. back. He spoke to an assistant,
and asked to see the bill, which
was handed to him; He remarked, The object
OF this bill is good He then read the letter
| from the Secretary, which was simply criti-
cism Of the second section. He then read the
section referred to- said he thought it was all
right, signed the bill and it became a law |
| was fully convinced that the heart of the great
man was touched with that spontaneous ex-
preston of gratitude. The speaker said he did
uOl lHlIlk GraNI naJl Il Ille sense OF humOr, was
not particularly jovial, and did not remember
OF ever having seen him laugh heartily He
did not have Il rigid reserve, neither did he
have that keen sense of the ridiculous so
Characteristic of Lincoln. Shortly after the in
tervlew spoken of the speaker had an invitation
from Grant TO dine with him. AT those State
dinners the guests are seated according to Off
cial etiquette. Sometimes a gentleman would
be assigned to escort a certain lady to the table
| This sometimes proved very awkward for per
haps it would be the wife of member who had
been wounded in debate. Members could look
| over such small matters and forget-but the
| wife. never. On that occasion he remembered
Grant stating that once, while on river
excursion he was approached by
General, desire to ask you a conundrum
Why are kisses like victories" The General
gave it up, when the young lady smilingly re-
marked, Because they are easy to grant"
After the expiration of his term as President
the speaker said, grew TO know him better
One day asked him how he felt when he first
took command. He replied Il was the worst
scared man you ever saw. 1t was just before
the battle of Belmont did not know whether
| cou depend upon my men or not. Did not
know whether / could depend upon myself
or not and then l was afraid of the enemy.
| In fact | was scared, However. | pressed on
with my troops, and found the enemy gone.
then made up my mind that they were as badly
scared as was. 1t gave me courage, and was
never afraid again After dinner in the
| smoking room, Grant was always the center of
| attraction. He was the most interesting con
versationalist everlistened to. A stranger would
| imagine Grant was war correspondent and
| would never think that he was listening to the
leader of the great armies. He said to me that
| he had made many mistakes in his life; that he
mistakes of his life, and those that caused
him the most regret was, first, the second as
| sault on Nicksburg, and, second, the battle of
Cold Harbor. The second assault on Vicksbnrg
he said was useless waste of men. Il ought
to have known better and should not have
made it. The battle of Cold Harbor," he said,
81 shall regret as long as | live" Here, the
| speaker said, the soldier is eclipsed by the
greater man The first time the speaker ever
saw Grant was at grand review of the
army at Washington in April, 1865, i'm
mediately after the close of the war
Grant on that occasion was the center
| of attraction. The army was two days in pass
| ing through the streets of the Capital city and
were reviewed by President Johnson and Cen
eral Grant. studied the faces of the victorious
armies. and saw in those of the officers kind
| OF eXultatlon, the joy of success. Sheridau's
| face seemed illumined as by the glare of battle
| The expression on the face of Grant was one of
| apparent relief-relef from responsibility
| one that said: ! am glad that the war is over
| Grant was one of the few who achieved great
reputation as soldier without contracting
a love for war To HIM it was a
| necessary evil which he wished to get through
| with rs speedily as possibly. He apparently
| never aSpired to military distinction. When a
! boy he was forced into West Point did cTeditable
| service in Mexico, was sent TO California but
| having no pride in his profession, resigned and
was out of the service for five years. He was poor
| when the war came; and if ever there was a
man on earth who entered the service purely
| from sense Of duty, that man was Grant. He
| enlisted, not for glory or hope of promotion.
! but Tor love OF country and what he consid-
| cred q solemn duty. Comparatively unknown,
| he went from Galena TO Chicago, where he ap-
piled at military headquarters for anything. A
State Senator from his county interceded fol
| him. but he was put off from day to day. Mr.
| Weshburne afterwards went to those i'll com
| mand and said Here is a man who has Il mill
| tary education; give him place Finally he
| was given clerkship. The next day the State
| senator saw him carrying an aTmful of Inuskcts
and Grant remarked, You see, /
am in the service at last 1t was
| from solemn sense of duty, and no
| other reason, that Grant entered the army
! 1t has been said that Grant was not an edu-
Gated man He was graduate OF the Military
| Academy of West Point, and no man passes
| through that institution without getting fair
| education He was man Of refinement, ne
never uttered word anywhere that he could
| not have uttered with proprety in the presence
| of any lady. 1t is said by some that his was a
| career of luck and that all his victories were
! gained by main strength and awllwardness.
| Military men concede that Lee. Johnson
and Bragg were great Generals. Grant
| met each OF them in battle and was
| never defeated. We must accede to him the
| genius to command. He was the first to discover
| that the strength of the COnfederacy was in the
| army. Its destruction was necessary and he
proceeded against it with an iron hand and a
| heart that never quailed until he accomplished
| it. When he was made Lieutenant General of
| the United states army he had command of
more men and was fighting over a larger area
| OF country than any who ever lived. NapOleon's
armies and campaigns do not compare with
| those OF Grant. The fabulous number of men
| said to have been commanded by XerXeS are
| merely imaginary. That he made mistakes
| IN his civil administration is true, for
| like all other men he was human
] have heard men criticise the official acts of
| this great man, that could not manage their
| own business or their own family for single
| day. His mistakes were that when he gave his
! confidence he gave his heart also. His loss of
! fortune in his latest days by the treachcry of
| friends severe as was the blow. was as nothing;
| but his good name was dragged in the dust. He
murmured not: he stood it brayely. He went
down to the dark valley of the shadow of death
working so that his family should not want.
| His pen dropped from his hand when
his tongue, ceased TO articulate. Masnan-
imous to his foes. peryaded with charity,
| he died regretted by all. He is gone His work
| is done Life will flow on in its accustomed
channels; morning, noon and evening will
| come and go; the seasons will succeed each
| rs of yOrc. Hope JOY and ambition will rise in
! the hearts of his counrymen as ever but he
| viii come no more. No more for him the voice
| OF love, the songs of gladness. His name will
| be pcrpetuatcd in marble, bronze. poetry and
song The marble will crumble the bronze CO.
rode, paintings fade; but his monument is his
country, undivided, undvisible, and may it
stand torever-Washington. the founder; Lin
| Golf, the liberator; Grant the preserver.
Song by the choir.
Mr.. Cheslcy then introduced y Greene Curtis
the next speaker.
Mr. Curtis-Mr President, Ladies and Gentle
men and Fellow Pioneers Taking up the theme
where Governor Booth left off. Grant is gone.
| The heart of the whole nation paralyzed
when the news was flashed over the wires that
| Grant was gone. We thank God that General
Grant lived, and thank God that it was my
good fortune to have met him. ]
met him in Pioneer Hail. and was one
OF the committee of forty who went from
this city to San Francisco, TO welcome him back
to this country when he returned from the
Orient. and to extend him an invitation to visit
Sacramento. When ! saw him walk from the
steamer and plant his foot on the soil of Cali
fornia, | looked upon him with wonder and
anazement. He was a grand old hero. The
simplicity of his manner and honesty of pur-
pose was the admiration of all who ever met
him. ! remember how he looked when under
the gaslights he was received by the numerous
committees. Eloquent addresses were made.
He was not reticent tacturn but
easy, graceful. He replied in Ian.
guage beautiful, eloquent, elegant and
chaste. He who says Grant was not
an educated man falsifes history. He was
| then related the conversation held between
| Grant and the committee from Sacramento rela-
tive To his coming here. Continuing, the speaker
| said: When / hear individuals say that Grant
| was cold, dictatorial and tyrannical, my heart
leaps to my mouth, for it is not true. ! said to
| him in San Francisco General, you have
| heard the saying, Anything to beat Grant
| Our committee has sent us here, and their
| cry is, Anything to meet Grant A more
| genial, pleasant and afiable gentleman |
| never met. While here he went out to the