Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-08-13
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WHEN GRANT WAS MAD.
ELS INTERVIEW WITH THE DELEGATION
FROMTHE SOUTH CAR OLINA TdI-PAYERS
CONTENTION

CONVENTION:
I never heard the General swear, says a
writer in the Washington Capital, but GER
tainly saw him mad enough to make things
blue if he had broken out.
In the Spring of 1874 delegation came
here from taxpayers convention in South
able extravaganza, folly and fraud in their
State government. Frank Moses, "the
young native Governor" as he had been
dubbed by those who thought carpet-bag-
gers 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 desper-
ate effort to redeem the State, non-partl-
san taxpayers convention was called, and
the result was IAN appeal to Caesar" =.
A delegation of twenty of the most dis
tinguished men of the State came here:
General James Chestnut, who died recent
ly, was at its head. went with them, by
appointment, to the White House to pre-
sent the bill of grievance. AS we were
passing up the stairway to the Presidents
reception room Senator John j. Patterson,
the carpet-bag Representative Of the Pal
metto State, passed down. He had grin
on his somewhat sardonc face which was in
dicative of disaster to those he grinned at.
General NJ. e. Butler, now Senator, GER
tainly construed it as danger signal, for he
said to me: "Now, | wonder what Patter-
son 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, one clinched hand resting
on the table, an angry flush upon his face,
and an expression of the eye filter for the
battle field than for the reception room.
He went through the ceremony of introduc-
ton coldly and then said: "What can do
for you ?''~W ID. Porter, Charleston's most
famous lawyer, presented the resolutions of
the convention and the protest OF the tax
payers of South Carolina against the con-
tinued existence of the State government.
Mr.. Lathers qnrolled 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, l 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; you must find your reme-
DIV 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 shameful
~ dUuS6 IlG 1He COuFCuCloi WlilSii oCAo
you here even dragged the name ofmy wife
into its debates and made her the subject of
false and scandalous accusations"
The delegation was dumbfounded. The
members had not expected any warm SYM
pathy, 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 sur
prised at Grants familiarity with the pro-
ceedings of the convention. That sly poll
tician had primed Grant for the reception,
and on the table close to Grants hand was a
newspaper clipping-the report of General
Mart Gary's speech in the convention.
Genral Gary, as Chairman of the Com
mittee on Federal Relations, had opposed
an appeal to Grant. He denounced him as
a drunken tyrant no better than his fellow
Radicals in South Carolina. "While Moses
and his fellow thieves" said he, "are rob-
bing the the people of South Carolina, Grant
and his fellow thieves are robbing the whole
people of the United States. While negro
harlots are peddling legislative pay certif-
icates in the streets of Columbia, the wife
of Grant is selling the secrets of the Treas
ury to the gamblers of Wall street."
So the taxpayers delegation went away
sorrowful. If Grant had been calm enough
to listen toexplanation he would have learn
ed that General Gary's report and speech
had been markedly rebuked by the con-
vention, which referred the report back to
his committee, and adopted an address tenn
perate, non-partisan and conservative in its
place.