New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-30

trv demands as honest count of the thing as pos
sible. this electoral commission ought to be APP
pointed. The answer at once was that the Demo-
Gratis would favor it and it was through that gen
teman and General Grant that the matter was
plan He sent for Mr.. Conkling and said with
deep earnestness. This matter is n serious one and
the people feel it very deeply. think this cleo
tOral commission onght TO be appointed" Conkllng
answered, " Mr.. President Senator Morton who
was then the acknowledged leader of the Senatel
is opposed TO il and opposed TO your eforss bnt II
Won wish the commission carried I can do it." He
said " wish 1t done" Mr.. COnkling took hold OF
the matter and ,pnt it through, The leading Demo
House and Mr.. Conklipg in the Senate. General
Patterson Of PHILADELPHIA. VINO was an intimate
rat was also sent for lie had large estates in the
South and great deal of influence with the DEM
ocrats, and particularly with Southern Democrats
General Patterson was upward of eighty, but he
came down there and remained one or two weeks.
working hard to accomplish the purpose in view.
After the bill had passed and was waiting Tor sig
MARYLAND the day 1t should have been signed, and
there was much perturbation about IT.
boe hnsiness II has been said that the chang
ing complexion of the court throw the matter INTO
Hayes hands. and If the court Lad remained as II
was Tildon would have been declared President
General Graut the soul of honor in this
matter and no one ever accused him or ever limited
that he was untruthful IN any way, ], for one
decetfuy. There is another point OF politics not
generally known. During GaIfeld's canvass Gar.
field became very much dclnoralized. He said that
he did not only think they would not carry Indiana
but he was doubtful If they would carry Ohio
Duriug that emergency strong appeals were maze
to General Grant and he at once throw himself INTO
the breech He saw his strong personal frlcnus ana
told them they mus help; there was one very strong
man, q Senator, whom General Grant sent Tor ana
told him that he must turn IN, and though nc nrst
declined, at General Grants urgent solicitation
he entered the field and contributed handsomely 10
the victory General Grant Tent into the aNI
was through General Grants personal Efforts sec
onded BY his strong personal friends. who did not
feel any particular interest in Garhelds ciectlon'
As TO General Grants third term. he never by
word or by any letter ever suggested to any, one
that he would like to be nominated Tor n third
term Neither Mr.. Coukling General Logan nor
Senator Cameron had any assurance from HIM IN
any way that he wond even take the nomination II
it was rendered him, and they proceeded IN that
fight without any authority from HIM Whatever;
His heart was not on third term ut all. lie had
had enough of 1t. After his second term he told me-
ii feel like n boy out of school, The three men
mentioned above We're the leaders in that
matter Neither of them had ever had a hint
that he would have liked to have had
a third nomination. These men are living and
they can answer for themselves At first Grant IN
tended TO decline. In his conversation with me he
said " 1t is very dficnl. TO decline thing that
has never been offered and when he left the conn
try for the West Indies. said. Genera; you
leave this in the hands Of your friends: lie knew
was opposed to third term; and his political
friends were IN favor of It,, not merely as friends,
because
man who could be elected. There was
not q line of his in existence where
he has ever expressed any desire to have
that nomination. Toward the last, when the can
vass became very hot, suppose his natural feel
ing was that he would like TO win. That was nat
ural. But he never laid any plans. lie had never
encouraged or Allotted anything toward third
term movement.
He was very maguanimous to those who differed
from him. and when asked hn what dstre ised
him most in his political life, he said, ITO be de-
ccived by those / trusted" lie had good many
dstreescs.
Apropos of his power of thinking and of express
ing his thoughts. he wrote with great facility and
clearness. His Centennial address, at the opening
Of the Exhibition in 1876. was hastily prepared at
my house. and there were only one or two corrcc-
tons in the whole matter. When he went 10 Eng
land he wrote me a letter Of fourteen pages giving
me an account of his reception in England. The
same post that brought that tier contained letter
from Mr. John Walter. proprietor Of The london
Times, saving that he had seen mutual friend.
General Grant. on several occasions. aud wondered
how he was pleased with his reception in England.
Iae letter which bad received was SO aPropos
that elegTaphcd IL over that very day to The Lon
dOs 1mS fGngtce t raSe, s - nm %a io without
morning published this letter with an editorial 10
happened that the cableErain arrived in London
the very night the General was going through The
London Times office 10 sec the establishment. He
said he thought the English people admirable the
letter was written TO a friend not surprising that
1t would ever be put III PRINT and not one word had
10 be altered. cite this TO show General Grants
facility in writing.
tiers remember an instance. On one of the great
financial questions before Congress he was consult
ing with Mr. A. j. DreXe OF Philadelphia. whom
he regarded of his strongest personal friends
and the General expressed certain views, saying
that he had contemplated writing n message. Mr..
Drcxel combatted his views aud the General recon-
sidcred the matter and wrote a Veto showing that
he was open to conviction. There was matter no
had considered. lie thought, fully. and when this
new light was given to him by Mr. Drexe he at
once changed and wrote a veto instead OF favoring
it. A great many people had an idea that General
Grant was very much set in his opinions; but.
while he had his opinions, at the same time he was
always open TO conviction. Very often In talking
with him no wouldn't mako au observation, and
when you had got through il would be diflicnlt 10
ject or not, but In very short time, II
you alluded to that matter again, you would
find that he had grasped 1t thoroughly His power
of observation and mental assimilation was re-
markable There nonsense about him. lie
was always neat in his dress. but not fastidious
when he came home from West Point. Arriving at
his town he put on his full regimentals and was
riding along on horse. 4 boy came up to him and
said Hey, soldier will you work !" mo" he
said 81 would sooner sell my shirt" So that
cured him of regimeDtals.
Speaking one or two occasions OF the burial of
soldiers, he observed that his old chief. General
Scott was buried at West Point and that he would
like to be- buried there also. This was several
years ago and mentioned merely III casual CONVEX
satiOn. That was number Of years ago. and |
think once or twice afterward 1t might have been
alluded to incidentally since;
There n paragraph in the newspapers recent
ly referring to the speech of Hon. Chauncey De-
pew, that Grant had saved tho country twice. |
don't know what could have been meant by that
paragraph. In the Electoral Commission he saved
great deal of trouble, but whether he saved the
country not is another question. l don't know
whether or not that could be tho implication.
What have SAID about the Electoral Commission,
have said Of my own knowledge.
General Grant surrounded by those he knew we'll.
always did two-thirds OF the talking. He was re-
ticent and different man in general company and 1t
was not until he was out of the Presidency that he
became public speaker. He told q story that he
was notified once that he was expected to make n
speech in reply TO one which was given him. and he
looked il over and wrote his answer carefully; but
Lat nd couId not a unrh Altar flaf