The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-03

| sumo to control the policy of the Nation in so
| important an affair. But Seward persisted, and
| a treaty was negotiated at London which WAS ex-
/ tremely unacceptable to the Republicans, and,
indeed, to the majority of the Nation, of what
ever party. Grant was especially displeased.
and expressed his feeling openly. He disliked
| Seward, to whom he attributed not little of
Johnsons craft and he thought the negotiation
an unwarrantable intrusion on his own ap-
preaching prerogatives Besides this. he en-
tirely disapprovod the concessions of the admin.
! istration to England
| Before the treaty was confirmed he took q
markable step. I was personally acquainted
with Sir Edward then Mr. Thornton, the Brit
ish minister and Grant directed me to pay the
| envoy visit and in the course of converse
ton make known bis objections to the treaty;
in fact, to declare outright that l was certain
| Grant would use his influence to prevent its con
/ frmaton BY the Senate, and if 1t should be rat
! fled would, as President. assuredly procure its
revocation. made my visit, not sta ting that |
/ had been sent by Grant, but implying this as
we'll as l able without express words
/ The minister doubtless understood my OBJ
! ject ana knew that such visit could
not possibly have been paid by the confidential
| secretary of the President-eect without the
| sanction of his chief. If he did his duty he no
titled his government; but the only result APP
|
| plepipotentiaries, so that the treaty might be
concluded before Grant came into his place. It
was ratified by the contracting governments but
| almost Immediately rejected by the Senate, and
! in less than two months the administration that
made it out of power. The treaty of Wash
| ington, negotiated under Grant and Gladstone,
/ took its place.
/ This was not the only occasion when Grant
acted as If the responsibilities of government
| were very near. General Rosecrans was norni-
| mated by johnson as Minister to Mexico about
| this time; the appointment was known to be
| very disagreeahe to Grant il not purposely de-
| signed to be offensive to him. The luminosity of
| RoSecrans after Grant removed HIM from COM
| mand at Chattanooga had never ceased. He had,
| like most of the discarded generals joined the
party that opposed the war, and had supported
Johnson through all his tergiversatons and aber-
| rations. To appoint an important minister i'm
! medately before the beginning of a new admin
| istraton would have been under any crcum~
| stances di scourteous and exceptional, but when
| the minister was openly and personally hostile
| to the incoming President the nominal ton APP
peared studied insult
| Grant directed me to write to his per sonal
| friend, Mr.. Romero who had long been Mexican
| Minister to the United States, but now in
| the Mexican government. was to address him
| not avowedlv by Grants order but so that my
| authority could OF be mistaken and to state to
| Romero how distasteful the appointmentssof
| Rosecrans was to Grant, and that one of the
| earliest acts OF the now Administrations would
be to revoke it. The envoy thus would be una
BILE in the short time that he enjoyed his honors
| to execute any important diplomatic bust
| ness or to thwart the policy of the
| incoming government. Grant would prob
ably not have taken this course but
| for his profound interest in Mexican affairs, an
| interest of which the administration very
| well aware. He had recommended definite
policy in regard to Mexico, and to have man
| appo inted minister there who was likely to
/ oppose in advance whatever he believed were
| Grants vews, was in Grants eyes sufficient
| justification for this interference.
| 1t must be remembered, too, that Grant had
been given by Congress authority that made
| him in many matters Independent of the
| President. lie had been declared his duty to
| oppose the Presidentss acts and policy. He
| had seen johnson tried for high crimes and
| misdemeanors. and almost deposed. He be
ieved that his own election the condemna-
ton of johnson, the fat of the people directing
him to undo much that Johnson had done.
| Yet johnson was endeavoring to carry measures
| in regard both to England and Mexico which he
knew to DO unacceptable to the people and
offensive to the President they had chosen.
| Now, when Grant found himself the
| threshold of the highest place, the sensation of
| power, as well as the consciousness of his
rights, very strong. The acts 1 have de-
scribed are evidence that he felt the Importance
| of his position more fully than he showed. They
| were not known to any man about him but
| myself and never revealed by until
| now.
| AS the time approached when Grant was to en-
| ter upon his new functions, those who we're
| pecting place or recognition at his hands became
FESTIVE because he gave no intimation of his pur-
poses Every effort was made to obtain an in
| sight into his plans, but without avail. He did
not disclose to Rawlins Washburne-
| who had been his trusted iutimates from the
| very beginning of his greatness-what he meant
| to do for with them. Henry j. Raymond, who
| was warm. and. of course, an important sup
| porter of Grant. wrote to me begging for
| hint of the future Presidents policy, that he
,yrrt~% ho ouaA Il h.
letter to Grant, but he refused to furnish any
data or reply. Mr.. Greeley also, was told by
| those who should have known, would have been
| very glad to be taken into Grants confidence,
! although he made himself application like
Raymond's; but the same silence preserved
| toward him. The country was full of comment
| on this reticence, and many of Grants friends
| became anxious, not only those who wanted
| place, but others, from enuine and patriotic
concern. But Grant kept every intention with
| In his own breast down to very few days before
| his inauguration.
He was led to this unusual course partly by
| his military habits and experience, and partly no
| doubt. by belief that his Judgment was
| better than that OF any who could advise him.
| He had been used in the army to appointngcom
| manders without consulting their wishes
and to ordering movements without inf orming
| his interiors; and he kept I'D the practice in
civil life Many of his Cabinet ministers were
appointed before they themselves were
titled One of them told me he felt
/ as If he had been stcuck by lightning
! when he heard of his own nomination. Mar
| shall Jewell went to Washington once to urge
the appointment of friend to the Russian mis-
sion, but was unsuccessful, and on his return he
learned that his own name had been sent to the
! Senate for the post Jewell was afterward dis
missed from the Cabinet in the same peremptory
| way. Grant said to him one morning: "Mr.
Jewell, would like to receive your resignation,
and that was the Minister'S first and only warn
| ing These were the acts of one who had been
military commander Saying to this go.
and he goeth, and to another do this, and he
doeth it."
! But besides this Grant was undoubtedly at
this time affected by the adulation that was
! offered him. His head was as little turned as
any mans who comes in to the highest
place. but he had been told for years of
! his greatness, of his iudgm ent of his