The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-26
BADEAU's PREPosTERoUs CLAIM.
Bill Nye Suggests Few Brief Thoughts to
FeIl0w-AuGhors.


There is something slightly pathetic in the de-
layed statement that some of General Grants
best thoughts were supplied by Gen. Adam
Badeau. While it is great credit to any man
to do the meditating, bordering and word paint
ing necessary for a book which attain such
a sale Grants Memoirs" it shows a condition
of affairs which every literary man woman
must sadly deplore. Who of us now safe2
While the warrior. a warrior has nothing
to do but to continue victorious through life he
cannot safely write book for posterity. Liter
allure Is at all times more less hazardous
under present copyright regulations but it
becomes doubly SO when our estates have to
imburse some silent thinker who thought things
for us while amanuensing In our employ. Even
though we may have told him not to think
thoughts for us. though we asked him as
special favor to to avoid putting his
facts there is no law which prevent his
making that claim. after we are dead.
And how can a court of law or an intelligent
jury Judge such matters great man thinks
a thought in the presence OF two amanuenses,
provided am right in spelling the plural in
that way. He thinks thought. / say, sur
mond typewriter. He gives utterance the
thought and dies. One of the amanuensisters
then states TO the jury that he thought it him
self and that his comrade clothed 1t. The estate
is then asked 70 pay much per think for the
thoughts, and so much at war prices for cloth
ing the ideas. Who is able. unless it be an in
telligent jury, to arrive at the truth2
The first question to ask ourselves is this:
Was General Grant in the habit of calling in a
thinker whenever ne wanted anything done
that line He says in his letter distinctly that
he not He could not do IT, 1t is imprac-
ticable. Supposing in the crash of battle and in
the moment of victory your short. hard thinker
has his head shot of and it fails in a pumpkin
orchard where there is naturally more or less de-
lay in identifying it what can you dot Supposing
that you are President of the United States, aud
your think supply gets snow bound at Newark
in . vestlbule train and Congress is waiting
for you to veto bill. You caLaot think the
thought In the first place. and even il you could
you would hate to send it to Congress util it was
properly clothed. am told that nothing shocks
Congress like a sudden appearance in its midst
of naked and newborn thought
But General Badeau has the advantage over
General Grant in one respect He is not dead.
Otherwise the Case rs against him.
But the matter will be watched with careful
interest by literary people generally and espe-
cially by soldiers and magazines with war his
tory. Ii is warning to thoae who think their
thoughts in unguarded moment and while
stenographers may be near t. take them down
and claim them afterwards. 1t is also warn
ing to people who thoughtlessly expose naked
facts In the presence of word painters aud
thought clothiers. who may decorate and outfit
these children Of the brain aud charge it up TO
the estate.
Is the tune coming when general dealers in
apparel and gents furnishing goods fer the use
of bare facts and men who attand TO tie costum-
ing, draDing and swaddling of nude ideas will
compefe closely with each other that before n
think has its eyes fairly open of these gem
temen will slap suit of clothes on IL, with
Waterbury watch ia each posket and be half
way 70 the probate Office with his billY
BILL NYE.