Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-16
W.CHILDS ON GRANT
Some Pleasant Recollections Of the
Great Commander.
HE DID NOT WANT A THIRD TERM.
Advocating the Appointment of the Electoral
Commission.
lie NEVER SAID OF DID A MEAN THING

1
things Mr.. Childs says:
General Grant was not an ardent student.
Early in life he was somewhat of novel
reader, but latterly he read history, biogra-
ply and travels. He was careful reader,
and remembered everything he read, but he
had nothing which could be distinctly
called cultivated literary taste, He was a
great reader of newspapers. I remember
once his coming to Long Branch when Gen
eral Sherman's work had just been pub
lished, and / asked him if he had read it.
He said: No, he had not had time 10 read
it; and one of the persons present observed:
''Why, General, you won't find much in it
about yourself. He doesn't seem to think
you were in the war;" The General said: "I
don't know; have read some adverse criti-
cisms, but am going to read it and judge
for myself"
After he had read over the book carefully
and attentively, I asked him what he
thought Of it. "Well," be said, sit has
done me full Justice. 1t has given me more
credit than deserved. Any criticism I
might make would be that I think he has
not done justice to Logan, Blair and other
volunteer generals. These men did their
duty faithfully, and 1 never believe in i'm
putting motives to people"
While living in Long Branch there was
hardly Confederate officer that came to
the place without visiting the General. He
was always glad to see them, and with those
men he invariably talked over the war; The
General had very high opinion of General
Joe Johnston, and always spoke of him as
being one of the very best of Southern Gen
erals, and at one of my dinners had the
pleasure of getting Johnston, Grant and
Sherman together.
THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
General Grant was staying with me in
Philadelphia during the canvass of the
election between Tilden and Hayes, and on
the morning of the momentous day after the
election, when the returns gave Tilden
majority of all the electors, he accompanied
me to my office. In few moments an emf
nent Republican Senator and one or two
other leading Republicans walked in, and
they went over the returns. These leaders,
notwithstanding the returns, said, 'Hayes
is elected" an opinion in which the others
coincided. General Grant listened to them,
but said nothing. After they had settled
the matter in their own minds, he said,
Gentlemen, it looks to me as If Mr.. Tilden
was tleCteu. ne dlGcTWdTu sent IOr me In
Washington, and said, 'This matter is very
satisfied unless something is done in regard
to it which will look like justice. Now"
he continued, II have spoken of an Electoral
Commission, and the leaders of the party
are opposed to it, which am sorry to see.
They say if an Electoral Commission is ap-
pointed you might as we'll count in Mr..
THden. I would sooner have Mr.. Tilden
than that the Republicans should have a
President who could be stigmatized as a
fraud. Ii were Mr.. Hayes would not
have it unless it were settled in some way
outside the Senate. This matter is opposed
by the leading Republicans in the House
and Senate and throughout the country
President Grant invited the leading Re
publican Senators to dine with him to meet
me and to get their views. He said to me
"You see the feeling here. 1 find them
almost universally opposed to anything like
an Electoral Commission" l named a
leading Democrat in the House (Samuel j.
RandalD, who was perhaps one of the most
prominent men in the country, man of
great influence and of great integrity of
character, whom it would be well for Gen.
eral Grant to see in the matter, and the sug-
gestion was acted on. 1 sent for Mr.. Ran
dali to come to the White House, and put
the dilemma to him in President Grants
name as follows SIT is very hard for the
President and. very embarrassing to men on
his own side that this matter does not seem
to find favor with them, besides having
Democratic opposition. Republicans think
you might as well count Tilden in, but, as
the feeling throughout the country demands
as honest a count of the vote as possible,
this Electoral Commission ought to be ap-
pointed"
FIGHTING FOR HIS PARTY.
The answer at once was that the Demo-
Gratis would favor it, and it was through
that gentleman and General Grant that the
plan was carried through. There is another
point of politics not generally known.
During General Garfeld's canvass Garfield
became very much demoralized Then fol-
lows record of the part taken by Conkling,
Randall, General Patterson, etc., in the |
matter of the Electoral Commission, after
which Mr.. Childs remarks: He said that |
he thought that the Republicans would not |
carry Indiana, and he was doubtful if they |
would carry Ohio. During that emergency |
strong appeals were made to General Grant, |
and he at once threw himself into the |
beach. He saw his strong personal friends |
and told them they must help. There was
one very strong man, Senator, whom Gen.
must turn in, and, though he first declined, |
at General Grants urgent solicitation he |
entered the field and contributed handsome
ly to the victory. General Grant went into
the canvass with might and main. The
tide was turned, and it was through General
Grants personal efforts, seconded by his
strong personal friends, who did not feel
any particular interest in Garfeld's cleo
ton, that he was elected.
As to General Grants third term, he
never by word or by letter ever suggested to
anyone that he would like to be nominated
for third term. Neither Mr.. Conkling
nor General Logan nor Senator Cameron
had any assurance from him in any way
hat he wished the nomination, and they
proceeded in that fight without any author
ty from him whatever. His heart was not
IN third term at all. Ee had had enough
'f politics. After his second term he told
ne, II feel like a boy out of school," At
irst General Grant intended to decline. In
his conversation with me he said, SIT is
very difficult to decline thing which has
never been offered" and before he left this
country for the West Indies, said, "Gen-
,ral, you leave this matter in the hands of
7our friends" He knew was opposed to
! third term, and his political friends were
n favor of it, not merely as friends, but be-
'ause tney tnought ne was the only man
Who could be elected. There is not line
# his in existence in which he expressed
my desire to have that nomination.
Coward the last, when the canvass became
7ery hot, suppose his natural feeling was
hat he should like to win. That was nat
lral. But he never laid any plans. He
lever encouraged or abetted anything
oward third term movement.
He was very magnanimous to those who
Uttered with him, and when asked him
What distressed him most in his political