The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-28


Tho monotony o. Presidential complI-
monts u Vermont sunshine and Vermont
patriotism was broken al Montpelier by the
recital OF this anpcdotc:
"a sta,esman Of one Of the Southern States said to
ns with tears In hts eyes shortly after my inanru.
ration: M rrssds,L I hons you intend to give
the poor people Of my Ssts a chance l said In
reply; a chance to do wha.' II you mean, sir,
that they shall have . chance to nullfy any law and
that shall wink At tho notification of It, yon ak
shat which you ought not to ask an tia. which
cannot consider 1tyou moan that obeying every pub
lilo law and giving to every other man his Full rights
under the Law and the Constitution thsv shah abide In
ny respect and In the security ana peace OF our inst
satons then they ssa have Solar as in power lea
IN equal chance with all our people"
1t must havestr,rek most kline. hearted per-
sons, even In Vermont, who heard this story
from the Presidents own lips that the Hon.
BENJAMIN HARRISON was unnecessarily
severe upon tho lacirymose statesman from
the South. What had he done or said to
provoke the Chief Magistrate to such harsh
language and so uncaled-for IN assumption
that the Intentions Of tho fearful petitioner
were reasonable ?
II tho alleged wcepor had gone to the Hon.
BENJAMIN HARRISON. saying: 1--WE intend
to defy tho laws to nulliiy the Constitution,
to subvert tho Institutions OF this hated
Government. and we respectfully and tear
fully request you to lend us, officially, your
valuable aid and countcnance 0n the enter
prise" then Gen. HARRISON might well have
replied: Perish the unworthy thought"
and have runY the bell for a servant to
conduct tho niscreant to tho door. But the
alleged Southern statesman did nothing Of
tho sort He merely wept. and expressed
the hoDe that the President intended to
give his poor State n chance" And for n
reply no got oif-hund we'll rounded and
carefully balanced passage OF bloody-sAirt
rhetoric, such as it might have taken the
Hon. GEORGE FRIsBIE HoAn half the night
to COMPOSE standing before his chev;l glass
In his chemisette.
We do not venture to doubt that the al.
legged incident occurred precisely MS the
President has stated 1t at Montpelier. We
should like to know however, who was this
son Of NIoBE from the sunny South. Was
II MD. Justice LAMAR in one OF his watery
moods? Was 1t CHALMERS OF Mississippi !?
Was 1t the Hon. SApoDILLA ScRuuGs OF
Georgia? Or was 1t one of the Birming-
ham manufacturers who used to be admit
ted occasionally TO the Presidents presence,
aftor his election and before his inaugural
ton, and even early IN his actual term IL
Office? Whoever the repulsel wceper may
be, no certainly received treatment Ill
adapted to the requirements OF 4 sensitive
and sentimental nature. lie asked for
sympathy and encouragement and he got q
hinty section of u Force bill! speech.
Another thing that surprises us Ia that
tho President should suddenly icmomLer in
Vermont an Incident OF great public i'm
portance which wa; not recalled to his mind
at any time during his resent extensive
travels In that part OF the country which Ia
most directly Interested One would suppose
that tho Eoa. BENJAMIN HARRISON would
have remembered and nrrnt,h the ST Nry
OF tho weeping SIu'hcracr uni the crushing
rebuke while hc was in Georgia or Alabama.
The apecdo.e would have Ind q great sue
cess anywhere in the South Any Southern
audience gathered to hear words of wisdom
from tho Presidents mouth would have
been immensely interested in the tears u
ono Of Its representative statesmen. and
would have listened with eager attention 10
the massive rhetoric about the law and the
Constitution and tho peace aud security of
our institutions. But the President forgot
his speech to the wrcpar while he
was travelling In the region where
repetition OK that speech might
have produced infinite good, and he
recalled it suddenly and to the last word
away up in Vermont where the noble senti.
ments OF tho reply were taken for granted.
as it wore. and practically wastOd
On the whole. this is the most singular
fenturs OF tho most noteworthy episode OF
the present journey In search Of a renoml.
nation and a second term.