The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-29

to this quite number OF items about public
affairs, and | find it very interesting TO
look back over the notes which | nave
made IN some Of the exciting times OF the
past"
Speaking of President HAYES diary made
me think of that or John Quincy Adams,
and l asked President Hayes If he was ac-
Quainied with it.
Yes" he replied. Il am the one man
who has read it 1t is full of interest and
the way, l once met John Quincy Adams.
President Hayes went on. Il saw him
when | was East attending law school.
Studrd at Ca mbTidge and some Of us bows
decided to see MI the great men we could.
We went into Boston and called upon the
various dignitaries there, meeting Rufus
Choate, Edward Everett and others. One
day we made up a party TO go over to
Quincy and call upon John Quincy Adams.
We found him al home, and as we entered
we introduced ourselves by saying
that we were Ohio boys. aud that We had
come over to Quincy with the hope
OF meeting him and shaking his hand.
Mr.. Adams received Us very kindly.
He was sitting in his library writing upon a
speech which he told US he was soon
to deliver in Ohio AN observatory said
he, has been erected on a mountain near
Cincinnati and / have been invited TO make
a speech at its dedication. l have been
working on it for the past three weeks and
| have just struck the last blow on the
anvil. Ii you boys would ike TO bear it
Will read you some Of it 1t will do me good
TO read il and it will not hurt you. l will
net tire you, however, and l viii only ask
you 10 listen for fifteen minutes. lie then
took out his watch and laid it down in a
chair beside him and read the last fifteen
minutes Of bis speech. 1t was a good one,
and in it housed an expression about which
lie spoke TO US. That was thai 'Obseryato-
-. s.T.E -. H. So -.
light the road 10 knowledge i have said
President Adams, been laughed al and
abused for using that expression before. but
l Ike II ana ana going to use 1t IN this
speech. | am told that they are going t.
name the mountain after me and IL will be
called Mount Adams. BY the way. what
kind Of mountain is it,?
Il here told Mr.. Adams that / came from
Cincinnati and that the place where they
were going TO put the university ought TO be
called hill rather than a mountain. and
described where it was located in respect To
the city. he did 60 10 Ohio and make his
speech, and the hill was named Mount
Adams, and the observatory was placed
upon II. As manufacturing grew, however,
the smoke Obscured the view TO such an ex-
tent that il became practically useless as an
observatory. aud IL has been abandoned.
think one of the most interesting parts of
John Quincy Adams diary is that which
contains his description OF this trip to
Ohio"
"Who, General Hayes" said I. do YOU
consider the greatest of our PreSidents?"
Il think" replied President Hayes. that
Abraham Lincoln was the ablest aud
the greatest of them. He was the broadcast
minded. he was closest TO tie people and he
was our most representative American.
Next to him, / suppose, comes George
Washington. But Washington had ten
dency to admire English ways, and he was
not the typical American that Abraham
Lincoln was"
Il suppose you knew President Lincoln
quite we'll" said l. Can you give me your
idea of him."
Yes" replied the ex-President. II had
some acquaintance with Abraham Lincoln.
L knew him when he was yonng man just
on the edge Of his prime. and l have pic
ture here which shows him as | knew him
them
president Hayes here showed me large
photograph taken of Lincoln when he was
a young man. As we looked at it he
went on:
This. you see. is far different face than
that OF the Lincoln of the war Lincoln AZ
that time had no beard. His face was full
and free from the lines Of care and worry.
de always wore his hair ruffed ND as il ia
here, and be was really not unhandsOme
young man. TIE first time / really became
acquante with him was in 1888. during hjs
reputation through his debate with Stephen
A Douglas, and he was already rising
man. We had close contest in Ohio that
year. William Dennison was the Repub
lican candidate, and he was opposed by
Rufus T. Ranney of Cleveland You must
remem Der him. He was one Of the war
Governors OF Onio. and when Lincoln
called for 10000 trooIs he sent 10000
instead, and sent men to Washington TO
urge their acceptance. Lincoln made him
the Postmaster General in 1864. and he
died, think. about ten years ago. Ranney
was great lawyer, and as such WAS very
popular He was in some respects the SUI
perlor of DenHison, but Dennison was the
snrewder politician. The situation was
such that we wanted outside speakers, aud
We called in Lincoln to make seven or eight
speeches for us. When he came to Cinein-
natl to talk | met him and showed him to
his hotel. Alter we bad talked a few mo-
ments he told me that he would like, If pos
sl5le, t0 be left alone during the afternoon,
and that he would prefer that no cards be
sent up to bin.
You mean by that. Mr. Lincoln said /.
That you want to receive no one whatever.
Well. will tell the clerk to say to all who
cali that you are engaged and upon this 1
rose TO go.
"'No, don't mean that he replied. 4
mean that don't want to see strangers. /
want you to stay with me and We will have
a chat together
Il then sat down and the conversation
soon turned 10 the debate with Douglas.
Lincoln was full of il at the time and he
told me the whole story. describing the sit
uaiions very dramatically. As he went on
IN his talk / could see that the President al
lee had already begun to buzz around his
head, that he WAS study ng the signs OF the
times. aud was ready to take advantage Of
anything that might arise. He was yerv
modest about his statements and he pro-
posed everything for the sole advancement
OF tie party; but the logical conclusions