The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-18
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
General Brinkerhoff'x "Reminiscences
Of Private and Public Life.

revelation or character as well as RELATION
of events. The interest of the narration,
OF course, depends further upon the variety
of the events described and the manner of
narrating them. When all these elements
combine autobiography possesses a charm
peculiarly its own. 'Recollections OF
Lifetime" by General r. Brinkerhoff. OF
Ohio, possesses in high degree the attrac-
tons of frankness. a pleasant anecdotal
style and many interesting experiences.
During the eventful years of the last half
century there are but few men who have
had a more varied career or have been
connected with more events OF interest
than General Brinkerhoff. In many ways.
as educator. lawyer. editor, soldier. states
man, orator and philanthropist ne has been
active and prominent Now, at the ripe
age of seventy-one years, he writes MS
"reminiscences. An autobiographer has the
advantage of knowing the facts of his life
better than anybody else and also of know
ing what is best worth narrating. General
Brinkerhoff gives the salient points of his
private life and public career from child
hood to old age. General readers Will, Oh
course, find most interesting those parts
which relate to public events with which
the author was connected, and prominent
persons with whom he was at different
times associated. One passage OF this
kind may be quoted. An original Republi-
can, General Brinkerhoff became, in 1869,
an ardent advocate of free trade and was
employed by the Free-trade League to
speak and work for the cause. In the
election of congressman in 1870 several
revenue reform Republicans were elected
rl.a hrn saf
getting control of the ways and means
committee in the House. The author says:
I'm the Congress quite a number OF Re-
publicans were tariff reformers, especially
as Garfield, of Chic; Allison, of Iowa: Fin
kelburg, of Missouri, and others. There
were enough of them to compel recogni-
ton in the election Of speaker and the
appointment of committees. In fact, by
combining with the Democrats, they could
elect a speaker, but of course this would
be last resort. Mr.. Blaine was candi-
date for reelection as speaker of the in.
coming Congress, and he soon discovered
that he was likely to have opposition from
the friends of tariff reform in his own
party, and that ii might be serious, and
so he finally invited a private conference
of free-traders in New York OF course,
this conference was entirely secret. Mr..
Blaine stopped at one hotel, and the tarin
reformers, of whom was one, were at an
other. We appointed committee of three
to meet Mr.. Blaine, which, IL l remember
rightly, consisted of William b. Allison
Horace White and Charles Nordhoff After
conference our committee reported that
Mr.. Blaine was willing to agree that In
case he was permitted to be reelected
speaker without opposition in his own
party he would agree that majority of
the ways and means committee should be
tariff reformers. and that its chairman
should be tariff reformer satisfactory to
us, and desired us to name him. This prop
osition of Mr.. Blaine was quite surprise
70 oil Of ov,1 Of IL rof-
fsfactory, and We accepted it and named
Garfield as our man for chairman of the
ways and means committee. With this ar
rangement consummated the conference
came to an end and Mr.. Blaine had no fur
Their opposition. The managers of the Free
trade League, however, felt that some one
should be on hand at Washington to look
after legislation, and especially to see that
the arrangements with Mr.. Blaine were
carried out properly, and so / was APP
pointed to attend to it,
After referring TO the conferences of the
tariff reformers held at his rooms. attended
by both Republican and Democratic MEM
bers, the author continues:
I'VE were fully assured that with a ways
and means committee and Garfield to lead
1t we could control the House in favor of
revenue reform. We were entirely correct
in our calculations, provided Speaker
Blaine kept faith with US, but unfortunate
ly he did not and we were left in the cold
Blaine was slow in announcing his COM
mittees, and many days passed by without
| uttlfllte ACTION. saw MIN frequently, but
did not press him, as / knew he had a diff
| ficult task. At last, one day when the
| House was in session, Blaine saw me on
| the floor and sent page with a note ask
I ing me to meet him in the hall. He then
| called some one to the chair, and as he
| went out of the south door / went out of
| the north door, and went around and met
| him. He took me down to the basement
| and into room he called his den He
| then locked the door and went to cup
board and brought out some refreshments
ana we sat down at little table. After a
while lie told me he wanted to talk to me
about the ways and means committee and
| TO ask my opinion in regard TO cast of
| the committee that was in his mind. He
| took pencil and slip of paper from a
| drawer and wrote down nine names and
| then turned Ii around for me to read. /
saw that he kept his finger on the paper
and that he did not intend to let me take il
away, and so l took a little time to study
| its makeup and get it clearly i'm my
| memory. l saw at glance that he
| was not carrying out his agreement
because Dawes was at the head as chair
| man, and not Garfield. 1 saw also as
| looked over the list that a majority of the
| committee were not revenue reform men
although 1t was a combination calculated
| 10 deceive any one not fully posted on in.
| dividual records. That a breach of faith
was meditated was evident enough, bu,
| just what to do about ii was not so evi.
dent, and so asked questions to gain time
| as well as information. L asked him why
| Dawes instead of Garfield was at the head
| He said. That is what want to talk anon,
| especially, for L find il will make trouble
to give Garfield the Craftsmanship. and /,
| seems to me that Dawes is sufficiently in
harmony with you people to be satisfactory
| and the very fact that he is not an extreme
| man will be an advantage to you in the
| House. Garfield, he said had not had s,iffi
| cient service on the committee to entitls
| him to promotion over old members like
Kelley and Dawes. Why he said. .Kelle,
| would take fit If put Garfield ahead OF
| him.. Possibly that may be So I said
| but you knew that Just as well when We
| were in New York as you do now and / am
very sure our people would not be wilkins
| to substitute Dawes for Garfield, for al
| heart he is not with us any more thar
/ Kelley The fact was there were only fou,
| men In his list who were not protectionists
| and after discussing the matter awhile h,
said: That is not finality by any means
| 1t is simply tentative, and i will make tn.
! committee so that it will be satisfactory
| He repeated the word tentative two a,
| three times, but / made up my mind a
once that ways and means coumitte.
satisfactory to the revenue reform peopl,
| would never be made by Mr.. Blaine, and 5,
we parted after an hours talk with the nm
Outstanding that he would see me agar
| soon. AS | went up stairs on nv way +,
| the telegraph Office 1 met Garfield and sait
| to him that 1 would like to talk with hin
about a matter in which he was interested
He said that he was in a hurry to meet a,
| engagement, and asked If could wait unit
| evening. when he would be at his hous
and give me the evening if necessary. so
| arranged to meet him at S o'clock In III
| evening i met Garfield and he took me Z,
his room UP stairs, and asked what was tn
matter. i said: Everything is the matter
Co. axr-ax <.v.I