The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-31

10 give careful attention to what he said.
He insisted that a veto or the Dill would
prove the ruin Of the Republican party,
and that the country Overwhelmingly sup
ported that measure. He was aggressive,
almost fierce, in his insiste1ce that sign
the bill"
VETOED INITIATION BILL.
General Grant said. in reply to Blaine.
that while the existence and supremacy OF
the Republican party were OF the highest
Importance. yet. in considering bill OF
this kind. there were other points OF view
than the interest of any party. And, fur
thermore, he was satisfied that whatever
action he took upon the bill would be based
upon his understanding of what was the
best for the Natien. and he was sure that
would be best for the party. Blaine seemed
not to like very well the answer Grant
gave him. and he was almost menacing In
his attitude and in his comment
Grant at once sent TO New York TO ask
that certain men OF recognized authority
and experience In the world OF finance
meet him at some convenient place, since
he desired TO ask some questions which
they. In all probability. would be able TO
answer. Immediately arrangements were
made for a meeting at the Union League
Club. General Grant came over 10 New
York and met at the club about forty men,
some of whom had been of the utmost as
sistance to the government in a time OF
and al OF whom had earned fine reputa-
tions for commanding ability I'm the field
OF finance.
General Grant said TO these men that
he desired to ask some questions that
he could obtain light IL possible which
would enable him to come TO a correct
judgment with respect to the so-called in
hation bill. For four or five hours he sat in
the center of this group listening with in
tense earnestness to every opinion that was
expressed, now and then asking questions,
MT IL, 81. IL
for the purpose of getting information. But
In all his questioning he revealed to no one
OF these men whether he had or had not
come to any determination respecting his
action upon the bill. They were all amazed
at the ciearness, directness and force of
the questions which he put to them, espe-
cially as he confessed that he had no un-
Outstanding of the details of finance or
even of banking under our national system
When the meeting was over not one of
these men could tell whether Grant had
made up his mind what he ought to do, al
though he afterward said that his course
was made perfectly clear to him during
that evening. He went back to Washing
ton day or two later. wrote out the now
famous and historic veto message using
the argument which seemed to him to justi-
fy the vetoins of the bill, and sent it to
Congress without having consulted any
one.
Grant afterward often spoke of as some
thing that was of pre-eminent service to
the Nation and to the Republican party as
we'll Tor before he met the men who were
gathered around him that evening he was
| inclined TO accept as correct in all proba-
bility the view taken by Mr.. Blaine.
A LONG AFTER-DINNER SPEECH.
Judge Davis was reminded by this anec-
dote narrated by Mr.. Wales of later ex-
perience associated with General Grant In
the same room where some years before he
had met the New York bankers and finan-
ciers to whose counsel the country owes
the veto of the imitation bill. Judge Davis
| says that a company of perhaps forty,
some Of the members Of which had shared
in that earlier consultation. invited General
Grant TO be their guest at dinner upon
his return from his tour around the world
| The dinner was served in the same room
| where he had met the New York bankers.
| When the coffee and cigars were brought
General Grant was asked by one of the
| hosts to tell the company something about
| his trip around the world. Every one had
| heard Of him as a taciturn man who was
| believed incapable Of making an address
| of any kind
But there was no hesitation on Grants
| Part, no stage fright as he rose to respond
| TO the request. 1t was just 10 O'Clock
when he began. In a few moments be
had every one of that company, some
| of whom were men distinguished as
| orators, absolutely absorbed Neither Grant
other thing than that delight which the
perfectly spoken words gives both to him
who utters IL and to him who hears 1t.
They even forgot Grants personality I'm
| the absorbing charm of his address Judge
Davis, who has heard all the supreme ora
| tors OF his generation, said that no one
of them had so perfectly dominated him
| as Grant did upon that occasion. The
thought was most lucidly expressed and
the same quality afterward discovered i'm
Grants memoirs which have given them
very high literary distinction was most
| noticeable in this address. He had the
power of picturing all that he had seen
and then describing lie so that il had al
most the same mental impress which the
visible presence of painting would have
| given.
| At last Grant sat down. Judge Davis
said to him: General, do you know how
Icing YOU have been speaking?" and Grant
! replied: 81 should say about half an hour
and to that Judge Davis said that il would
| have been impossible for him to have given
any estimate of the time had he not hap
pened to have glanced at his watch when
| Grant began to speak. You have been
speaking exactly two hours, General"
And when Judge Davis told the other
members of the company that Grant s
speech had occupied two hours almost
every one was incredulous, not having had
any sense of the lapse of time. So that i'm
fact he really seemed TO have been speak
ing but "A few moments.
/ And this was the man. said Judge
i
as the silent man, the maker of apho-
thegms and of laconic utterance, who was
| incapable of making a speech"
| Commodore Van Santyoord narrated an
other anecdote that may have some timely
significance. He said that Grant was
| speaking one day of the vast difficulties
| that he met with in the Eastern Tonnes
| see campaign at one time, in connecting
| the army with it's base of supplies. He
| had been compelled for some days to con-
| centrate all his energy upon that prob
| lem. and at last was rejoiced to learn
| that the danger had been wholly overcome
| Just as he had received reports one morn
| Ing, showing that the army and it's base
| of supplies were in full and well-protected
| communication. there rode up to his tent
| an officer Of the rank of brigadier general
who began TO criticise, even to demand, ex-
PLANTATION of what had been done.
! Grant heardN him patiently and at last
| said to him: All these things were
done to put our army in communication
with its base" But the brigadier general
continued, I'm violation of etiquette, at
least, to make strong criticisms and pro-
tests. He was a reformer then" said Gen.
Grant. ''and he is reformer now. And his
name is Carl Schurz."
Woes OF the Author.