The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-17

doom the party TO defeat in the next
election and probably at the next presi-
Dental election.
Furthermore, General Grant said to Mr..
Wales In these words, as nearly as Mr..
Wales can recall them:
Blaine called upon me and almost de-
manded that / sign that bill. He was
speaker Of the House and was bound
TO give careful attention TO what he said
He insisted that veto OF the bill would
prove the ruin OF the Republican party
and that the country Overwhelmingly sup
ported that measure He was aggressive,
almost fierce. in his insistence that sign
the bill"
VETOED INITIATION BILL.
General Grant said. in reply to Blaine
that while the existence and supremacy or
the Republican party were of the highest
Importance, yet, in considering bill or
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 Nation. 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 meeting at the Union League
Club. General Grant came over TO New
York and met at the club about forty men,
some of whom had been of the utmost as
sistance 10 the government in a time of
great financial peril during the civil war
and all OF whom had earned fine reputa-
tions for commanding ability in the field
of finance.
General Grant said to these men that
he desired TO ask some questions so that
he could obtain light IL possible which
would enable him to come to a correct
| judgment with respect to the so-called in
flation 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,
not in any argumentative way. but solely
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 10 any determination respecting his
action upon the bill. They were all amazed
at the clearness, directness and force of
the questions which he put to them, espe-
cially as he confessed that he had no I'M
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 afferward 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 vetoing of the bill, and sent il to
Congress without having consulted any
one.
This meeting at the Union League Club
| Grant afterward often spoke of as some
thing that was of pre-eminent service to
the Nation and to The Republican party as
well, for before he met the men who were
gathered around him that evening he was
4 ant Ill -.
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 a 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 ysfo of the imitation BILL Judge Davis
says that company of perhaps forty,
some of the members of which had shared
In that earlier consultation, invited General
/ Grant to he their guest at a dinner upon
his return from his tour around the world.
| Ine dinner was served in the same room
where he had met the New York bankers.
When the coffee and cigars We're 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 Grant
Part, no stage fright as he rose to respond
TO the request. 1t was just 10 O'Clock
had every one of that company, some
| OF whom were men distinguished as
orators, absolutely absorbed. Neither Grant
nor they seemed to be conscious of any
/ other thing than that delight which the
/ perfectly spoken words gives both to him
who utters il and to him who hears Ii.
| They even forgot Grants personality in
| 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 in
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 il so that it 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
long you have been speaking?'P and Grant
replied: 81 should say about half an hour
and to that Judge Davis said that 1t 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
| SpcdhiiS cAdCtly Two deneTdl.
And when Judge Davis told the other
members of the company that Grants
| speech had occupied two hours almost
every one was incredulous. not having had
any sense of the lapse of time. So that in
fact he really seemed TO have been speak
| ing but few moments.
! And this was the man." said Judge
| Davis, who was proclaimed everywhere
as the silent man, the maker of apho-
| thegms and of laconic utterance, who was
| incapable of making speech"
Commodore Van Santvoord 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 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 its 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 heard him patiently and at last
said to him: All these things were
done to put our army in communication
| with it's base" But the brigadier general
continued. In violation of etiquette, al
| least TO make strong criticisms and pro-
tests "TIe was a reformer then" said Gen,
| Grant "and he is a reformer now And his
name is Carl Schurz."
Woes of the Author.
Philadelphia Reeord.
| ssDopf axrar fry "a. Eaor urifo opJ tbro.