The Washington herald., 1914-04-04
HISTORY BUILDERS.
How Henry Winter Davis Aroused the
Quaker City Folk.
written Expressly for The HeraId.)
BY DIR. T.. j. EDWARDS.


BY DIR. T.. J. EDWARDS.
81 never shall forget an anecdots
which was narrated to me by one of my
associates In the Cabinet Of President
Garfield, Wayne Macveagh. who was At
torney General in that Cabinet" said
William Window about two years after
he retired from Arthur's Cabinet, in
which he served as Secretary Of the
Treasury. and about five years before he
returned again TO the Treasury Depart
ment as Secretary in the administration
of President Harrison. Mr.. Window re-
signed from Arthur's Cabinet having
been reelected to the Senate, and, curl
ously enough. to I'LL his own unexpired
term. He had resigned his seat as Sena-
tor from Minnesota TO enter GarfieId's
Cabinet. The Minnesota legislature had
not Immediately elected his successor. 50
that there was a vacancy which II was
possible TO fill through the reelection of
Window himself. / have been told that
there Is no parallel to that incident in
the history Of the United States Senate
After Senator Windows term expired In
the Senate, in lSS3. he became greatly
interested in some importing undertake
ings which entailed his living in New
York for a good part of the time be-
| tween 1883 and his return to Washington
as Secretary of the Treasury under Pres
| ident Harrison.
II was when Mr.. Window was in a
| reminiscent mood that he repeated to
me this anecdote. which. he said, At
! torney General MacVeagh told to two
or three members OF President GarheId's
Cabinet.
Henry Winter Davis was esteemed by
many persons as as brilliant an intellect
and as perfect an orator Of the fiorid
and impassiOned style as any OF those
who served in Congress with him in
| civil war days He was a handsome man.
remember him WELL for / saw much of
MN while l was member Of Congress.
He represented Baltimore district.
| used TO think that his Judgment was not
always quite as good as were his abiIi-
ties. He was disposed to be a little &C.
centric-not always reliable. But he pos
sessed a wonderful power of stimulating
an audience to great enthusiasm.
Mr.. MacVeagh told US that in one
OF the darkest periods of the civil war
Philadelphia seemed to have Iapsed into
state OF indifference or of despair, and
| that it was alarming. because PhiladeI
phia had been from the beginning fer
vid and enthusiastic in support OF tb.
Union cause
II was felt, therefore, that somethin1
must be done to stir the people of PhIla-
deIphia in such manner as to bring them
oack TO the condition Of enthusiasm and
earnestness which was so characteristic
OF the city in the early days Of the war.
The proposition was made that a
mass meeting be called and that Henry
Winter Davis be invited to address Il.
The great Academy Of Music Of Phila-
delphia was secured. and when II was
known that Mr.. Davis had consented to
go from Washington TO Philadelphia TO
deliver an address there was no need Of
further advertisement In order to secure
great audience.
The night was very stormy, and vet,
I in spite of that. the Academy of Music
was packed Davis had that audience
| completely hypnotized within fifteen min
utes. He was at his best. He realized
that he commanded that great audience
and he was himself stimulated, as all
/ great orators are, by the sense of the
perfect sympathy established between
himself and his audience. There was no
question. before Davis finished his speech.
that he had rekindled the enthusiasm Of
Philadelphia. No one. however, was pre-
pared for the superb manner in which
he closed his speech. At that time there
was a black cloud over Mexico There
was danger that We might get into
trouble with France. for Louis Napoleon
was trying to establish an empire un-
tured forth an American army led hy
: Sheridan. and did II so vividly that every
one seemed actually to see Sheridan at
/ the head of his army. The speech closed
! with these words: I see Sheridan Il the
head of his army. marching on to the
I second capture OF the halls Of Monte
yuma
| For a long time that great throng
! could not be quieted. Davis could not
have heard the sound Of his own voice.
I So great was the cheering. As he left
the platform, he was congratulated by
| the committee which had the meeting in
charge and was told that no longer was
there any question that the enthusiasm
and earnestness which characterized
Philadelphia at the beginning Of the war
would return-aGain. And Mr.. MacVeaEh
/ told us that his confidence in the effect
of Davis speech was abundantly justi-
| fed
fCopyright lelIN