Evening journal., 1914-04-04
New News Of Yesterday
How Henry Winter Davis
Aroused the Quaker
City Folk
By Holland.

by hOltahos
Il never shall forget an anecdote
which was narrated to me BY one
Of my associates In the cabinet Of
President Garfield, Wayne MacVeaeh.
who was attOrney-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 department as
secretary In the administration OF
President Harrison. Mr.. Window re-
signed from Arthur's cabinet, having
been reelected to the Senate and.
curiously enough, to fill his own un-
expired term. He had resigned his
seat as Senator from Minnesota to
enter Garfeld's cabinet. The Minne-
sofa legislature had not Immediately
elected his successor, so that there
was vacancy which It was possible
to I'll through the reelection of Win
dom 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 1888,
he became greatly interested in some
importing undertakings which en-
tailed his living In New York for
good part of the time between 1883
and his return to Washington as Sec
retary of the treasury under Presi-
dent Harrison.
1t was when Mr.. Window was in
a reminiscent mood that he repeated
to me this anecdote, wnicn, he said,
Attorney-General MacVeagh told to
two or three members of President
Garfeld's cabinet.
Henry Winter Davis was esteemed
by many persons as as brilliant an
intellect and as perfect an orator Of
the ilorid and impassioned style as
any of those who served I'm Congress
with him In Civil War days. He was
a handsome man. 1 remember him
well, for / saw much of him while
was member of Congress. He rep
resented a Baltimore district. I used
to think that his judgment was not
always quite as good as We're his
abilities He was disposed to be a
little eccentric-not always reliable.
But he possessed 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
lapsed into a state OF indifference or
OF despair and that 1t was alarming,
because Philadelphia had been from
the beginning fervid and enthusiastic
in support of the Union cause.
1T was felt therefore, that some
thing must be done to stir the people
of Philadelphia in such manner as to
bring them back 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 ad-
dress It. The great Academy Of
Music of Philadelphia was secured,
and when IL was known that Mr..
Davis had consented to go from
Washington to Philadelphia to deliver
an address there was no need of fur
ther advertisement in order to secure
great audience.
"The night was very stormy, and
yet, IN spite of that, the Academy OF
Music was packed Davis had that
audience completely hypnotized with
I'm fifteen minutes. He was at his
best. He realized that he commanded
that great audience and he was him
self stimulated as all great orators
are. by the sense OF the perfect SYM
pathy established between himself
and his audience There was no ques-
ton, before Davis finished his speech
that he had rekindled the enthusiasm
of Philadelphia. No one, however
was prepared for the superb manner
i'm which he closed his speech. At thai
time there was a black cloud Ovei
! Mexico There was danger that We
might get into trouble with France
for Louis Napoleon was trying to es
tablish an empire under the ill-fatet
Maximillian. Davis pictured fortl
an American army led by Sheridan
and did It so vividly that every one
seemed actually to see Sheridan a
! the head of his army The speecl
/ closed with these words: I see Sher
idan at the head of his army, march
/ ing on to the second capture of thu
/ halls of Montezuma.'
"For a long time that great thronl
could not be quieted. Davis could no
have heard the sound of his owl
voice, so great was the cheering. Al
he left the platform, he was congrat
ulated by the committee which ha'
the meeting In charge and was tol'
that no longer was there any ques
ton that the enthusiasm and earnest
ness which characterized Philadelphia
at the beginning of the war would re
turn again. And Mr.. MacVeagh tol'
us that his confidence in the effect o
Davis speech was abundantly justi
fed"
Lcnn..rioI.t 1n1A hu u EdMard