Year: 1879




In Around the World with General Grant"
Mr.. John Russell Young tells how General
Grant one day related the veto of the inha-
ton bill:


81 hear a good deal in politics about ex.
pediency," said the General one day. THE
only time ! ever resolved to do an expedent
thing for party reasons, against my own judg-
ment was on the occasion of the expansion or
imitation bill. 1 never was so pressed in all my
life to do anything as to sign that bill, never.
1t was represented 20 me that the veto would
destroy the Republican party in the West
that the West and South would combine and
take the country and agree upon some even
worse plan of tinance-some plan that would
mean reputation. Morton, Logan and other
friends whom / respected were eloquent in
presenting this view. / thought at last |
would try and save the party and at the same
time the credit of the Nation from the evils of
the bill. | resolved to write message embody-
ing my own reasoning aud some of the ar
guments that had been given me to show that
the bill as passed did not mean expansion or
imitation, and that it need not affect the coun.
try's credit The message was intended TO
soothe the East, and satisfy the foreign holders
of bonds / wrote the message with great care
and put In every argument | could call up to
show that the bill was harmless and would not
accomplish what its friends expected from 1t.
Well, when finished my wonderful message,
which was TO do SO much good to the party and
the country, / read it over and said TO myself,
What is the good Of all this You do not be-
lieve It, You know II is not true Throw
ing it aside. resolved to do what | believed
TO be right-veto the bill | could not, ,"said
the General, smiling, "stand my own argu-
ments While was in this mood-and It was an
anxious time with me, so anxious that could
not sleep at night with me a most unusual oc'
currence-the ten days were passing in which
President must sign or veto bill. On the
ninth day | resolved inhexibly to veto the
bill, and let the storm come. | gave orders
that would see no one, and went into the
library 70 write my message. When the
Cabinet met my message was written. did
not intend asking the advice of the Cabinet
as knew a majority would oppose the veto
| never allowed the Cabinet TO interleT,
when my mind was made up When the
Cabinet met said that had considered the
imitation bill. | read my first message, tho
one in which tried 10 make myself and every
one else believe that knew was not true, the
message which was 10 save the Republican
ID party In the West, aud save the Nationa
credit in the East and Europe. When fin
ished reading, / said tina, as this reasoning
had not satisfied me, l had written another
message read the message Of veto, saying
that had made up my mind 10 send II in
This prevented debate, which j did moi
want, as the question had passed beyond de
bate There was only Que word changed. or
the suggestion Of Mr.. Robeson. 1 said, II
remember that no patent medicine scheme
Of printed money would satisfy the honest
sentiment Of the country. Robeson though
the patent medicine allusion might be un'
necessarily offensive to the friends Of imitation
30 changed II, although wish had not