Year: 1876

/


lHalstsads New York Speechl


/ believe we could count upon a
wholesome change-upon an eco-
nomical, honorable, high minded ad-
ministration, IL Gov. Hayes were
elected president; and may feel it
may be worth while, under the cir
cumstances, to speak OF my personal
knowledge OF the man. 1 have been
acquainted with him about a quarter
OF a century, and he improves upon
acquaintance. He and lived In the
same ward for several years, and be-
longed to the Cincinnati Literary
Club--the only society Of which, out
side of college and army associa-
tions. he ever was a member.


The story that he was a Know
nothing, repeated in various forms,
does not resemble the truth In any
shape it has taken. I was in consul
tation with him in March, 1856, In
organizing the Peoples movement,
the primary object Of which was to
defeat the Know-nothing party in
Cincinnati. We met in the office of
Stephen Molitor, the leader Of the
Liberal Germans at that time; and
though it is mors than twenty years
ago, remember the apt remark of
Hayes, as some Of those enlisted
with us were willing themselves to be
candidates, that the people would
probably be more impressed with the
fitness for Office OF man IL he was
not himself active In making the
ticket He was to have been called
to preside at the meeting that we ap-
pointed to present the cause Of re-
form to the people, but the Know
nothings took possession OF the hall
by a concerted movement Of delega-
tions from their lodges; and they had
only this measure OF success to con-
sole themselves withal. for they were
defeated in the election of the April
following. and their prestige in Gin
cinnati was broken.


When Colonel Hayes came home
after the battle Of South Mountain
badly wounded, with his shattered
arm in sling, he was asked to at
tend public meeting to aid In get
ting his ward @out OF the draft" He
at first declined tn go, but as his old
neighbors insisted, he consented and
was called upon for speech. His
opening remark was that it had been
his preference, glad as he was to see
those about him, not to be present on
that occasion, for he was not certain
that he sympathized with the object
for which they assembled. The Arst
duty OF the people was to I'LL up the
ranks Of the army. II the object Of
the meeting was to send to the field
the number Of men that the order for

the draft called for in the ward, he
was heartily in with them; but il it
was the policy to clear the ward on
paper, without reference to the num-
Der OF recruits furnished, he did not
desire that they should succeed.


1t was Immediately ascertained
that the object Of the meeting was
not at all that the able bodied men
Of the ward should escape the draft,
but to send the material for good
soldiers to the 'front.' 1t would not
have been suspected by any one
looking in upon the meeting, that the
wounded officer in weather beaten
blue clothes-a common soldiers
blouse with a war-worn eagle on the
shoulder-the officer with the blue
eye that kindled as he spoke, aud
voice with the ring OF martial music
in twas a man likely to be accused
Of lacking a will and ways OF his
own.


Many earnest people have for
some years made q close study OF
civil service reform. and the theory is
generally accepted that this sort of
reform, at least, Is desirable. The
language Of Governor Hayes. In ac-
cepting the Cincinnati nomination, is
on this subject singularly explicit,
and those who had given the meth
DDS Of reform their closest attention
were struck with the fact that
Hayes wrote about it as IL he had
been thinking OF it for himself. And
so he had He CO mmenced the work
OF civil-service reform in his first
term as Governor of Ohio.


Understanding experimentally the
question, the words Of his letter Of
acceptance sped to the center Of the
mark like rifle balls, showing the
"white disc" at every shot. One Of
his well taken points, after his cleo
tion in 1858, was that minorities