of what I saw or heard or did in those stirring times rather than
what I said. Whether this conclusion was a wise one the reader must
judge. Egotism is a natural trait of mankind. If it is exhibited
in a moderate degree we pardon it with a smile; if it is excessive
we condemn it as a weakness. The life of one man is but an atom,
but if it is connected with great events it shares in their dignity
and importance. Influenced by this reasoning I concluded to postpone
the publication of my speeches except so far as they are quoted or
described in these memoirs.

When I entered upon their preparation the question arose whether
the book to be written was to be of my life, including ancestry
and boyhood, or to be confined to the financial history of the
United States with which I was mainly identified. This was settled
by the publishers, who were more interested in the number of copies
they could sell than in the finances of the United States.

Every man has a theory of finance of his own, and is indifferent
to any other. At best the subject is a dry one. Still, the problem
of providing money to carry on the expensive operations of a great
war, and to provide for the payment of the vast debt created during
the war, was next in importance to the conduct of armies, and those
who were engaged in solving this problem were as much soldiers as
the men who were carrying muskets or commanding armies. As one of
these I feel it my duty to present the measures adopted and to
claim for them such merit as they deserve.

These volumes do contain the true history of the chief financial
measures of the United States government during the past forty
years. My hope is that those who read them will be able to correct
the wild delusions of many honest citizens who became infected with
the "greenback craze," or the "free coinage of silver."

My chief regret is that the limit of these volumes did not permit
me to extend my narrative to the memorable battles and marches of
the Civil War, nor to a more general notice of my associates who
distinguished themselves in civil life. The omission of military
narrative is admirably compensated by the memoirs of the great
commanders on either side, and better yet by the vast collection
and publication, by the United States, of the "Records of the
Rebellion." The attempt to include in these volumes my estimate
of distinguished men still living who participated in the events
narrated would grea