e some influence on him. Won't you
say something?" I then made a little speech to the President,
in which I said that there was no question of the existence
of these disorders and crimes; that they would be likely to
be increased, and not diminished, especially as the elections
in the Southern States approached. He could not allow them
to continue. He would be compelled, in my judgment, to interpose
and go to the verge of his authority, or to leave to their
fate those people whom we were bound by every consideration
of honor to protect. I asked him if he did not think it
would be better, instead of exercising a doubtful authority
of his own, acquired without legislative sanction, to obtain
the necessary authority from Congress in advance. I thought
it much less likely to be imputed to him that he was acting
in the manner of a soldier and not of a statesman if he were
careful to ask in advance the direction of the law-making
power, and the people understood he was unwilling, even if
he had the authority, to act without the sanction of Congress.
This view produced an instant change of mind. Grant took
a pen, wrote a brief message with great rapidity, read it
aloud to the persons who were assembled, and sent it in that
very day without the change of a word. It is a clear and
excellent statement. The result was that the Republican opposition
to the measure in the House was withdrawn, the two Houses
came to an agreement, and adjourned without day soon afterward.

One of the most important acts of President Grant's Administration
was his veto of the Inflation Bill, which provided for a considerable
increase of the large volume of legal tender paper money,
which at that time was not redeemed by the government. This
veto is regarded by most persons as the turning of the corner
by the American people, and setting the face of the Government
toward specie payment and honest money. It was during the
hard times that followed the crisis of 1873. It is said that
President Grant had made up his mind to sign the bill, and
sat down to write out his reasons, but that he found them
so unsatisfactory that he changed his mind and sent in his
veto message. I had not been disposed to believe this until
I was told, a little while ago, by Secretary Boutwell that
he had the statement that that was the fact from the lips
of Grant himself. If that be true, the President must have
changed his mind twice. When the bill was pending