Perley's Reminiscences Part 46

New Year's Day has always been celebrated at the National Capital in the style which President Was.h.i.+ngton inaugurated when the Federal Government was located at New York. The foreign Ministers and the Government dignitaries go in state to pay their respects to the President, after which the old Knickerbocker custom of visiting friends generally is kept up. One is certain to see at the White House on New Year's Day all the prominent people of both s.e.xes in Was.h.i.+ngton. Then, too, it is the only place in the metropolis where the ladies can pa.s.s in review all of the new toilets, and see what the leaders of fas.h.i.+on have designed since last season.

It is the only place where there is room for a large crowd to move about easily and where the full effect of brilliant dressing can be displayed. The ladies invited to receive with the President, with many others, are in evening costume, although walking-costumes are not uncommon.

President Arthur's first New Year's reception was a brilliant affair. Mrs. Frelinghuysen accompanied the President into the Blue Room, and stood next to his sister, Mrs. McElroy, at his right hand, with the wives of the other ministers of the Cabinet. When his daughter and niece came in, he welcomed them with a happy smile and bent down and kissed them. Their simple white ribbon sashes were in refres.h.i.+ng contrast with the gorgeous costumes of the diplomats.

Brilliant as were the diamonds of Madame de Struve, the wife of the Russian Minister, and effective as was the bronze golden silk dress, trimmed with gold beads, of the wife of Attorney-General Brewster, the "observed of all observers" was Dr. Mary Walker, who came tripping in with elastic step, shook hands with President Arthur, and was profusely poetical in wis.h.i.+ng him the compliments of the season. She wore a black broadcloth frock coat and pantaloons, and carried a high black silk hat in her left hand, while in her right she flourished a slender cane. After leaving the President, she pa.s.sed along the line of ladies who received with him, giving to each a sweeping bow, and then went into the East Room, where she was carefully scrutinized by the ladies.

Senator h.o.a.r gave a most enjoyable dinner to a party of gentlemen invited by him to meet Mr. Justice Gray, after his appointment to the bench of the Supreme Court. It was given at the hotel of Mr.

Wormley, the friend of Charles Sumner, and the guests a.s.sembled in a parlor containing much of the furniture which adorned the house of the great Senator. The guests met about seven o'clock, and after an exchange of salutations, the large doors which form one side of the room were thrown open, and Senator h.o.a.r informally invited those present to gather around the magnificently furnished table which presented itself. Covers were laid for thirty-six persons, and the china, the silver, and the gla.s.sware were all rare and of beautiful design. A belt of flowers encircled the table in front of the plates, and within this inclosure were mounds of rare exotics and quaintly constructed ornaments of confectionery. The place of each guest was marked by a card, on which his name was printed, and on this was an exquisite b.u.t.ton-hole bouquet. The bills of fare were on large sheets of cardboard, handsomely engraved, and the succession of thirteen courses, beginning with oysters and ending with coffee, was an epicurean treat. In accordance with Was.h.i.+ngton etiquette, President Arthur sat at the host's right hand, and on his right sat Judge Gray. At the left of the host sat Chief Justice Waite; directly opposite sat Senator Dawes; at the right hand end of the long table was George Bancroft, and at the left hand end was Representative Harris. There was not, of course, any speech-making or drinking of healths, but after the dessert had been served, gentlemen left their seats and sat in little groups around the table, chatting pleasantly until after midnight. Taken as a whole, dinner and guests, it was the finest entertainment that I have ever seen in Was.h.i.+ngton--and I have seen a great many.

President Arthur's first state dinner was given in honor of General and Mrs. Grant. The parlors and the East Room were profusely decorated with flowers, and in the dining-room were palm trees and other exotics ma.s.sed in the corners, while the mantels were banked with cut flowers. There were thirty-four plates on the long table, in the centre of which was a plateau mirror, on which were roses and lilies of the valley. On either side of it were tall gilt candelabra bearing eleven wax lights each, and beyond these large gilt epergnes overflowing with Marechal Niel roses. At the end of the mirror were pairs of silver candelabra bearing shaded wax lights and oval cus.h.i.+ons of white camelias set with roses and orchids.

At the extreme ends were round pieces of bon silene roses and lilies of the valley. Around this elaborate centre decoration were ranged crystal compotes and cut-gla.s.s decanters. Large, flat corsage bouquets of roses, tied with satin ribbons, were laid at each lady's plate, and small _boutonnieres_ of rosebuds were provided for the gentlemen. The cards were of heavy gilt-edge board, embossed with the national coat-of-arms in gold, below which the name of each guest was written. The Marine Band performed selections from popular operatic music.

The guests were received by President Arthur in the East Room. At eight o'clock dinner was announced, and the guests repaired to the dining-room in the following order, each lady taking a seat at the right hand of the gentleman who escorted her: President Arthur, escorting Mrs. Grant, who wore a white satin dress with low neck and long train deeply flounced with lace, and a profusion of diamonds; General Grant, escorting Mrs. Frelinghuysen, who wore a black velvet dress with flowing train, opening in front, and showing a petticoat of plaited black satin; Secretary Frelinghuysen, escorting Mrs. Lincoln, who wore a black velvet dress with sweeping train and rich jet tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs; General Sherman, escorting Miss Beale, who wore a white satin dress with a train of silver brocade, trimmed at the neck and sleeves with Valenciennes lace; Admiral Porter, escorting Miss Coleman, who wore a dress of terra-cotta satin trimmed with flowered brocade and lace; Senator Anthony, escorting Mrs. Logan, who wore a magnificent dress of wine-colored velvet trimmed with Pompadour brocade; Senator Miller, escorting Mrs.

Kinsley, who wore a ball-dress of cardinal satin trimmed with brocade; Senator Jones, of Nevada, escorting Mrs. Beale, who wore a white satin dress trimmed with lace; Senator Cameron, of Pennsylvania, escorting Mrs. John Davis, who wore a ball-dress of white satin trimmed with lace; General Beale, escorting Miss Frelinghuysen, who wore a dress of marine-blue velvet, with a long train trimmed with iridescent bugles; Secretary Folger, escorting Miss Cutts, who wore white satin trimmed with lace; Secretary Lincoln, escorting Mrs. Secretary Chandler, who wore an exquisite dress of pale blue surah and c.r.a.pe; Postmaster-General Howe, escorting Mrs. Teller, who wore a dress of white satin; Attorney- General Brewster, escorting Mrs. Cameron, who wore a pink satin dress elaborately trimmed with ruffles of rare lace; Secretary Chandler, escorting Mrs. Brewster, who wore a dress of cardinal satin with a court train embroidered with gold in large figures; Secretary Teller, escorting Miss Totten, who wore white satin trimmed with white ruchings.

Dinner was served in fourteen courses, with which there were served eight varieties of wines, each variety having its appropriate wine- gla.s.s. The guests were two hours at the table, and the menu was eulogized, especially the terrapin, which was highly commended by the epicures who enjoyed it.

Mr. Blaine was a prominent figure in Was.h.i.+ngton society, both social and political, after he left the Department of State, and there was always a great desire to know his opinions on pa.s.sing events.

His heath was excellent, and he never appeared to greater advantage.

Tall and portly, yet graceful in movement, his wealth of white hair set off his mobile, expressive features, with their never-quiet dark eyes.

The new house built by Mr. Blaine in the northwestern part of Was.h.i.+ngton was an imposing structure, covering an area of about seventy by seventy-five feet, and it was solid and substantial from its steep roof to its roomy bas.e.m.e.nt. The s.p.a.cious halls and stairways were wainscoted, finished, and ceiled in oak; the drawing- room, the dining-room, and the library were furnished in solid mahogany; and the chambers were finished in poplar and pine. The great charm of the house was that each and every room, large and small, had its open fire-place, some of them surrounded by beautiful mantel-pieces, with carved wood and mirrors. It was, indeed, an English house, with its comforts set off by many Yankee contrivances.

In this house, on a bright morning of early spring, Colonel John T. Coppinger, of the United States army, was married to Miss Alice Stanwood Blaine. President Arthur adjourned the regular meeting of the Cabinet that he and his const.i.tutional advisers might attend.

The Speaker of the House, with the Maine Senators and Representatives, left their Congressional duties in order to be present. The Diplomatic Corps, doubtless remembering the courtesies which they received from Mr. Blaine when Secretary of State, was out in full force. The army and navy were largely represented, the elite of fas.h.i.+onable society was present, and there was a good representation of the press. All had congregated to show their good wishes toward the family of the young bride.

Colonel Coppinger, who belongs to an old Roman Catholic family in Ireland, served gallantly in the Papal Army, and coming to this country in 1861, was commissioned in the Fourteenth Infantry. He received two brevets for "gallant and meritorious services" in a score of engagements, and after having displayed great energy in command of troops operating against the Indians, he was made Acting Inspector-General on the staff of General Pope, a position only given to those thoroughly versed in the manual, the drill, the equipment, and the discipline of the army. He was forty-nine years of age, tall, erect, with clear, hazel eyes, gray hair and whiskers, and a martial deportment.

Twelve o'clock, noon, was the hour fixed for the ceremony, and soon after that time conversation was suddenly hushed, as the Rev. Dr.

Chapelle, of St. Matthew's Church, took his a.s.signed position. He wore a black robe with a cape, and carried a small prayer-book, from which he subsequently read the brief service used when a Roman Catholic is wedded to one not belonging to that Church. A moment later Mrs. Blaine came down the broad staircase on the arm of her eldest son, Mr. Walker Blaine. She wore a high-necked corsage of wine-colored velvet, with a satin dress and train of the same color, trimmed with lace.

Soon the bride came down the staircase leaning on the arm of her father, who appeared somewhat impressed by the solemnity of the occasion. She wore a dress of white satin with a sweeping train trimmed with crystal, while an ample veil partially concealed her youthful features and slight form. She carried a bouquet of roses and lilies-of-the-valley. Behind her came her only attendant, her young sister, Miss Hattie Blaine, who was dressed in white. Mr.

Blaine's other two sons and Miss Abigail Dodge, of Hamilton, Ma.s.sachusetts, followed.

At the improvised altar, Colonel Coppinger, attended by Lieutenant Emmet, of the Ninth Cavalry, advanced to claim his bride. As the happy pair knelt before the altar, Mr. and Mrs. Blaine and Miss Hattie stood at their right, and President Arthur, George Bancroft, and Miss Dodge stood at their left. The service was quickly performed, and after the parents, President Arthur was the first to salute the bride. The guests were then presented seriatim to Colonel and Mrs. Coppinger, and if good wishes could have been regarded as an augury of their future, there could have been no doubt of their good fortunes.

After congratulations had been offered, President Arthur escorted the bride to the large dining-room. There a table was bountifully spread, while on a sideboard were boxes of wedding-cake to be sent to friends at a distance. It was not long before the bridegroom and bride left the festive scene to array themselves for their journey, and they quietly departed from the house to take the train for Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Taken as a whole, the wedding surpa.s.sed any similar festal scene ever witnessed at Was.h.i.+ngton, and was a hearty manifestation of good feeling toward the happy couple and the parents of the bride.

One of the most charming houses in Was.h.i.+ngton was that occupied for some years by the British Legation, and which Admiral Porter rebuilt and refurnished with a portion of the large sum of prize- money received by him during the war. It was a model of good taste and luxury, elegant without display, and perfect in all its appointments. The square hall, with tessellated marble floor, led into a suite of three parlors, opening into each other by arched- ways, heavily draped with satin damask. The central parlor was upholstered in crimson velvet, that on the right in drab, and that on the left in blue. The hangings and furniture were of colors to match. The marble mantels were decorated with articles of virtu, and rare painting adorned the walls. Leading from the crimson parlor was a long, wide ball-room, with waxed and polished floor, and rows of seats for the accommodation of dancers and spectators.

Numberless crystal chandeliers emitted a flood of softened light, while flowers bloomed everywhere in pots, vases, and baskets in indescribable profusion.

[Facsimile]

Robert T. Lincoln ROBERT TODD LINCOLN, eldest child of Abraham Lincoln, born at Springfield, Ill., August 1st, 1843; graduated at Harvard, 1864; member of General Grant's staff during the last month of the war; admitted to practice law in Chicago, 1867; Secretary of War under Presidents Garfield and Arthur, March 5th, 1881 - March 6th, 1885.

CHAPTER XLII.

THE WAs.h.i.+NGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT.

When the Forty-eighth Congress met on the 3d of December, 1885, Senator Edmunds occupied the chair of the Senate as President _pro tempore;_ Judge Davis, not having been re-elected Senator from Illinois, had vacated the chair on the last day of the preceding session. Senator Anthony, who had been elected to a fifth term, could not be sworn in as a Senator until after the commencement of that term, and was consequently ineligible. So Senator Edmunds accepted the position with the understanding that he would vacate it as soon as his friend from Rhode Island, by qualifying as a Senator, should be eligible for election.

When the Senate met, Senator Anthony was recovering from a severe illness, and it was not until the following week that he was able to appear in the Senate Chamber. He entered leaning on the arm of his colleague, Senator Aldrich, and as he took his accustomed seat, his attention was attracted by a large bouquet of flowers, bearing the name of a lady clerk who had been retained in place by his kind offices. The Senators soon crowded around him with their congratulations on his convalescence, and among the first were General Butler, of South Carolina, maimed in the Confederate cause, and General Miller, of California, who lost his right eye in the Union army at Vicksburg.

After prayers and the reading of the journal, Senator Aldrich rose, and was recognized by the Chair as the "senior Senator from Rhode Island." He announced the presence of his colleague, the Senator- elect, whose credentials had been filed, and asked that the oath of office might be administered to him. The presiding officer invited the Senator-elect to receive the oaths, and when Governor Anthony stood before him, he administered the regular oath of 1789, first taken by the parliamentary veteran in 1859, with the "iron- clad oath" that had been adopted in 1862. As the good old man stood with uplifted hand, every other member of the Senate rose, and stood until the obligation had been administered--a merited compliment to the _Pater Senatus_. No other man, save Thomas Hart Benton, had ever been sworn in five consecutive times as Senator.

Closing the book from which he had read the oaths, Senator Edmunds was first to shake his old friend's hand. Senator Anthony then resumed his seat, and nearly every Senator came to greet him, followed by the veteran officers of the Senate, who had always found in him a true friend. A few weeks later, Senator Edmunds resigned, and Senator Anthony was elected President _pro tem._, but the precarious state of his health forced him, in a speech prompted by a heart overflowing with grat.i.tude, to decline the honor, and Senator Edmunds was recalled to the post of honor.

Senator Anthony had twice before been chosen President _pro tem._ of the Senate, and he had for a number of years past been the President in the caucus of Republican Senators. It is in the caucus of the dominant party that legislation is shaped, and unanimity of action in open Senate secured. Governor Anthony's tact and skill as a presiding officer had, doubtless, exercised a potent influence in harmonizing opposing views entertained by Republican Senators, and there was no Senator who could fill the chair, either in open Senate, in executive session, or in caucus, with more dignity and impartiality than he.

General McCook, an Ohio soldier, and an ex-Representative from New York city, was elected Secretary of the Senate, defeating George C. Gorham, who had been the candidate of the Republican caucus.

The Republican nominee for Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr. Riddleberger, was also dropped, and Colonel Wm. P. Canaday, of North Carolina, was chosen. At the commencement of the next session, Mr. Riddleberger took his seat as a Senator from Virginia.

A Democratic tidal wave had swept over the country at the preceding fall elections, and the Democrats had a considerable majority in the House of Representatives. John G. Carlisle, of Kentucky, who was elected Speaker, was a tall, well-made man, with a studious look in his eyes, and the winning manners of Henry Clay. He had a sweet voice, and his expositions of parliamentary law in the preceding sessions had elevated him to the front rank of statesmans.h.i.+p in the opinion of the House. His impartiality as a presiding officer was recognized by all parties, and his firmness of purpose could not be moved by corrupt intriguers or brawling sycophants.

He was also fortunate in having a devoted wife, tall and graceful, whose attractive personal appearance was equaled by her well-balanced mind and her practical common sense. As Mrs. Edmunds was at that time absent from Was.h.i.+ngton, on the New Year's Day after her husband's election as Speaker Mrs. Carlisle was "the first lady in the land," and stood at President Arthur's right hand during the official reception.

Was.h.i.+ngton society was very gay during the closing year of President Arthur's Administration. The receptions to which invitations were given and those open to the public at the White House were largely attended, while there was a succession of b.a.l.l.s, German masquerades, and receptions at the residences of diplomats, housekeeping Senators, officials, and citizens. Several entertainments were given "for charity's sake," which realized considerable sums, and the theatres also were unusually well attended.

The world-weary rejoiced when the matin chimes of Lent announced that the gay season was ended, but although gayety arrayed itself in sackcloth and sprinkled ashes broadcast, the sackcloth moved in the waltz as its wearer tripped over the ashes. There were successions of informal dancing parties, lunch parties, and card parties during the penitential forty days, and then came the post-Lenten festivities.

The giving of good dinners was, however, the distinguis.h.i.+ng feature of Was.h.i.+ngton society during the Arthur Administration. The example was set at the White House, where, instead of dinners supplied by a caterer at two dollars a plate, with cheap wines of doubtful origin, a gastronomic artist served the delicacies of the season, cooked in the latest Parisian style, while the wines were of the rarest vintages, embodying the fervor of long Gascon summers, the warmth of Burgundian suns, and the delicate flavor of Xeres. Never had epicures so enjoyed themselves at Was.h.i.+ngton, and they rejoiced when they contrasted his dispensation with the barbaric repasts of former years, when "hog and hominy" was the princ.i.p.al dish, and tangle-foot whisky punch was the fas.h.i.+onable table beverage.

Was.h.i.+ngton City was greatly improved during President Arthur's Administration. The National Museum was completed and opened to visitors, the northern wing of the stupendous pile, the State, War, and Navy Department Building, was occupied, and that hideous architectural monstrosity, the Pension Office, was built. At the West End scores of elegant private houses were erected, varying in size from the palatial mansion built by Mr. Blaine to the rustic cabin of Joaquin Miller, and the small Queen Anne cottages, now so popular, and some of which are models of convenience and beauty.

Many avenues and streets were repaved, others were planted with bordering lines of shade trees, and several of the large reservations were adorned with statues and fountains. The previously unfinished city, which Governor Shepherd had "lifted from out of the mud,"

became a national metropolis, in which the people of the country could take pride.

The dedication of the Was.h.i.+ngton National Monument, on the 22d of February, 1885, was a fit conclusion to President Arthur's official career. This work had been long in progress, as its record, engraved on its aluminum tip, shows. It is as follows: "Corner-stone laid on bed of foundation, July 4, 1848. First stone at height of 152 feet laid August 7, 1880. Capstone set December 6, 1884." The laying of the capstone was duly celebrated. The wind, at the top of the monument, was blowing at the rate of sixty miles an hour, and thousands of eye-gla.s.ses were pointed toward the little party on the scaffoldings at the summit. All on the upper platform, five hundred and fifty feet above the ground, spread a portion of the cement, and the capstone, weighing three thousand three hundred pounds, was lowered into place. The tip was then fitted and the work was done, which fact was duly announced by flying the flag at the top of the monument, and by the answering boom of cannon from various points below.

The day of final dedication was clear and cold, the ground around the base of the majestic shaft was covered with encrusted snow, and the keen wind that came sweeping down the Potomac made it rather uncomfortable for those who were a.s.sembled there. The regular troops and the citizen soldiery were ma.s.sed in close columns around the base of the monument, the Freemasons occupied their allotted position, and in the pavilion which had been erected were the invited guests, the executive, legislative, and judicial officers; officers of the army, the navy, the marine corps, and the volunteers; the Diplomatic Corps, eminent divines, jurists, scientists, and journalists, and venerable citizens representing former generations, the Was.h.i.+ngton National Monument Society, and a few ladies who had braved the Arctic weather. After addresses had been delivered by Senator Sherman, W. W. Corcoran, and Colonel Casey, the chief engineer, President Arthur made a few well-chosen remarks, and concluded by declaring the monument dedicated from that time forth "to the immortal name and memory of George Was.h.i.+ngton." The cost of the structure has been nearly two millions of dollars, about half of which the Government has paid, the remainder having been secured by the Monument a.s.sociation. After the exercises at the monument, a procession was formed headed by Lieutenant-General Sheridan, which marched along Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.

The President's special escort was the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Ma.s.sachusetts, chartered in 1638, which had come to partic.i.p.ate in the exercises of the day. Two addresses were delivered in the House of Representatives at the Capitol--one (which was read by ex-Governor Long) by Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, of Boston, who had delivered the address when the corner-stone was laid in 1848, and the other by Hon. John W. Daniel, of Virginia.

In the evening the Ancient and Honorable Artillery attended a special reception at the White House, reciprocatory of courtesies extended by the corps to President Arthur, one of its honorary members.

Meanwhile there had been a Presidential campaign. The National Republican Convention met at Chicago on June 3d; on the 6th, James G. Blaine, of Maine, was nominated for President on the fourth ballot, receiving five hundred and forty-one of the eight hundred and nineteen votes cast, and General John A. Logan, of Illinois, was nominated for Vice-President without opposition. The National Democratic Convention met at Chicago on July 6th, and on the 11th Hon. Grover Cleveland, of New York, was nominated for President on the second ballot, receiving six hundred and eighty-four of the eight hundred and twenty votes cast, and Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indiana, was nominated for Vice-President without opposition. The National Prohibition Convention met at Pittsburg on July 23d, and nominated for President ex-Governor St. John, of Kansas, and for Vice-President William Daniel, of Maryland. The National Greenback Convention met at Indianapolis on May 29th, and nominated for President General B. F. Butler, of Ma.s.sachusetts, and for Vice- President A. M. West, of Mississippi.

The Presidential contest was disgracefully personal. The private characters of the two prominent candidates were mercilessly a.s.sailed, and political principles were apparently forgotten in the degrading desire to defame the nominees. The result turned upon the vote in the State of New York, which was very close. The shrewdest political manipulators were sent over the State to correct pretended irregularities, but it soon became evident that the Democrats had chosen the Cleveland electors by a decisive plurality. The official count showed five hundred and sixty-three thousand one hundred and fifty-four votes for Cleveland, against five hundred and sixty-two thousand and five votes for Blaine, twenty-five thousand and six votes for St. John, and seventeen thousand and four votes for Butler. The total vote in the United States was four million nine hundred and thirteen thousand two hundred and forty-seven votes for Cleveland, four million eight hundred and forty thousand eight hundred and twenty-five votes for Blaine, one hundred and fifty thousand one hundred and thirty-four votes for St. John, and one hundred and thirty-four thousand and twenty-eight votes for Butler.

[ Cleveland 563,154 in New York, 4,913,247 overall Blaine 562,005 4,840,025 St. John 25,006 150,134 Butler 17,004 134,028 ]

President Arthur's numerous friends contemplated his departure from the White House without regret, and were confident that his Administration would present a creditable appearance on the pages of impartial history. Utility to the country had been the rule of his official life, and he attained that high standard of official excellence which prevailed in the early days of the Republic, when honesty, firmness, and patriotism were the characteristics of public men. He saw himself deserted by influential early a.s.sociates because he would not avenge their political grievances, while those whom he protected ungratefully repaid him by defeating the election of his friend, Judge Folger, as Governor of the State of New York --a treacherous demonstration of partisan bigotry, which killed the Judge as certain as the a.s.sa.s.sin's bullet killed Garfield.

Under President Arthur's lead, the Republican party, disorganized and disheartened when he came into power, became gradually strengthened and united before the Presidential election, in which it was very near being victorious.

President Arthur, in his desire to administer his inherited duties impartially, made himself enemies among those who should have been his friends. Before President Garfield was interred, General Grant asked that his own personal friend, General Beale, might be appointed Secretary of the Navy, and he never forgave President Arthur for not complying with his request.

The removal of Judge Robertson from the New York Custom House would doubtless have been acceptable to Roscoe Conkling, but it was not made, and the ex-Senator, after refusing the tendered appointment of a seat on the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States, turned his back on his former friend. Appointments which had been promised by Mr. Blaine, when President Garfield's Secretary of State, were invariably made, although the recipients had personally abused President Arthur, yet the "Garfield Avengers," as the officious friends of the martyr President chose to style themselves, never alluded to his successor except as the man who had profited by the a.s.sa.s.sination. Slander, calumny, and falsehood were resorted to by the press to deceive the people by giving them an untrue idea of their Chief Magistrate. His private life was invaded, his social relations were violated, his most patriotic actions were sneered at, and he was made the object of obloquy and vituperation by that faction of the Republican party opposed to his policy.

I well remember with what sadness and indignation he referred to the manner in which he had been treated when I had been selected by him to write a campaign life of him, which was to have been published by his friends had he been nominated for the Presidency in 1884. There were several matters about which he had been mercilessly abused for which I found ample explanations exonerating him. One was his going to Albany in 1881, when he was Vice-President, to labor for the re-election of Messrs. Conkling and Platt. I had ascertained that he had done this in return for a visit made to Ohio during the preceding campaign by Mr. Conkling to speak in favor of the election of General Garfield. This had been on the personal solicitation of Mr. Arthur, and it would have been ungrateful for him to have declined an appeal to aid Mr. Conkling in an hour of need by a visit to Albany. When President Arthur read what I had written on this subject he said pleasantly: "That is all true, but I must ask you not to publish it." Never have I seen a public man so determined not to criminate others, even in self- justification.

During his Presidential term Mr. Arthur did what friends and fortune can do for no man, and what neither friends nor foes could take from him. "He won a fame for which he himself fought, and from which no man's censure could detract." While he was emphatically "the first gentleman in the land," giving unequaled receptions, dinners, and evening entertainments with lavish hospitality, he was, as he used to cheerily remark, "a night-bird," and his favorite enjoyment was to have two or three personal friends eat a late supper with him, and then chat with them far into the "wee sma'

hours." His thorough knowledge of prominent men and politics during the preceding quarter of a century enabled him to entertain his listeners with graphic descriptions of remarkable scenes, piquant but never indelicate anecdotes, keen sketches of men and women, and interesting statements about the workings of political machinery, especially in the State of New York.