rewd political trick of the
Republicans to carry the state. As I rode through the country I
saw for miles and miles luxuriant crops of thousands of acres of
wheat, corn, oats and barley. It was said that this was merely a
part of the campaign strategy of the Republicans, that really the
people were very poor and miserable and on the verge of starvation.
This was the burden of the speeches of General Ewing, who attributed
the miseries of the people to my "wicked financial policy," and
said that I was given over to the clutches of the money power and
stripped and robbed the people of Ohio for the benefit of the
"bloated bondholders."

While General Ewing was fighting in the shadows of the past, caused
by the panic of 1873, a revolution had taken place, and he who
entered into the canvass with the hope that the cry of distress
would aid him in his ambition to be governor, must have been greatly
discouraged by the evidences of prosperity all around him. I found
in my home at Mansfield that business was prosperous, the workshops
were in full blast, and smoke was issuing from the chimney of every
establishment in the place.

My coming to Ohio naturally excited a good deal of comment and of
opposition from Democratic speakers and papers. I was charged with
nepotism in appointing my relatives to office, but upon examination
it was found that I had appointed none, though several, mostly
remote, were holding office under appointments of General Grant.
On the 25th of August I left Mansfield for Columbus and Cincinnati,
and on the train met Charles Foster and others on their way to
Mount Vernon. On their arrival they were met by flags and music,
and in response to the calls I made a brief speech.

On the 27th of August I made my usual annual visit to Cincinnati
and the Chamber of Commerce of that city. That body is composed
in almost equal numbers of members of the two great parties, and
therefore, in addressing it, I carefully refrain from discussing
political topics. At that time there was a good deal of discussion
of the order made by me on the 13th of August, addressed to the
treasurer of the United States, directing him not to withdraw from
bank depositaries the money deposited for the payment of called
bonds, until it was required for that purpose. At the date of that
order over $70,000,000 of called bonds were still outstanding, but
only $52,000,000 remained on deposit with national bank depositaries
to pay them