s may also be obtained
as heretofore.

* * * * *

"John Sherman, Secretary."

The result of this policy was beneficial, though the demand for
coin rarely existed except for foreign exchange, and this was
generally in New York, and largely depended upon the balance of
trade. Our people had been so accustomed to the use of paper money
that they received and paid United States notes in preference to
coin, and this more readily since these notes were equal in purchasing
power to coin.

Senator Thurman, my colleague and personal friend, was active in
the canvass in Ohio. His term expired on the 4th of March, 1881,
and he was a candidate for re-election by the legislature about to
be chosen. I heard of his speeches, especially those in respect
to resumption. He commented upon the fact that United States notes
were only redeemed in the city of New York, and claimed that we
had not actually resumed, for gold was not in circulation. He
appealed to his audiences to say whether they had any gold and
whether they were not compelled to receive the same greenbacks then
as they had since the period of the war, and said if they wanted
gold they had to go to New York for it. I regarded this as a piece
of demagogism, for he knew the difference between the greenbacks
then and the greenbacks before resumption. Hearing that he was to
speak in Bellaire shortly I arranged to have certain disbursements
for wages in that neighborhood made in gold coin. When he made
his speech in Bellaire, soon afterwards, he repeated the same
statements that he had previously made, and appealed to the audience
to know whether they had seen any of the gold coin they had heard
so much about. Much to his surprise and embarrassment quite a
number of persons held up and shook gold coin. This put a stop to
his inquiries. The people appreciated the advance in the purchasing
power of their money, and neither demanded coin nor cared for it.

Early in October I yielded to the urgent request of Mr. Foster to
help in the closing days of the canvass, and, on the evening of
the 8th, addressed a meeting at the west front of the capitol in
Columbus, far exceeding in numbers any political gathering during
the campaign. My opening will indicate the general trend of my
remarks:

"It is not within my power to reach with my voice all who have
assembled on this occasion, and besides, for some time I have not
been much in the habit of speaking in the open air,