in the
House of Representatives, my wife's father, a very simple-
hearted and excellent merchant of Worcester, who spent seventy
years of life in business on the same spot, visited us in
Washington. I took him up to see Grant. The General was
alone and, contrary to his usual custom, in a very talkative
mood. He seemed to like Mr. Miller, who had a huge respect
for him, and evidently saw that we were not there for any
office-seeking or other personal end. He talked with great
freedom about himself and his visit to Worcester. He expressed
his wonder that the town had grown and prospered so without
any advantage of river or harbor or water power, or the neighborhood
of rich mines or rich wheat-fields. He then asked me how
the bill for an increased issue of green-backs was coming
on in the House. I told him it seemed likely to pass. He
then went on to express very earnestly his objection to the
measure and to the whole policy, and his dislike of irredeemable
paper. He said that it was an immense injury to all classes
of the people, but that it bore heavily upon poor and ignorant
men. He said that speculators and bankers and brokers could
foresee the changes which came about from the fluctuations
of paper money and protect themselves from them, but the workingmen
and poor men had no such advantages--that they were the greatest
sufferers. He added a suggestion I never heard before, that
there was in many parts of the country great loss from the
counterfeiting of paper money--a loss which fell almost wholly
upon poor and ignorant men. I never in my life heard Grant
talk so freely on any occasion. I never in my life, but once,
saw him apparently so deeply moved. I said: "Mr. President,
you know the story of old Judge Grier and the Pennsylvania
jury." "No," said he. "Well," said I, "there was once a
jury in Pennsylvania, when Grier was holding court, who brought
in a very unjust verdict. The judge said: 'Mr. Clerk, record
that verdict and enter under it, "Set aside." I will have
you to know, Gentlemen of the Jury, that it takes thirteen
men in this court to steal a man's farm.' It takes three powers,
Mr. President, under our government to pass a law." Grant
laughed and said: "Well, if you send it up to me, make it
just as bad as you can." There can be no possible question
that he then desired and meant to veto the bill. His desire
that it might be as bad as possible was that it might be more
easy to defen