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THAYER ON GRANT AND BRISTOW.
Written for Thk Cockier.
In a very interesting letter in the syndicate articles going the
rounds in Sunday newspapers, signed by Rutus B. Wilson, headed
"Political Baclraumbers a sketch is given of Benjamin H. Bristow,
who was secretary of the treasury under Gen. Grant, which does not
represent his true attitude towards Grant, in regard to the prose
cution of the whiskey ring.
The first ever heard of Bristow outside the boundries of "Kentucky
was when President Grant appointed him United States district at
torney for the state of Kentucky. After a time the same friendly
hand took Bristow to Washington and made him solicitor general of
the United States, in which office he remained until promoted to the
office of the treasury.
The writer of the letter, Mr. Wilson, says when Bristow was made
secretary he began to lay plans to destroy tlio whiskey ring. The
truth was he began to lay his plans to capture the presidency. His
rapid advancement from a third rate Kentucky lawyer to the second
rank in the president's cabinet had turned his head, or to use a com
mon expression, it had given him the "big head.'" He thought only
one more step would take him to the presidency. He had the mis
fortune to have a lot of fool friends, as many another a public man
has had, who have well nigh ruined them, and they well nigh ruined
him.
It was in 18 15. Gen. Grant's term would expire on the 4th of
March 1875. A general feeling had begun to manifest itself in
favor of Grant for a third term. This excited the hostility of the
friends of other aspirants for the presidency and schemes were set
up to head off Grant. Slander and destruction were rife. The at
tempt was made to involve the administration in the whiskey frauds
and more than that, the deliberate effort was made to smirch the
reputation of Gen Grant by conceding him with the alleged.
frauds. It a was deliberate conspiracy to destroy him politically and
thus prvent his being a candidate for the presidential office for a
third term. Blueford Wilson of Springfield, 111., had been taken
up by Grant and made solicitor of the treasury. These two men,
Bristow and Wilson, had been raised up by him through ob security
to elevated positions, had been made far more then they co ' ever
have hoped to be, and yet blinded by the ignis fatuuB of higher
ofice, they, viper like, turned and tried to blacken Grant's repu
tation. Bristow had not been long at the head of the treasury depart
ment before the plotters began to organize the conspiracy. The
papers began to announce the formation of Bristow clubs in dif
ferent sections of the country, instigated from Washington; Bristow
was to be president, Blueford Wilson was to be attorney-general.
It was to be a reform administration. None but the righteous were
to be associated with it No politician need apply for membership
The whiskey frauds were to be the means by which these ends were
to be accomplished. The prosecution of the whiskey rings was all
right, but the attempt to use it for base political purposes with the
hope of injuring Grant, was all wrong. It was a dastardly attempt
to rise to power by most unjustly blackening the reputation of an
other. In this case it was doubly damning, for the reason that the
conspirators had been warmed and nourished into political life by
their victim. At that time I was governor of Wyoming. Circuai
itaBces had put the evidence of this conspiracy in my possession,
clear and incontestible evidence, I had suspected this conspiracy;
. so had others, but the difficulty was to prove; it thr.t had unexpect
edly fallen tome how I cannot explain without violating couti
deace. I knew Grant ought to know what I had learned, but how
to get it to him, was the question; he was in Washington, I in Chey
enne. I would not trust it to letters.
The re-union of the Army of the Tennessee was soon to take place
at Dee Moines. I being a member it was my intention to be present.
I felt confident that Grant would attend, as he had organized that
1 See Sister the Ice Cream man in his new quarters when wanting
J- wanting anything in his line. He will serve you well. 133 south 12
r street Phone 630.
Orange Glace' at Hawkk's Pharmacy.
We have a lae line of trouserings.
army and had been its first commander and for more than two years
afterward he was present, and it was on this occasion that he de
livered that memorable speech in favor of free schools which at
tracted widespread attention throughout the country. He was
never known to make a speech; a bow and thanks were the usual ex
tent When we saw his. name on the program, down for a speech,
there was querying aa to what he would say. When he was intro
duced to a crowded audience in the opera house he drew from his
pocket some half dozen half sheets of closely written notepaper and
read the speech which became memorable.
On leaving Dee Moines he started on a rip through Nebraska
and Wyoming to Salt Lake and then to Denver. He was accom
panied by his wife, his son, Col. Fred Grant, and wife, Gen. Babcock,
his private secretary, and Mr. Borie, his first secretary of the navy
and wife; and invited me to accompany them. The trip lasted just
a week; then the opportunity came for communicating what I de
sired to make known to him, but there was some hesitation on my
part, for I knew that one of the hardest things in the world for
Grant to do was to distrust one to whom he had given his confidence
and elevated to positions of honor and trust. He abominated de
ception and hypocrisy and wanted to believe that his friends were as .
free from these vices as himsalf.
It occured to me to sound Mrs. Grant in regard to the matter
which interested me and which related to her husband's interests,
thinking possibly her attention might have been drawn to the same
subject, as she was a lady of excellent intelligence and clear observa
tion. Therefore the subject was broached to her by me and the main
feature of the plot presented, She became deeply interested, and
after my statement was concluded, said that she had noticed some
things which did not to her seem quite right, but that her husband
when she had mentioned them to him, could not distrust the parties.
She then said: "Governor, I ask you to present this matter to my
. husband just as you have to me.' I replied by saying that it was a
rather delicate matter to attack to the president one of his cabinet
ministers, he might not be inclined to receive it kindly. She said he
would. ' I. added, "we will talk further about this to-morrow;" my ob
ject in delay was to give her an opportunity to present the matter to
the president, as I felt.sure she would. The next day she mrt me
ami expressed a mire decided wish that I would communicate the
whole matter to her husband, saying she knew he would recieve it
as a favor on my part I then acquainted him with the facts, giving
him full information. He listened attentively till my conclusion,
but said nothing, except that he had a suspicion of something of the
kind though nothing tangible.
The next day he left Denver with his party for Washington, and I
returned to Cheyenne. The papers were then teeming with ac
counts of whiskey frauds; the very air was filled with all kinds of
mysterious insinuations andrumora implicating high officers of
the government just as there have been recently in the sugar scan
dalseverything was exaggerated stories without foundation were
put in circulation. It began to be whispered around that these
charges are being brought very close to the head of the government
Everything that that the insane Bristow and his co-conspirators
could do was done to smirch Grant The United States
attorney for the district of Missouri was in the plot; he did his best
to involve the p.-esident in his toils; he caused Gen. Babcock, the
president's private secretary, to be indicted for alleged participation
in the whiskey frauds. Others were indicted. TLe trial came off in
November at St Louis. Babcock was acquitted. I 'was in the presi
dent's office i.i the White House when Babcock entered to bid him
good by, saying he should leave that afternoon for St. Louis to
stand his trial. Grant took Babcock's hand and simply said in a
low tone, "Goodbye,' but not another word, I knew though, that he
was bearing up under a heavy load of sorrow. He believed Babcock
innocent but he felt the humiliation and disgrace of having his pri
vate secretary indicted and tried for a heinous crime, and knowing
too that the plotters were aiming at him; but he bore up under the
The best soda water in the city at Hawke's Pharmacy.
Huklbut k. co. have moved to 113 north 11 where they are pre
pared to serve you.
- See Suixb Before orderiag Ice Creats, he can Mve you mosey.
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