All the persons who were there were favorable to the proposed legislation, I believe.

President Grant said that he had been asked to send in a message urging Congress to pass a law giving him larger powers for the suppression of violence at the South; but he had sent for us to explain the reason why he was unwilling to do it.

He thought that the country would look with great disapprobation upon a request to enlarge the powers of the President, and especially to suspend the writ of _habeas corpus_ in time of peace, and that he felt especially unwilling to subject himself to that criticism as he had not come to that office from civil life, but had been a soldier, and it might be supposed he favored military methods of government.

Several of the gentlemen present expressed rather guardedly their dissent from this view, but Grant seemed to remain firm.

I kept silent, as became a person young in public life, until Mr.Howe and Judge Shellabarger whispered together, and then came to me and said: "Mr.Hoar, you may perhaps, be able to have some influence on him.