Initially optimistic about Grant’s first term in office, Henry soon becomes disillusioned. Because of Grant’s success during the Civil War, Henry assumes that the new President will at least be an effective administrator, as George Washington was, and have the wisdom to select top men for his Cabinet. The Cabinet announcements are disappointing to Henry because they indicate political inertia rather than reform. Adams prefers limited control for the federal government, a laissez-faire policy; but he does hope that Grant will restore power to the Constitution and get rid of “greenback” currency, which is not supported by gold. A visit to the White House is discouraging. Henry sees only a diminishing future for himself in Washington. As a writer, however, he has some success. The British Edinburgh Review publishes his “American Finance, 1865–1869” in April, editor Henry Reeve praising it with such enthusiasm that Henry includes the evaluation in a letter to his brother Charles. The North American Review carries two of his articles on the political situation in Washington; the Nation runs two on inside information, such as “A Peep into Cabinet Windows,” in December.
