Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-07-14


Grants AceeptaDee of Presents from
Every bO5y-A Dangerous Position 10 :
P-esidezlt 20 be in.
From the st. Paul Pioneerl
There is one feature of Gen. Grants
chRrRcter-oF, rather, one of his pFac'
tiees-th$t has net been made the sub
ieet OF comment; because as long as he
kept ont Of the political ring everybody
was disposed to treat aim with great con-
sidsratton, on account Of his pasition
and assumed services. But in choosing
a President sil the weaknesses of osndi-
dates are scanned with critical, II not
with Jealous eyes, and every mark OF
uBfitness for the high office becomes con-
spicneus. Bis easy practice OF putting
himself in the way whsTe presents are
offered, aud his free habit of accepting
them. is now attracting abundant COM
lneUt. 1t is 6 seGndalous habit. It
pleces an officer under toe many obiiga-
tions to pFivste individuals. It creates
strange and daDgeFoss fellowships for
one who should be in position free nom
corrupt approach. There is not public
man in the country who has ever placed
himself In his situation, aside from Gen.
Grant, if We except the corrupt Radical
rsseais about Washington, and dsome who
were in the army. 4 truthful writer, J.
c. K. Forest, g former editor of the Chi
csgo Tribune, describes this practice of
Grants as follows;
Grant is known TO be q very self-ab-
sorbed, selfish, and grasplng man. he
takes everything that is presented to
him, no mater by whom, or WHIST the
supposed consideration. Rich men Of
the national bank and bondh0lder stripe
presented him with houses, bonds,
aud stocks. Sporting men have pre-
septed MIN with horses. Gamblers have
presented him with billiard tables. Dog
faticiars have presented hin with pups.
Theater managers constantly present
him with dead head tickets. daTness
makers have presented him with saddles
and harness. Carriage makers have
presented him with carriages. Russell
Jones and Washburne knew his weak
point WHEN they presented him with
5000 Of stock in the Chicago Horse
Railwey Company. Even poor card
writer's present him with 8ll the visiting
cards he uses-for which they get in re-
turn letters of thanks in very Indifferent
In fne, call Is dsn that comes
TO Grants net"
When some wealthy men in New
] k Z
accession to Office, rendered him vSiu-
able carriage, the President declined the
present, beeausesit would be an imPrO
priety for him to accept private gifts.
Gen. Grant had no such nies sense of
propriety. Es has received presents Of
all sorts, in every variety OF property,
aGd he saves them well. Bonds, money,
libraries, houses and lots, horses, cE--
riages, billiard table,, aud many smaller
things, amounting in their total value 10
hundreds OF thousands of G0llGrs, are
tbe evidences that he has preserved OF
his want Of delicacy, and OF nice sense
of what Is becoming in man hign IN
station, with fsvoTs to grant and power
10 exercise. This is not the worst of 1t. |
These gifts ara the actual fruit Of cor
ruption and unlawful practices, or Of
business spaculations that nearly ap- |
nroach such things. The money with l
which they were purchased came from 1
the contractors and shOddy thieves, the /
cotton thieves, the army ana navy |
the men who furnished the sol |
diers with mouldy hard bread and mag |
gotty bacon TO eat, and with papeT-soled /
5hOes, to wear; the bond thieves, who |
lent the Government greenbscks when !
gold was Z53, and demand their pay in /
gold when ii was I40 the tariff, !
The iron and the whisky rings, and /
.he scoundrels generally, who have |
amassed vast wealth by plunderiDg the |
treasury of the people.
II is this sort OF folks to whom, by aC- (
,epting their presents, Gen. Grant has |
sound himself ineXtTioably. How can /
be, for shame, choke OF from the TreSs- /
1ry a r0bbsr whose arm is in the vault
up 10 the elbow, aud VINO has just pre- /
3ented him with span of horses or
Of greeubacks.
The worst men in the couutTy-the
SPECTATORS Of the Treasury robbers Of /
the peoples tsEes--the coTTupters Of pub
lie. moF8lity-1ave already propitiatsd
bis favor by gifts; and by his acceptance
Of what they gave him, he has disaTmed
himself Of all the power be might have
possessed to tbwert their schemes OF
plunder. Lst this be thought of when
taxpayers are asked to "Yote for Gfsnt.n
We have been told OF very dlscreditable
things that were done with the knowl-
edge of Grant, by one for whose acts he
was responsible, during the war, at or in
The neigh borhood Of Holly Springs. The
house of DR.. Poynter has been named
as the scene Of one OF these exploits 3
successful raid on the silver of his table.
We shall be obliged to those persons
who knot0 the facts in respect 10 these
alleged plunderings, if they will furnish
us with verified statements in writing,
with all the details OF time, place and
and an account Of the
property. Without these,
we do not deem it fit that we should en-
dorse the accounts as true. But we
should like to know the truth and have
the evidence OF it,