Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-06-11

" nohANOIO-N VII II IL SsJ Juno D.. 1890
A little bit of scandal is now Ho,.,
around Washington which recalls tho -,
ries of domestic life at the White IT,
when Mrs. Lincoln reigned in state .,
did so large business in the drv ao" '.'
and house furnishing line 1t is said T"s
General Grant draws all the summit.
provisions, &C., used at the Whit n,
from the commisariat at Wasbinptor TI.
fact having been unearthcd by several o 40
respondents-although it has been In.
ever since he took the oath Of oNioo
widely telegraphed abroad as somotbin.
unusual. Any one who is acquainted Will
the unutterable degree of penuriorsr,n.
which characterizes Grant in his do,,o..
arrangements, would not consider thisit,,.
as at all unusual. know that, nndor ..
binary circumstances, there is somevL,,
of indelicacy in prying into the domoqt;.
concerns of mans household, but tboso
are not ordinary circumstances under vb;cI,
we are now living, and we have no mean.
OF estimating the character of man co
correctly as by reference to his houseboIl
affairs. He whose mind is so Harrow tbo.
it takes delight and finds congenial feIl
for occupation in n system of rigid Yankee
economy, does not possess an intellect
capable of expansion into grave national
and political considerations.
But am led by this gossip to cast
thought upon Grants present status in fine
army. He certainly cannot hold the Office
of General of the armies and President "a
the United States at the same time. even If
he held one without drawing salary. Yet
he has never resigned his position rs Gen
eral, and hence Sherman, instead of takino
Grants place in the army, is General by
special act OF Congress, passed for his pnr
ticular benefit Thus Grant violates IN.
Constitution he swore to maintain, apl
breaks the very laws for the pretended
maintainence Of which he strewed the val
ley of the Rapidan and the James VITA the
bones Of hundred thousand men. Tie
receives pay as President Of the United
States. AS General of the Armies, he Oh
tains supplies from the Commissary De
partment for private use. The principle
is not effected, whether Grant J,,yS the snp
plies at Government prices or draw
them as rations. Only a military man
is allowed to purchase goods from
q commissary at government prices.
If it is done, then the Commissary consent
ing to it is n dishonest man, and the person
thus purchasing knows he is defrauding
the Government. In either case General
Grant is placed in Il not very enviablo
light. Another feature OF the subject is
this: If Grant should servo out his term
he will resume the Office and emolument,
of General, ranking Sherman. Thus We
should behold a spectacle that has not
been seen since the days of John Churchill,
Duke of Marlborough. And, indeed, even
a superficial observer will find remark
able parallel between the Duke of Mari
borough and Ulysses S. Grant, except that
Grant is devoid Of Churchills military
genius. The resemblance can be drawn
even to their. treason to their country, for
the Constitution of our fathers makes our
country, and by supporting the policy Of
the Radical party Grant has been, andstill
is, guilty of treason against that Constitu-
ton and that country.
The Cubaus now sOjourning In Wash
ington, and their sympathiZcrs in this city,
are highly jubilant over the "latest intel,
igence" from the Queen Of the Antilles,
and believe it is correct. They profess to
have verifcation thereof, and l doubt not
that their professions in this respect are
true. The fact that Dulce was compelled
by the volunteers TO tender his resignation
is looked upon by oil as favorable to the
for they see in it the first bud
of dissension among the adherents Of the
Spanish cause. They consider that the sue
cessful landing of the Americans and their
junction with the Cuban chief as virtually
deciding the struggle. Admiral HoG, con-
the United States squadron in
those waters, has not communicated with
the Navy Department for several weeks,
and, as he generally manages to obtain
correct information. his report is looked
for with much interest. For my own part
I ardently desire the independence Of
Cuba, provided she will remain, for the
present, an independent Republic. No
friend Of constitutional liberty desires to
see Cuba, with its half million of negroes,
into the United States to furnish
six Or eight Senators and proportionatc
number of Representatives to help in the
work of plundering, robbing, numbering
and degrading its own white inhabitants
and the men of the South. Rather than
this should happen would prefer to see
Spain triumph over the revolutionists.
Secretary Boutwell, has caused to be
burnt the plates on which the printing OF
the currency has been done. The plates
cost millions of dollars originally, and now
having been melted would command o few
hundred cents. The printing is to be done
oy the American Bank Note Company in
New York. Just here L must mention o
'umor floating around town. I give it for
what it is worth. Under the circumstan
'es this money printing business cannot
% too jealousy watched. It is said that
his same American Bank Note Company
,fered Spencer M. Clark, while chief OF
he Note Printing Bureau of the Treasury,
me hundred and fifty thousand dollars in
ash, and brown stone front on Eifitl
Venue, if he would give them the con
ract. Clark refused the bride. lie had
90 much power in the Treasury to give
p for SO paltry bride as WIS offered
would like to inquire if Secretary Bout
7ell has heard of this matter, and also
'hat the American Bank Note Company
ay about it?