New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-30
SLANDERING GRANT.

1
| Maybe one of these days the journalists who
make it their particular business to traduce
the President will become discouraged at re-
peated failures, and turn to some more honest
pursuit. Gen. Grant, from the beginning of
his career, has been persistently assailed in
the most shameful manner, and after every
assault his character has shone forth not only
mtarnislIed but brighter than before. For his
first military successes he was rewarded with
calumnies, which threatened for time to
destroy him; he held his peace, and
false testimony broke down of itself, leay-
ing his regulations higher than ever. At every
critical period of the war he was attacked
again before Vicksburg; in the Wilderness;
at Petershurg and perhaps we shall never
know how near we came to losing his services
at moments when he alone could save our
armies. Under these trials he was still silent,
and the people, penitent for their temporary
injustice, honored him afterwaId with all the
more enthusiasm. When peace had been de-
clared he was traduced with redOubled malice
by all classes of his political opponents, from
Andrew Johnson down to The World, and the
result was his election to the Presidency
by a most magnificent majority. In
his present elevated position the attacks have
been incessant, but though be;has kept to his
sensible resolution of holding his tongue, his
enemies have been uniformly and Immediately
confuted. The calumnies connected with the
September gold-panic were among the wicked
est and most ingenious to which he was ever
exposed he never deigned to answer them;
yet see how easily and completely they were
refuted, and how the popular respect for the
II hon, hfA lynn
what part he really had in the events of that
memorable period.
The other day it was asserted that
the employees of the CustOm-Hj)us and Post
Office were compelled to subscribe to buy
life insurance policy for the Z resident. Such
palpable lie seemed to us unworthy of
notice; but the Postmaster off New-York ex-
posed it, and so did the Insurance Company
from which the policy was ~alleged to issue.
Then the lie appeared in a revised form. 1t
was asserted that subscription list for the
purchase of policy had really been started.
anil Gen. Horace Porter, one of the
Presidents Secretaries, WAS hawking it
about the county To those who know Gen.
Porter the absurdity of the report was its own
refutatiOn. But Gen. Porter'sattention having
been called TO the matter he has denied il in
I1language which admits of ns, doubt. He says
thar {" he has been accustomed to uphold the
"fair name of the President, instead of unit
cling in schemes to destroy him ); that he has
"peither been knave nor fool enough to solicit
subscriptions for an insurance policy for him
| ~nOr even given countenance to any such pro-
eject. Neither the President nor Mrs. Grant
| "has ever heard of such thing; and he ii
Every sure they would DOT accept it. He
remembers being spoken to about some sucl
insurance scheme TO provide for Mrs. Gran
latter the Presidents death, and he said i
"must not be thought of; that Mrs. Gran
"would not accept it, and it would be a posi-
Give injury to the President" So that lii
we believe is finally disposed of.
The investigation of the San DOming
trouble has given rise to another calumny
, Finding among the papers submitted to tn
Committee of Investigation the draft of tn
, preliminaTies of treaty of annexation tn
, Presidents traducers declared that, in con
: tempt of law and the privileges of Congress:
> he authorized Gen. Babcock to agree wit
? Baez upon the terms of the bargain, an
bound himself to exert privately all hi
influence with Senators in favor of tn
e scheme before he permitted it to come pull
4 Hcly before Congress and run the risk Q
\ defeat Lie had been furiOusly denounce
q on this head for several days, whe
n it turned out that the protocol
"a was the production not of Grant bt
f of Baez, and had been submitted to on
q administration as the basis upon which I'll
q Dominican President was willing " treat ~