The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-06-29
The Gift TakeY.


on Tuesday evening, announced his purpose
to be. to reply to the speech of Charles Sum-
ner, and the way in which that unhappy Sen
ator was "chawed up" was enough to make
him feel bad all the rest of his days, had he
been unfortunate enough to have heard 1t.
His reply to Summers crushing arraignment
of Grant as "gift taker" was especially
shameless and absurd. In the first place,
there was no truth in the charge; and second
ly, the 'presents" which Grant has actually
accepted were trliing and of no value. Now
against this kind of paltry excuse and special
pleading, let US oppose few plain, undenl-
able facts.
On the Is of February, 1869, when Grant
was president elect and just before he took
the Office, General Daniel Butterfeld, who
was subsequently appointed sub-treasurer at
New York, sent Grant letter in which, in
behalf of certain parties, he asks his accept
ance of the inclosed testimonial:
Enclosure.
Mortgage and interest. ........ .$3O,347 so
Sc, 600 7-20 U. s. bonds, LIST serles. 81, 725 90
Cash. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1887 so
Total. ...................$1 05, 900 90
The reply of Grant was in these words:
WASHINGTON, d. c., February II, 1872.
Dear General: Your letter of the 18th, in
closing me the handsome testimonial of the
citizens of New York, with the names of the
too.generous contributors to it, is received.
Through you wish to thank the gentle
men whose names you have inclosed to me
individually and collectively. l have the
honor to be your obedient servant.
L. S. GRANT.
When Andrew johnson was President, he
refused a carriage and horses when rendered
him by some friends IN New York, on the
ground that an acceptance would be stain
upon the high Office he held. Grant had no
such misgiving about the above or any other
gifts; and, as might he expected, the doners
were among the first to be remembered in the
distribution of patronage. Most Of the lead
ing contributors either got tat positions or
succeeded in securing places for their friends
Tom Murphy gave Grant cottage at Long
Branch, and President Grant gave Tom Muir
ply the collectorship of New York, worth
100000 per annum. A. T. Stewart, of New
York, bought his Grants house at Wash.
ington for General Sherman at the price of
$4,000, which was s25 200 more that he had
sold it for to Mr.. Bowen, the mayor OF Wash
ington. What was that extra $4,000 bu: a
gift or bride, and for it Gen. Grant attempt
ed to make Stewart secretary of the treasury,
in violation of law. These are only few of
the more prominent cases of present taking,
followed by the bestowal OF offices upon the
doners.
But besides the open and acknowledged
gifts, amounting to several hundred thousand
dollars, there is another class, such as the
10000 paid TO Grant out of the " Black Fri.
day" swindle; his supposed share OF the Sc
cor steal; of the Chorpenrlng steal, &C., &c,
which run up these presidential perqusites to
such figure that, notwithstanding his extra
VACANT mode of living, Grant is admitted to
be worth 100000. II Is simply absurd to
pretend that the hands OF President Grant are
clean,-or to pretend that he is not stepped
in corruption deeper perhaps than any other
of the horde of shameless thieves that sur
round him,--in view of the fact :hat going
into Office poor, he has yet, IN three years, on
salary Of 200 and living at the rate of
$4,000 year, laid up and "salted down"
two millions of dollars.