New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-07-07
nrNrRAI GRANT ON CoNTRAcTs.

hands.
GENERAL GRANT ON CONTRACTS.
VIII BInn Dishonest in Private Trans
actions be Honest in his Public OH
ciaI Conduct
From the Washington Transcript
In November, 1868, General Grant entered
into a sealed contract with 5. j. Bowen
then Mayor of this city, Witnessing that be
had sold to said Bowen his residence on
street, which had been presented TO hun by
A. T. Stewart, Moses HI. Grinnell, Thomas
Murphy, General Buttertield and other cItl
zens of New York, as a future residence fol
himself and family. The price named II
the contract with Mr.. Bowen was S4O,UO0
This contract was duly. reC 0 ded among q Z
land records of this District, and will be
found in Lber d, No. Z, foliOs l55, etc.
Having heard of this sale and the failure
of its contamination, we took the trouble
to examine the record, and find the con
tract dated November q, 1868. and signed
! by "Kilbourn x Latta, agents for General
T. S. Grant" "U. S. Grant, and IS. j.
Bowen" On the contract is a receipt, duly
signed and stamped, for $1,000, which APP
pears to have BEEN paid as earnest
money on the signing of the paper. The
contract goes on to state that for the sum
! of $4,000 the party of the first part tGen-
eral Grant, has sold lots three and four, in
| square No. $780, the conditions of payment
being $1,000 on executing the contract,
! $4,000 on March 10, 1863 lat which time pos
session was to be given to Mr.. Bowen, and
/ the remaSnder (S30,000) in ten years, with
interest at the rate of six per cent per an
| mum.
| With this contract on record, unan-
| nulled; with the $1,000 paid him by Mr.
| Bowen in his pocket, General Grant, as
Stunning a military prer0gative, subsequently
sold the property to General Sherman for
! $1,000, received the cash, and executed
and delivered deed for the conveyance of
! the same, thus pOeketing S25O00 more than
he was to have from Bowen, who wassle-
gally and honestly entitled to the property,
and could have compelled General Grant to
have decided it to him even after he had
decided it to General Sherman, had he
chosen to resort to the courts for justice
Mr.. Bowen had been put to considerable
expense for searching title, executing and
recording papers, and General Grant had
had the use of the $1,000 for five months be-
fore it was repaid. Not penny of this has
ever been refunded, and now, we under
stand, that General Grant absolutely refuses
to pay the interest on the $1,000, or any of
the expenses Mr.. Bowen incurred, although
he has several times been requested to do
so!
Could meanness go further than this
Is there a business man in this or any other
community who would be guilty of such
dirty, dishonOrable action and be suffered
to remain in the neighbOrhOod We confess
we did not believe the story when first told
us, bu the half has not been told in this
article, nor have we space or heart to relate
all we hear concerning it. Were we to put
in type what has been told us by those who
are believed to know whereof they speak,
how General Grant, apparently forgetting
he had signed the contract himself, denied
his having authorized KilbOurn and Latta
to act for him, plead that he was mad when
he sold the property, as an excuse for re-
selling it; that he had sold the property to
Mr.. Bowen at too low figure; told General
Butterfeld he had never sold the property
to Bowen or signed any contract or paper
of any kind for its sale; threatened Mr..
Bowen with political Ostracism if he did not
cancel the contract; how the difference OF
sos, 900 was used by Corbin in gold opera
tions prior to the "Black Friday" in New
York; the infamous falsehOOds that have
been circulated from the White House con-
corning this transaction, etc. Should we
attempt to publish all this our paper would
contain nothing else.
Yet it is all true, and it is also well known
by many of our people in Washington.
But as the party guilty of the rascally
conduct is President of the United States,
he is not only tolerated here but the matter
has been kept from the eye of the public
because of his high official position and a
wish to screen from deserved infamy the
character of a man who ought to be, in his
dealings with his fellow-man, mot only
pure, but above suspicion" Now, how
ever, when that men is endeavOring to
force himself upon the people for perpet-
uatiOn of his power and position; we deem
it necessary and proper to make known his
private as well as bis public character, be-
Geving, as we do, that no man will hesitate
to defPaud the government and the public
who is openly dishonest and dishonorable
in his private transactions. Men have been
known TO steal from governments and cor
pOratiOns who were perfectly upright in
their dealings with individuals, but who
ever knew a man who would steal his
neighbours goods that would hesitate to
rob the public treasury did an oppo rtunity
offer
We are informed that MIR Bowen has in
his possession copies of his own letters to
the General, in his own hand writing, which
the contract, would make most interesting
reading and prove the truth Of what we
have stated above. Taking it all in all. we
doubt neither more dishonest, dishonOr- !
able, disgTaceful and objectionable trans
action than this house affair has ever been
heard of, and when it is considered that the
President of the United States is the party
implicated, may not those who contributed |
to elevate him to power yourselves among |
the number) bow their heads with shame |
and modification, and take heed that they !
"gO and sin no more