Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-01-28
WHAT WILL GRANT Dor

best friends desire of him may be regarded
as trustworthy. As President,
he cannot fail TO see that men, who were
good soldiers when upon his staff during the
war, have not been able to Withstand the
temptations of civil life; that they have
made market of their presumed relations
with him; that they have shamefully out
ragged the confidence, and done what in
them lay to bring discredit on some details
of his Administration. The proof
of grOssest turptitude against several of
thos, who have enjoyed his special favor is
so strong that their dismissal from the po-
sitions they have misused, may be counted
on as certain"
Judging the future by the past, the Balti-
more Gazette very naturally doubts that
Grant will do any such thing as the Com
merciqL claims he will do. For instance,
the Gazette says:
A postmaster, at Covington, Kentucky
one Jesse GTant-has been accused of tax
ing bribe of five hundred dollars from an
applicant for Office in the revenue service.
The venerable Jesse confesses that he took
the money, and that he sought to get the
man the appointment he wanted; but he
alleges, in eXtenuation of his ofense, that
he intended to have the money distributed
among the poor. The latter, so far as we
know, never got a dollar of it. The offense
was glaring, but the father of Gen. Grant
continues to hold the Office of postmaster.
There is one NJ. ]. Cramer, who, by vir-
! tue of being brother-in-law to Gen. Grant,
was appointed first to a Consular Office and
subsequently Minister to Denmark. AS
Consul he quietly submitted to be publicly
thrashed, and as Minister he has rendered
himself ridiculous and brought the Gov
eminent into contempt by his persistence
in reading to the Ministers of various Gev-
ernments resident at Copenhagen a letter
from the State Department at Washington
about the Catacazy quarrel. We have not
heard that Minister Cramer has been re-
| called.
Another brother-in-law, one Corbin, con-
nected the name of Gen. Grant,in the most
damaging manner, with that "black Fri
day. on which occurred the memorable
''gold corner in New York. Yet, judging
from the favor with which he was received
at Long Branch, and his subsequent famili-
arity with Gen. Grant,the friendly relations
between the two appear to be as close as
ever.
Another NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Casey-af-
ter a significant and suggestive visit to Long
Branch, undertook to regulate, with bayo-
nets and Calling guns, the State Conven-
| ton of the Republican party in Louisiana.
Since then, he has endeavored, through his
emisSaries, to get control Of the State Legis-
lature, and riots and bloodshed have already
resulted from the contest that ensued. We
| believe that Casey still retains his position
as Collector of Customs at New Orleans,
and have not yet heard that Gen. Grant
has ventured to administer to him even the
farce of a rebuke.
One Thomas Murphy, Collector of the
Port of New York, busily employed his
talents in packing the Republican Conven-
ton at Syracuse in he interest of Gen.
Grant. He subsequently sent a swarm of
Customhouse officers to Albany to promote
the election of a Speaker of the State Leg
islature. Being accused, not without cause,
Of other and more fragrant offences, he
finally concluded to resign his Office, and
received, in return for his services, a letter
from Gen. Grant, eulogizing him for his
honesty and fidelity.
We now come to the case of Col. Leet.
He was not, Indeed, brother-in-law, but
he seems to have occupied a nearer and
more valuable relation to Gen. Grant as a
member Of his military family. Like Por-
ter and BabcOck, he is detailed for duty in
Washington. He dates his letters from
the White House. He is the first to 90 to
New York to notify Mr.. Grinnen of his
speedy nomination as the Collector of Gus
toms. He inquiries what is the richest
''plum" in New York in the gift ofthe Col
lector. He finds that it is "tbe General
Order Business" and he, forthwith, So
icits it on the strength of a letter of
recommendation from Gen. Grant.
Judge Lewis Dent is next sent
from Washington to ask Mr. Grinnen to
give this opium" to Leet, and, finally, Gen.
Porter goes also to New York to prefer in
person the same request. Mr.. GrinneIl
gives Leet a share of the ''plum," which
the latter farms out to one Bixby. But,
like Oliver Twist, he is continually ''asking
for more" and Grinnen being reluctant to
give it him, Leet threatens to have him
turned out. He is turned out accordingly.
Murphy is put in his place, and Leet gets
not only the General Order Business,
but the Carriage business also.
A person named Stocking-in whom
Senator Morton takes an interest,"
then Joins him, ostensibly as partner.
The business, thus consolidated, has
yielded these two obscure but fortunate
individuals yearly profit of from one hun
dred and fifty to two hundred thousand
dollars. How much of this profit they are
allowed to retain for their own uses, and
how much they distribute among their in
fuential patrons in Washington, we shall
probably never know. But this may be
taken as certain, that if, as the Commercial
says, the proof of grOSsest turpitude on the
part Of several army officers, who enjoy the
special favor of Gen. Grant, is so strong
that he will be compelled to rid himself of
of them, we may be quite sure-as in the
case Of MuTphy-that he will dismiss them
regretfully and with a benedictiOn.
THE New York ECening Post (Republi-
cam truly says: "The American Congress
bids fair 10 become a mere aggregation of
investigating Committees. There is
Custom House Investigating Committee row