Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-29
GRANT In A DILEMMA.
New Developments in the Bowen
Scandal.
The Correspondence Between the
President and the Mayor
Made Public,
Plot to Gust Sherman and Restore
Grant to the Head OF the Army
at the End of His Term.
Appointments Worth S25y 200.


There is disposition on the part of the
Administration journals to howl down ol
Ignore the grave charges preferred by re
specialize people against the President. IL
| this they may correctly estimate the igno
rance or indifference of the masses, but we
doubt. If they are right, however, We
have ceased TO have choice in the selec-
| ton Of our official agents, and our Govern
| ment has passed Into the hands of the cor
rupt few, and selfg ,vernment remains to
US only in name. We are all agreed that
never since the beginning of our general
| Government has the:e been so much dis
| honesty in our civil service. And We are
also nearly unanimous in a desire to have
it corrected. This is the grave trouble at
| issue, the one question to be solved at the
ballot-box; and here comes in the import
ance of the investigation touching the
character Of the present incumbent of the
Executive chair. Without stopping to con-
slider how much of the evil we complain of
originates In the example given by Presi-
dent who degrades his high Office by re-
ducing 1t to q mere personal convenience,
and fills offices of honor aud trust
with inefficient relations and dis
honest avorites, let us consider for
a moment the possibility of a reform un-
Ger head that either ignores it ALTO
gether, or, while pretending for political ef-
feet to show it favor, hounds on his famil-
liars to its destruction. There is not one
member Of Gen. Grants Cabinet in ia
yor of ciyil-service reform; he has not sim
gle prominent supporter in or out of Con
gress, who does not attack any honest ef-
fort in that direction. Did the President
comprehend the gravity of the question, and
strive as earnestly to see the reform en-
forced as he did for the annexation of a
part of santo Domingo, or a preservatiod
Of Billy McGarrahan's dishonest claim, no
follower of his would dare open in Opp0si-
ton. Looking at the subject, then, from
this point of view, we return to the Bow
en- gift house transaction. since we first
called attention to the subject other facts
then unknown and further evidence come
in to give startling sig ifcance to the ugly
affair. 1t is impossible for the supporters
of the Administration to ignore it, and
we believe it out of their power TO
either defend or explain the tainted
transaction. To get at the facts, then, we
must refer t. those of record, that
cannot be disputed; and the first one
presented Is the sale of the gift-house to
Sayles ]. Bowen for the sum of $40, 900. up
on which $1,000 were paid and receipt for
the same given in contract signed by U.
5. Grant. This may lie found, da ed Nov
q, 1858, and recorded In book d, pages
1856 aud 156. The next fact, and Que of
record, is the sale of the same property to
W. T. Sherman for the sum of $65, 900,
dated Feb. 10, 1869, recorded in Book D,
No. 6, pages 476 rs. Here is ths same
piece of property sold to two different par
les, and IL 30 remains until April /, 1869,
when release is found from the purchaser
in the first transaction to the purchaser who
a pears in the last. That is also matter
of record. So far we have facts that can
uot be disputed. And when we come to
he explanation we propose keeping as
close to the record as possible, for we have
little confidence in the statements of Mr..
Bowen for reasons already stated, except SO
far as those statements are sustained BY
document and the evidence of others; and
we have yet less faith in those coming from
The President or any of his friends. The
other facts come out Ia correspondence be-
fWeen Gen, Grant and Mr.. 5. j. Bowen.
The first is q note addressed to Messrs. XII
bourn & Latta, real es'ate agents, by S
J. Bowen, dated Jan. 20, 1859. in which
Mr.. Bowen proposes to purchase such fur
niture in the house as he may ind desirable.
This note does not indicate that any agree
ment, verbal or otherwise, had been enter
ed into cancel the contract of sale. To
his Gen. Grant responds, and we print his
note at length:
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED
STATES, WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. so,
1S69.-DEAR SIR: l am just shown Jour
letter to Messrs. Kllbourn IL Latta, Of yes
terday, 10 which you wish to know what
furniture would like to dispose of with
NV house. I distinctly understood from
our interview that was at liberty to re
gard the sale of my house cancelled if l
chose, and that you had an equal privilege
10 cancel it. Since that have conclude
not to sell unless : it is to parties who
talk now of purchasing TO make a present
to nv successor as commander Of the army,
Whether this measure will be consumma-
ted or not l do not know, but if it is not
would much prefer to hold the properly
noa have to making a new Investment. l
hope was not mistaken in what | under
stood you to say in the interview we had
on the subject of cancelling the sale of my
house, and that you will be put to no inc0n-
yenience by it. Yours truly,
U.s.GRANT.
S. j. BOWEN.
Mr.. Bowen replies to this, and we pub
ish bis response not only as part of the
history of this questionable transaction, but
70 call our readers attention to the sentence
we italicize, remarking, as We continue the
main branch of the subject, that it is sigDif-
cant when we remember that Gen. Grant
was at the time an advocate of the one
term principle, which he and his friends
have since seen reason to abandon:
WASHINGTON, Feb. l, lS69.-Gen. U.
s. Grant.-Dear Sir: In reply to your
note of Saturday last l regret to be com
pelled to state that my understanding of
the conversationthat took pace between
us at your residence in regard to the sale Of
your property on 1 street does not agree
with yours. l certainly understood you to
say that yOu ,oishcd the matter to remain
open for short period, as you had been
giUen to understand that Congress might
LegislGte so as to reiRStGte you in you present
position as General after the expiration If
Y0ur Presidential term. On no other ac-
count did you ask or desire to re-
ain the property; and it was on the
basis of this assumption alone that every
thing l said was uttered. Finding that
Congress would not legislate as you sup
posed, and no. hearing from you on the
subject, believe, that you expected to carry
out the contract and yield possession of the
property at the time indicated. Had not
supposed that such was the fact, and had |
not believed that you and l under stood
each other, AID that you, as well as l, con-
sidered the contract in force, certainly
would not have written to Gessrs. Kllbourn
g. Latta on the subj sct of The furniture as
did. have made every arrangement to
leave our present residence early in
March, and it will be great Inconvenience
and loss, as well as sorry disappointment
10 US if we fail to get possession OF the |
premises purchased from you at the time
indic4t I'M he contract. R4gretting the
necessity thai impels me to write this com
munication, l remain, General, most re-
speetfully your ObedieRt servant,
s. j. BOWEN.
Following close upon the heels of this,
comes Gen. Grant in letter dated Febru-
ary 8. 1t will be observed that he is care
ful not TO deny Mr.. Bowen's statement as
to the cause he had assigned for wishing to
be relieved from the contract. And again
we are called upon to emphasize in italics
n