American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-10-19
Grants Gift Bearing.

BOrie, Stewart and IIoar were among
his first appOintees to Cabinet places
true. Grant was forced to withdraw Mr..
Stewart, but this fact does not in the least
weaken the force of our recital. Stewart
was among the original contributors of
gifts to General Grant, in part of !, fund
which aggregated one hundred anu five
thousand dollars, and which General
Grant thus acknowledged through Butter
field:
.sWAsuINGroN, ID. c., Feb. 18th, ISIS.
"DEAR GENERAL: Your letter Of the
18th inst, inclOsing me the very hand
some testimonial of the citizens of New
York, with names of all the too generous
contributors to il, is received.
"Through you l wish to thank the gen.
tiemen whose names you have inclOsed to
me, individually and collectively. l have
the honor to be
"YOur ob't serv't, Z. S. GRANT,
Mr.. Hoar, it is said, gave Grant Il valu-
able library, and Borie was a large Gift
bearer. Now observe, from this point, how
the gift poison has worked up to this hour,
and behold the stream OfcOrruption which
flowed from it,
No sooner was it co,nprehendcd that
the unknown BOric and the well-known
Stewart had been officially recognized
for their gifts-than clique went 20 work
to secure one Robson. IA jolly New Jcr-
sey lawyer. as Borie's successor in the
Navy Department. The country knew rs
little about Robson as they did about BO-
rie. This was the work of the Penrsyl-
vania clique. headed by the speculator
Cattell, and helped by men like Cameron
and the Secors. Robson was secured :;
and Congressional Investigations have
proven that RObesOn-On account of fraud
ulent payments to the Secors, and to Pen
nell and ROach-has illegally so paid out
over three hundred thousand dollars from
the Treasury. Evidently because of the
unknown RObesOn's plant character. he
was engineered by the Ring into the graccs
of the Gift taking Grant.
The contagion of this example was not
lost for an instant on keen, shOddy-vend-
ing and spoils-smclling ''TOm - Murphy.
This honest creature at once proceeded TO
beg money for Grant from seven wealthy
gentlemen of this city, who each sub
scribed the sun of five thousand dollars
to such fund. Here was an aggregate of
| thirty-iive thousand dollars, which was
| forwarded to Grant. The President de-
posted that sum in bank, and then. rs Il
blind checked it out, to pay for his
Long Branch cottage. The result OF
| Murphy's agency in this affair was the
removal of Grinnell, because Grinncll re-
fused to let Grants staff officer and spe-
| cial agent. Colonel Lcet. swindle New
| York merchants to the gross tune of one
| hundred thousand dollars per year on the
General Order business and Murphy got,
| also, his own appointment, rs Collector,
which he degraded by Illegal seizures !;
| blackmaiI fabulous advances on charges
tor storage; brides demanded by all the
| Inspectors Out onc) in the Custom House
| for the discharge of stcamers-rntil the
evil grew so gigantic that the merchants
of New York, who testified to all these
rOgueries, stimulated a public sentiment
which has swept it out; when Murphy
! was driven by an indignant public into re-
tircment, where he was diSguStin"ly white
washed by fiIlsOmc letter from the
President; a letter which was Il wanton
insult to every Retormcr-lil>c Dodge and
Stcwart-who, rs eminent merchants, had