Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-15
GRANT JUDGED BY THE FATHERS
-------- RE TIL. Hrs-Esrrr w n Z,

faith by his works" for he has appointed
all his relatives to Office and accepts all the
valuable presents made him. For this lie
was sharply srraigned by Senator Sumner
in his receutterrble philippe in the Senate.
Mr.. Carpenter, Of Wisconsin, one of Grants
henchmen, attempted to answer this pat
Of Mr.. Summers arraignment as follows:
"Then came the Senator to the great
crime OF nepotism and receiving gifts. Well,
l DO not propose TO waste much time on
| either Of these subjects. Nepotism is
pretty large phrase, and would include a
good many Of US in its just application. l
sm not aware that it is any worse for a
man to procure his brother to be appointed
to some place, if he is fit for it, than it is to
procure particular friend of his 10 be ap-
pointed TO the place because he is friend.
In principle there is no difference between
the two cases. 1t may be that if we were
| exercising that romantic Spartan simplici-
ty of manner which will come after the mil
lenium, when the Senator from Massaehu-
sets and the Senator from Missouri be in
stalled at the White House, some such thing
might be attempted; but really in Truth,
and in the practical course of business in
this country, the thing is little too fine 10
deserve serious attention.
"Receiving gifJs-wh8t is there in that
Simply this. The whole SUBJECT is the
spontaneous testimony of the American peo-
pie to the niggardly compensation paid by
our government for public service. Our
people felt when the war closed, when their
hearts were warm and their gratitude was
bUbbling up toward those men who had
saved the nation, lis honor, its material
| prosperity and wealth, all established by
! their efforts and by their blood, that the sal
aries fixed by law were inadequate, and
| shameful compensation, and the citizens
! spontaneously raised a fund for Gen. Nc
! Clellan; they raised fund for Gen. Sher-
/ man; they raised funds for other officers,
which They all accepted, not with anybody's
! censure, not IN the dark, not under conceal
! ment, but open presentment by commits
sIOners, who waited upon these distinguish
! ed officers, and made the gifts with the APP
| plause Of the press and the people. The
/ same thing was done with Gen. Grant,
1t is clear that Grants friends writh-d
terribly under Summers arfaignment for
nepotism and gift-takiDg, for Senator Nor
ton tried to defend Grant before the dele
gates to the Philadelphia Convention. In
his speech jest before tie formal opening
of that body, Mr.. Morton said:
'Would not you say that he was purely
selfish if, for the fear of invoking little per
! sonal censlre, he would overlook all those
| ties of friendship and those of bloOd2 Gen.
! Grant is a man of heart" "COn-
trolling more than $4,000 appointments, he
! has appointed some seven or eight relatives
to office. Now they are no complaint that
! they did not make good officers-that they
are not qualified, nothing Of that sort"
And this is the defense Of Gen. Grant in
two matters which have justly been made
the ground Of grave accusations against
him. 1t emanates from two of his atlest
friends, and is presumably, therefore, the
best that can be put forward for him. Now
let US try Gen. Grants conduct in the light
Of the opinions and acts OF the fathers Of
the republic.
Gen. Washington said:
$50 far as ! know my own mind, l
would not be 10 The re1nOtest degree infiu-
euced in making nominations by motives
arising from the ties Of family or blood"
Thomas Jefferson wrote TO his relative,
George Jefferson, as follows:
"The public will never be made to be-
lieve that an appointment Of a relative is
made on the ground Of merit alone, unin-
! 1lueuced by family views, nor can they ever
see with APPRECIATION Offices, the disposal of
| which they intrust to the President Tor pub
| lie purposes, divided out as family proper
! ". Mr.. Adams degraded himself infinite
/ ~ by bis conduct on This subject, as Wash
! iugton had done himself the greatest hon
or. With two such examples to proceed
by, should be doubly ineXcusable 10
| err"
Mr.. jefferson wrote to another relative,
J. G. jefferson, as follows:
$50 prone are they to suspicion, that
! where a President appoints a relation Of his
! Owl, however worthy, they will believe
| that favor and not merit was the motive. !
therefore lSid it down as a law of conduct
for myself never to give an appointment to
a relation"
BENZ. Harrison wrote to Cen Washington
as follows:
alt gives me great pleasure to inform
you that the Assembly, without a dissenting
voice, complimented you with 80 shares in
the Potomac Company and 100 in the James
River Company"
To this ConeTatulatory vote of his friend,
Gen. Washington made this memorable re-
ply;
SHOW would this matter be viewed by
the eve Of the world, and what would be
its opinion when it comes to be related that
George Washington accepted $4,000?
Under whatever pretense, ami however
Customarily these gifts are made in other
countries, if l accepted this should | not
hencaforth be considered as a dependent?
l never for a moment entertained the idea
of accepting it."
In his anecdotes of public men, Col. For
hey relates the following Of Washington
while President:
"He was exceedingly careful about COM
hitting himself, would receive no fayors of
any kiLd, and sCrupulously paid for every
thing. A large house was set apart for him
on Ninth street, on the grounds now COW
cred by the Presbyterian University, which
he refused TO accept
Thomas II. Benton, in his Thirty Y ears
in the United States Senate" gives brief
obituary notices Of two of the most pure
and eminent men of our couutry-Nathan-
lei Macon, of North Carolina, whom Mr..
Jefferson pronounced 'the last Of the Ro-
mans, and James Monroe, the fifth Presi-
dent of the United States. OF Mr.. Macon
he says:
Gle was opposed to ncp0tism and to all
guGrtering Of his connections on the govern
eminent; and in his course of forty years
service, with the absolute friendship OF
many administrations and the perfect re-
spect of all, he never had Office or contract
for any of his blood"
OF President Monroe he says:
Gle was an enemy to nepOtj@m and no
consideration or entreaty, no need of the
support which an Office would give, or in
tercession from friends, could ever induce
him to appoint reyatiUe to any place IN
der the government"
Monroe, like his great predecessors,
Madison and Jefferson, died poor man.
When Albert Gallatin, who was Secretary