Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-07-02
SENATOR MoRT0N's SPEECH.
An Extract from the Senator's Speech at Pitts
burg

| SENATOR M0RT0N'S SPEECH.
An Extract from the Senator'S Speech at Pitts
burg
| They say there is "simiar ring
as the Executive Mansion-that
Gems. Babcock and Porter are taken
from the army to act as private sec
retaries to Grant. All very true
gentlemen. They are well qualified
to perform these duties Grant, as
COMMANDMENT chief of the army,
has the right to appoint them. Ii
entails no additional expense on the
government. There is not very
much for the army to do. The pro-
portion Of officers is much larger
than is needed in the present strength
of the army. They have no more to
do with the administration than the
Private Secretary of Governor Gea-
ry. During the war | had half a
dozen while acting in the capacity
of Governor of Indiana. These
Generals write Grants letters, re-
lieve him of his official drudgery, car
ry his messages to Congress and
perform numberless other duties
Gems. Bacock and Porter have
brought messages to Congress from
the President nearly every day since
the sitting of that body, but they
had no more to do with the messages
than the letter-carrier has to do with
the contents of the misives he brings
to your doors. | know that you all
feel that this is very contemplate
thing. and it is absolutely mean that
on this account they wish to over
throw the very best administration
this country ever had.
THE PRESIDENTIAL GIFT-TAKING.
There is another thing. They say
he has received presents Well, he
did receive presents-before he was
electe! President of the United
States. | never heard of him re-
ceiving presents after that event.
He performed great services, and the
people, knowing that he was a poor
man, took this method of showing
their gratitude. When our fashion,
able Generals had failed-those from
whom the country expected the
most-General Grant restored victo-
ry to our banners, and did more
than any other man to crush the rec
bellion. When the war was over q
grateful people, from their abund-
ance, sought to make him some pres
ents in order to relieve him from his
poverty. [Great applause.] Gen.
eral Mcclellan, who never WOE a
victory of any consequence, receiv~
ed more and larger presents yet
the Democratic party placed him in
nomination in 1864. There is no
objection, presume, to an untortu-
nate general receiving presents. 1t
is only when given to victorious
generals that they become reprehen.
sible: Applause Now, my friends,
some people never get presents
They never did anything for which
any body had any cause to be CRATE.
full. Such persons are extremely
virtuous on that subject. When
ever you meet these virtuous peo-
pie, look out for them in nine cases
out of ten they will steal [applause, ]
because larceny and hypocrisy have
always been intimately connected.
| think | have gone over the three
things which politicians are urging
as objections to Gen. Grant, and you
will agree with me that they are
mean, small, and exceedingly con-
temptibe. While thus speaking of
Gen. Grants part in the war of the
rebellion, | do not wish to disparage
the careers of Gems Sherman, Sheri-
dan, Burnside, and the many from
this great state; yet history will
write it down that Grant was chief
of all.
BLACK FRIDAY.
No man, since the time of Wash
ington, has been illuminated more
than Grant. Why, be had hardly
ges into Office when be was charged
with being engaged in "gold con-
spiracy." That was Investigated. and
verybody acknowledged that the
was uu HO.
CORNER LOTS IN SAN DOMINGO.
And then we had other charges
Then came the story that he had
property in San Domingo, and that
his property was staked off into lots.
| The commissioners were on the
ground, and found that it was base
falsehood, when it was also dropped.
THE NEW YORK CUSTOM HOUSE
Again, they charged him with be-
ing connected with frauds said to
have been discovered in the New
York Custom House-a place that
has been harbor for corruption at
least half century. There was cor
ruptiOn here when the Democracy
was in power. Bat they charged
that he vas in collision with those
who committed frauds in the New
York Custom House. An investiga-
ton, close and searching, completely
exonerated him, showing that the
charge was utterly and shamefully
false
THE FRENCH ARMS SALE.
After that charge was worn out, a
new one was concocted, now fami.,
liarly known as the French arms
Scandal charge that we had sold
arms to France, and were likely TO
make en- enemy of Germany-of the
Germans who had stood by US
throughout our civil war The
charge was really made with the OBJ
| ject of alternating the patriotic Ger
mans of this coultry from the Re-
publican pxrty, by making them be-
Iieve that the President had conniv-
ed at the sale Of arms to Franco
An investigation was ordered by
both houses of Congress, and in each
case no ground whatever was found,
nor single circumstance discovered
upon which such charge could be
based. That calumny has gone the
way of all the rest But / have 10