American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-04-19
The Presidents Son.
From the New York Tribune.

1t is to be hoped that the report is not
true, which comes from Chicago, that
General Grant has assigned his son Fred
erick to the staff of General Sheridan as
Aide-de- Camp, with the rank and pay of a
LieutenantC Colonel of cavalry. This is a
place always reserved in every army for
officers of distinction and merit, who
have won the right to it by faithful and
arduous service. There is a manifest and
glaring improperly in giving it to u
young gentleman who ranked very low in
his class at West Point, and who, since
his graduation, which was VIGOROUSLY
made possible only by favor, has never
done one hours honest service in his pro-
fession. He has already had all of pleas
ure and honor which his uniform could
give him; having passed more than a
year in travel and amusement in Europe
and in this country. 1t was recently an
nOunced with some parade in the Admin
istration papers that he was to be ordered
to his regiment, and to enter at once upon
active service. But if it be true that he
has received this sudden and undeserved
promotion to a post which could be prop
erly bestowed only upon one of the many
will make a painful and injurious impress
sion upon the officers to whom it is at
once an injury and an affront.
1t really seems as if the President knew
what he meant when he gave notice in his
memorable inaugural that he regarded his
second election as a sufficient answer to
all criticisms.
From the New York SUM-
Young Grant is Second Lieutenant in
a regiment of cavalry. His place is with
his company, wherever they may be.
There is nothing in the young mans char
acter or in his antecedents to justify any
favoritism toward him; but his father
being President, he is put upon Sheridan's
staff, and instead of fighting Indians, at
tends balls and dinner-parties in Chicago,
and instead of drawing q Lieutenant's pay
of 81 800 a year, draws that of Lieutenant
Colonel, about 50 800.
This act of favoritism to his own son is
generally regarded as discreditable to
President Grant, because it saves his boy
from the fatigues and exposures to which
other young men, his comrades, are sub
jected, and shows a disposition to grasp
after more of the public money for one of
his family.
1t is misfortune that the President of
the United States should be SO ill-advised,
and should allow himself to be led into
courses that bring dishonor upon his high
Office.
[From the New York Herald
Second-Lieutenant Frederick Dent Grant
has been assigned to Lieutenant-General
Sheridan's staff, with the ostensible rank
of Lieutenant Colonel. We suppose that
all the old army officers who commanded
divisions and corps during the war will
be careful in saluting the superior rank of
the gallant youth who has outstripped
them.
From the New York World
1t is common enough for the sons of
royal houses to receive offices which they
| are fagrantly and VIGOROUSLY incompe-
tent to do the duties Of The solecism of
a boy who happens to be also Prince be-
coming a Colonel at ten years old, and a
Marshal at fifteen, is too familiar in Eu-
rope to be remarked as a solecism except
by American satirists, who fondly fancy
| that their country, in virtue of having no
royal house, is relieved from the patented
absurdity. The news we printed yester-
| day from Chicago will dissipate this fond
| imagination. Mr.. Frederick Grant, who
was graduated at the foot of his class at
West Point year or two ago, and who
bit for being the son of his father would
pretty clearly not have graduated at all,
has spent the interval, while his regiment
was on duty on the Plains in junketing
| Europe with General Sherman. This
young gentleman has now been raised to
the rank, either full or by brevet, of Lieu
| tenant-C Colonel, over the heads of several
hundred officers his seniors, and ASST gned
| to the duties, and consequently to the pay
| and emOluments, of the higher rank. II
cannot for a moment be pretended that a
| proceeding enterely without precedent
| is applicable on any theory of the young
| gentleman's merits. His standing at West
| Point shows that he learnt as little as pos
| sible of his business there, and he GER
tainly has not been in the way of learning
more since he left there. His promotion
| is direct injury, and direct insult as
well, to all the officers who stood between
| il and him, and who were better entitled
| to it than he. 1t is a direct setting at
naught of all the traditions and usages OF
| the army. 1t shows that the second Ad.
| ministration of General Grant is to be
marked by the same sordid greed that
alone signalized his first In its down
right defiance of n military prescription
which has always had the force of posi-,
tive Law in the army, and in its cynical
contempt for public opinion, this act
/ seems to us the most outrageOus-though
that is bold word-of all the official ac.
tions of President Grant There is some
thing almost admirable, of its kind, in
the impudencc which could inspire it, II
| is a naked and shameless attempt to push
] the professional fortunes of his son at the ex.
pense of the discipline of the service in
which he also was reared, so that he can,
not plead ignorance of its traditions, and
| at the expense of the country of which he
| is the Chief Magistrate. The officers OF
| the War Department have shown IA greater
| sense of decency in the attempt they have
| made to conceal this scandalous thing
OF course, the young gentleman who has
had these hOnors thrust upon him is not
| blamable. He is rather pitiable for being