The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-10-11
OUR NATIONAL aRABBER,
Grant and His Corrupting Irfluence--'
How His Example is Followed by
His Subordinates--AJ Jolly Par
ty all Around.

rate states and composed OF the great stock |
to which we owe our origin, its history |
must always be peculiarly instructive for
us. As a solemn warning | cannot for |
bear reading single extract from an ele-
CANT historian Of that country, describing |
the symptoms of dissolution and decay |
which preceded the overthrow of that re-
public. If there is the slightest manifes- |
tation of them here let US hasten to apply |
the remedy.
Only eighty years after he is able to
give the most glowing account of its glory, |
prosperity and strength, he says:
Selfish, luxurious, and intent upon gain as the
Dutch had become, II was impossible to deny that
they no longer fitted for the difficult task Of
sustaining free constitution; that the labor watch
fulness, and self-denlal that 1t requires had
grown irksone to them; that they now no longer
considered what kind OF government was most con-
duciye to virtue 10 the strength and glory of their
country, most likely to transmit liberty and hap
pness TO their posterity; but what would procure
Tor them the largest share OF security and case IN
the acquisition or enjoyments OF their wealth. The
integrity by which the Dutcn had formerly in every
relation OF life, obtained such honorable distinction
was now no more, and CORRUPTION the inherent and
fatal vice OF free constitutions, had spread among
nearly all ranks Of men. Brides were offered and
taken without computation and without shame;
public offices, as we'll under the municipal govern
ments In the state, were bestowed not according
to the capacity just claims of the candidates. but
upon the highest bidder the relative partisan
OF the giver; while such as were chosen exerted
themselves little to fulfil the duties OF that which
they no longer regarded as public trust, but as
vested right.
That Gen. Grant, considering his previ-
Gus life and his military character, should
have been completely absorbed in the de-
sire of suddenly becoming rich, is not east
ly explained. Before he was installed in
his Office of president, they say he had a
furnished house in Philadelphia, and
large sum of money from New York, and
a library from Boston, and had furnish
ed house IN Washington; he was driving
right thrifty business at that period of
-hisl How did they all come? All
came in the way of gifts from the great
moneyed interests of the country. And
what followed them? Stewart in New
York was a great giver and he had the
treasury department; Borie at Philadel-
phia was great giver, and he had the
Navy department; and Hoar was a very
respectable giver, and he had the attorney
generalship. Aud so it went all the way
through; that's he remembered his friends
Well, now, my fellow citizens, he has lost
no opportunity from that day to this to
keep all he could get aud to get all he
could. Applause.
Now what desire to call attention to is
the pernicious example which this high
ruler, the highest in the world, sets to his
subordinates. When they see him grab
bling everything he can get hold Of, how
natural it is for them to grab whatever
they can get hold Of! Laughter and
applause. And that is the worst feature
Of the whole thing. He has demoralized
the whole force. But while Grant wa:
getting rich, and was rich, he did not in
tend to have any poor relations. Laughter
These are quite drawback sometimes to
rich man. He provided there should b.
none, and he quartered the whole of them,
aud all his wite's relations.on the govern
ment so far as / have been able to learn
He was as liberal in that respect as oul
Snowman Ward was, who, during the war
said he was willing, for the good Of the
lations. Laughter What did he do
ministration of the government that eve
was heard of would ever have found i
Grant had not been there. There was no
one of them that even would have beer
thought capable of anything more thar
being iostiee of the peace in his neigh
borhood if it had not been for Grant
What did he do? Why. one brother goe
into collectorship at Chicago, quite prom
Using place! A brother-in-law goes to Den
mark as minister. A brother-in-law was sci
into richer diggings at New Orleans; ant
finally this brother up at Chicago, fndin
there was richer placer in the India
department, he was sent there | can
not track them all out, but if we had
genealogical tree of the Grants and a
their various connections, | think 20
would find all of them hanging somewher
on government teat. L have omitte
one, that is brother-in-law Corbir
Whether he has any office or not do nc
know, but he is the chap who was cor
nected with Jay Gould in bringing forwar
the crops, you know. Laughter. And
suppose he was provided for in that waJ
Now look ut his foreign appointment
There is Sickles sent to Spain, and ther
is Schenck sent to England Seeing Gran
making money, what did they 60 t
work to do? Formerly a distinguished rel
resentative of the American government
did not undertake to embark in any of tn
various speculations that men embark i
at home; they were prohibited from dom
so. What do you find here? Sickles get
leave to come home and take 100000 GU
of poor, rotten old Erie. Schenck heads
prospectus in London that Johnny Bull bi
very freely at for an Emma silver mine
duu HCNSI HGbIu VI dUy BOOu LUdL he III
except to illustrate our literature. ii
has written work, am told that may
some credit to the country-a work O
poker. Laughter. Now Gen. Grant d
not conceive that because he was president
because he had the interests of forty mi
lions Of people to guard, that it was any
thing OF his business to sit around WASH
ington. Other presidents thought the
ought to stay there and keep their eye o
their clerks and subordinatcs and secretal
les, and to stand at the helm to watch tn
weather aud see that no squal or storI
should overthrow the old ship of state
What does Grant do? Why, in additio
to all the houses and lots | have mention
ed, his friend, Tom Murphy, confers upo
him cottage at Long Branch, and just
soon as the weather begins to get lit
warm off goes Grant to Long Branch, an
sits down beside Tom Murphy, and stay
there except as he hears of horse race
some other part of the country, aud the
he circulates around. What kind of a
example is that setting to subordinatcs
See how il is illustrated Where is Del
no? Out here in Ohio. Where are ii
other secretaries? Why, | saw stat
meut short time ago that there was b.
one OF them in Washington-the postma
ter general. They all fee Why shJu
they not, if the head of the governmel
tiies-pray, why should not those men tlC
and take their comfort and ride around
| am told that Delano does little bett,
than his master; for he takes the cover
ment horses and carriage and governmel