The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-26
PRESIDENTIAL IDEAS.
Grant on the Present and the Futur
SOlLier-Iike CandOr.
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
Washington, d. c., Feb. %. 1875.

l 10 the Editor OF the n. q. Bulletin:
r Sir-As President of the United States,
, have long had desire to have plain, seriou
r talk with the white people of Louisiana
Having observed the plain and candid ton
: of your journal it seems best to me to addres
them through you. Be pleased to remembe,
Mr. Editor, that I do not care q straw
worth about the epithets which 70,
have applied to me or to an,
OF my appointees, adherents, agents ant
friends, in your State or elsewhere. 70,
have had the sagacity to understand me, ant
therefore l respect you. | really care yer,
little for the vaporings CT the politicians O.
the lesser sort. l have the Repubitcan, O
your city, in my hand, and know that il
dare not express any opinion contrary to my
wishes. OF your other contemporaries will
not speak, except to say that I am little
confused as to what they aim at and what they
want.
| Some OF your people may feel annoyed at
the course have compelled my fellows to
take concerning Louisiana. They do not I'M
derstand why it is that do not make peace
in your State, as I could do in a single day.
They do not understand me as you do; if
they did, no explanation would be needed
Therefore, in general way, I will first tell
you my plan and purpose after which my
course as to your State will DO better under
stood.
am soldier by profession and you know
very we'll that the hope of promotion is the
chief incentive to soldiers work As to paw.
my allowance as cadet, second lieutenant,
captain, colonel or general, was to me mat
ter Of consideration. And now, when am
nominally commander-in- chief, / care nothing
for the pay, except as a means of getting
promoted. l aim to be advanced to the rank
Of real commander of the army and navy of
this continent. I suppose 1 shall be obliged
to be called President for few years longer,
and my head men tell me it is better to stick
to the old names and old forms, so as not to
scare the people unnecessarily, but while l
do not care dime about the people, I am
not going to quarrel with the men who Join
me and put up their money.
In the first place | want the army, and l
think l have it. With few scattering ex-
ceptions the officers of the army think this
voting and debating-school government has
nearly come to an end. In my opinion and
heirs, State Rights and all that sort of thing
brought on the late war Liberty, etc, may
De good things in their way, but we want
strong. Nothing prospers without
, he ftt,n t,.y-, lie I,c r
ng to be that head. You may call this Caesar
SIN. You may call this usurpation. You |
nay call this tyranny. 1t is in my estimate,
lothing of the kind. 1t is only the act of a
'lain soldier, going forward in plain old
ashioned way to the object Of his campaign
ly object is to give to the country strong
entral!zed government, and if my plan sue
eeds you will see that am not mistaken
ust give me army supplies for two years.
ower to suspend the habeas corpus, the Civil
tights bill, and few other little measures of
hat sort, all of which l shall get, and will
rove to all the imperialists in the Union that
know how to take advantage of my oppcr-
1nities.
4 +.
ort, countenance and material help of vast
lumber OF men who represent enormous cap
al. This is minor matter, because money
ways bankers after more money. ] control ;
rectly or otherwise, but effectually, more =,
ian five thousand millions in capital, which :
ust be at my service in any great emergency. ,
he holders O.. this capital. want everything
ought down to hard money at once They
,pect me to do it. They know that l could t
event it; do-not know now what shall Il
, about the matter, but 1 know very we'll c
at can command for my own use q mean
r the country, all the money want. Those o
10 go with me will double their capital the . .
st year. l mean to keep list of my i
ends and an account of what they do for O.
:. No man shall serve me. in vain in any
pacity, civil or military, public or private y,
Forms will undergo no change for some n
ars Titles are moonshine. / WELD more lii
wer now than any ruler of civilized coun- "
. What do care if am called president ~ y,
tead of emperor" l would not exchange T
lundredth part of imperial' power for any of
al trappings whatsoever. Only give me
absolute authority and l will keep up all b
II names, titles and forms as they were be
der the great Republican Jefferson. D.
III this is very candid, but l have no ~
tive for concealing my designs. Every wi
lg invites me to the assumption of dicta ur
al power, or, in diplomatic language, I SCI
induced to believe by the representatives
very large monetary influences that my Of
tinuance in the exercise of executive th(
ctions will best subserve tie interests and
mote the well being of the people. For
elf l do not care much about it. There y
o me but little difference between wood No.
tan yard or big office; but as 1 am and
Ter l go for promotion and shall try to G
d up my army along with me. All who
now privates will be captains and the
aims will be generals.