The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-12
SUNDAY. MARCH Y. 1916.
On the Make.


On the Make.
This Is n slang expression. the meaning
Of which everybody knows. II does not
mean That man IL seeking to make money
honestly and Ivy legitimate business, but
that he is on the look out for chances to
pick up dollars in all ways whatsoever
honest or dishonest. that will not he likely
20 land him in prison or subject him TO the
necessity of close economy, deserving labor
and patient waiting.
The men about GRANT since first he went
into the white House until now have been
steadily OH the make. His former military
staT, a. represented by LEET and BABcocK;
his relatives far and near, the GRANTS,
CAsEYs, SHARrs, DENTs ,CRAMERs; his
Cabinet, WILLIAMS, DELANO, ROBEsoN,
aud BELKNAr; his friends of the Whiskey
Ring, the McDoHALDs aud JoycEs; his
Credit Moblicr supporters, CoLrAX, GAR
YIELD, and the rest; his Foreign Minister
HcHENCK; his political hangers-on and
social intimates, like SHEPHERD aud HAIR
RINGToS-all the tribe Of his followers have
taken their cue from their master and
gone in on the make with great industry,
Rssiduity, aud impudcnce, and until
lately with astonishing success. They all
knew that each was on the same line of
operations; ana GRANr looked on approx
ingly. lending a helping hand wherever
required.
The Republican party stood by, to brow
beat everybody who ventured TO object to-
the methods pursued, and to piously pro-
eln hn D. ftf in,
the lovclicst ana most satisfactory manner
possible. Fortunately, however. year
ago last fall the people woke up to the
idea that n government run by pack cf
men on the make was not exactly the sort
of government best adapted to secure the
countrys prosperity. They gave 10 their
dissent practical form, and elected Repre-
sentativcs pledged to root out Grdntism
and expose its rottcnncss The first re-
sult of this healthy action is the discovery
OF BELKNAP's brides. which are only a
symptom Of the disease for which another
name is Grantism, and winch is still other
wise expressed by the slang phrase, On
the make
The most perfect embodied example OF
the theory of Grautism yet brought out is
OWL GRANT, the brother of the author
of the system. lie has exhibited it in
Its true light, as the gross, vulgar
and degrading thing it is. This man
N SO low down in the social scale that
he Is utterly unable to appreciate the
motives that govern honorable men, and
the ideas which deter them from subordi-
mating everything to making money. lie
thought nothing of asking his brother, the
President, to let him know when anything
I'm the Government way that promised Il
chance to make money should turn up.
President GRANT was Of like mind. He
saw nothing out of the way in gratifying
the sordid ambition of ORVIL. lie there
fore had vacancies in the post traderships
made for him, not because the incun-
bents were unfit, but because he wished
his brother 10 share their prodts. lie
then notified ORvIL by letter that he
could have the places ana make the money.
Neither, Of course, had any idea that OR
VII was going to run the risk of stocking
the stores OF these trading posts. That
would have taken great deal OF money,
and it might have been lost. All OWL
had to do was to either blackmail the old
traders by making them pay him part of
their profits in order TO keep their busi-
ness. or put Others in who would pay him
for giving them the places. All this the in
genuous OEvIL did, and GRANT gave him
words Of cheer from the White House.
The two were simply on the make, the one
using the chances Of The President al Office
asa whole the other oon;enting himself
with n lot of sutler,hips.
This simply hows that the ol'usc sense
Of right, low greed, ana vile notions of OBJ
legation, which prevail among the sharpors
who infest the cities and are on the make,
have had their representative in the White
House since GRANT became established
there.