The Republican journal., 1876-03-23
A Branch Of tho Grant Family

That brother of the Presidents, known
as Orville. has all the enterprise OF the
family He admits that he is salaried by
Baltimore business firm to secure work
for them from the Navy Department; he
also admits that he is Il sutlership agent
and receives information from the Presi-
dent as to when vacancies in sutlerships
occur He admits that he secured the
sutlerships at Fort Peck for Mr.. Cassel-
berry, at Standing Rock Tor Joseph Lay
ton, at Fort Belknap for Il man named
Conrad, and at White Earth, for George
w. Felt. He was to receive halt the plo-
fits for his services, and did receive that
share of the spoils from some of these
posts.
The gentle Orville appears not to have
by any means rested content with his
supervision of the sutler business and the
profits theretrom arising. A suit is now
pending in the n. Y. Supreme Court, from
the records of which ii appears that in
1874, a firm was organized in New \ ork
city tor the manufacture and sale OF a
certain paint the partners being capt.
talist, an expert in mixing paint and two
gentlemen who put in as their sole capital
their political influence at Washington
These two worthless were Henry A. Bowen
and Orville Grant. 1t does not appear
that the formers influence amounted to
anything, but the latter procured for the
firm a contract for furnishing paint for the
New York Post Office, as we'll as other
Government patronage. He was also able
at all times, to secure advance payments
from the Government on the contracts.
This is merely one instance OF Mr.. Orville
Grants business ability He has also for
the past Is months been given a salary of
$1,000 and a handsome percentage cone
half of the protits) by Baltimore of firm
steam heating apparatus manufacturers
for soliciting Government contracts. He
succeeded in securing the inside track, =
for his employers. Previous to their EN-
ploying him. another Baltimore firm which
had the advantage of Supervising Archi-
tect Mulett's influence, enjoyed a monOp-
oily of that class of contracts. Naturally,
Orvile had greater influence than Mullett,
and the firm tor which he eXerted his in
huence. consequently ousted Muletts IA
vorites This firm. BaSshor II Co., is now
filling 4 contract for white OAK ship-knees
for the Brooklyn Navy Yard which was
procured for them, though ont Of their
line of business, by Orylle. 1t is their
second contract of that kind, and its pro
fits may be judged from the fact that on
one size of knees they double their invest
ment, on another they quadruple it, and SO
! on, the profit increasing from the first on
each of the six classes The knees fur
have been rejected from previous contrac-
tors, but Orville's influence seems to have
been equal TO passing even the most in
terior articles upon the Government. He
also received "A salary of 3 500 from
the first owners OF the condemned knees
which with his regular salary and percent
age from Basshor & Co., made up very
pretty little pecuniary return for his polit-
zeal influence. His employers realized
about 800 per cent. average profit upon
the contracts, 1t is therefore seen that as
a solicitor of profitable contracts. orville
was an entire success. Besides this, he
seems to have been solicitor OF Indian
1raderships and has received pecunary
who secured their places through judi
cious exercise of his influence,