New-York tribune., 1876-03-11
THE CASE OF ORTTL GR4NL

THE CASE or ORTIL GR5NI
The case of Oryil Grant is like the case OF
Gen Belknap in TINS respect, that 1t has oeeh
n scandal for several years. notorious on the
frontiers. and exposed time and again III the
newspapers, without attracting the slightest no
tice from Congress or the Administration. Inc
norsistency with which Gen. Grant and hls
friends have shut their ears to complaints oil
official malfcosapce and protected their friends
under fire is the most serious feature OF the
present disclosures. There is no party flee from
thieves and hypOcrites; there is no Admlhistia-
ton so able and patriotic that 1t can nope 10
escape scandal altogether But When personal
favorites and party allies are shielded aiter
their misconduct has been exposed, when the
authorities refuse to listen to grave charges
becousc they have. been brought, as the I'M
nlicated nersops allegc, for political effect, the
whole service inevitably becomes hOneycombed
by corruption. The complaint against the
President is not that his brother abused his
kindness. or that the SecretaryOf War took brbeS,
but that when he received information OF these
things he did not inquire whether they were
trne. and it was reserved for Democratic
House of Representatives, animated by paitl-
san motives. TO make the investigation which
the President ought to have ordered long ago
for the sake of his own party and the purity
of the service. That is the meaning OF the
plain language uttered by the Union League
Club on Thursday night.
The Democrats are treating the Orvll Graht
affair as if it were clear case of official cor
ruption, while it is simply case OF oliiclal
NEGLECT and recklessness. OTvil Grant received
timely notice from the President when there
WAS to be a change in the Indian tradershps !;
possibly-this point is not clear - removals
were made for his particular accommodation
he applied for the vacant places and got them
of course without difficulty; then he went
into partnership" with bona tide traders
and took a share of their profits without put
ting into the business either capital, knowl-
edge. or personal service. He never went near
the posts: he bore no risks he contributed
nothing to the concern except his influence
at Washington Stating the transaction in
the planest English we may say that Orvil
Grant addressed the traders to the following
effect: "Iiive me half your profits, or else
"my brother will turn YOU out"
Probably the case never presented itself to
Gen. Grant in Just this ugly light. lie has
always regarded offices as perquisites OF the
Presidency which he had right give away 10
whom he chose. He tossed a few tradershlps
to this shiftless brother just as he might have
given him an old coat. Whether Orvil wore
the coat. or pawned il to buy tobacco, would
have been all one to the giyer. Whether he
stationed himself behind counter at Fort
Peck TO measure off calico for squaws, or re-
allzed on his privilege in other ways, made no
difference TO the General, 80 long as Owl
hunger was appeased and his importantly
auieted. In the same careless spirit Gen.
Grant recently distributed u pOcketful OF
petty commissions of various sorts to the de-
feated members of the last Congress who
voted for his Force bill in the same spirit he
nominated and sustains Casey at ew-orleans,
and provided for Madison Wells and f. C..
Billings. Indeed if we 90 back to the begin
ing of his reign we find the same misconcep-
ton of the privileges of his position inspiring
the selection of his first abortive Cabinet. 1t
has never occurred to him that the patronage
is public trust TO he discharged solely for the
benefit of the people. II is IN his eyes a
private prerogative, and the country has no
more right to crticise the manner OF its
exercise than TO inquire how he spends his
salary.
If We look carefully we shall find That the
Presidents indifference to public opinion IN
making appointments and his indifference to
charges against his appointees are closely con
nected, both springlng from the me radical
misapprchension of his rights and duties. 1t is a
mistake IN which he has been confirmed by the
timidity and slavishnesS of his own party, and
now that its consequences are coming 10 light,
the party realize how much damage it has done
them too late to make change without a COM
plete political revolution and great national