The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-05-17
HE OUGHT TO BE RICH,
Grants Immense Income IN Presents and
Salary During HIS Term Of Office.

It is announced by recent telegram
from Washington, originating apparently
from some new friend of the ex-Presi-
dent, that Gen. Grant is not yet decided
where he will reside, and may yet select
Washington instead of Galena and it is
added that "Gen. Grant, instead OF be-
ing wealthy, is a poor man." If he is,
the fact indicates that he is thriftless
man, He has certainly had money suffi-
cient, or property enough, since his sim
gular rise topublic position, to have made
him rich. He has had presents enough
to enrich any man, even in houses alone.
The house that was presented to him in
Washington about the time of his cleo
ton, by his wealthy admirers, he not
long afterward sold to his friend Bowen
for $4,000. Subsequently he, to use q
coarse but expressive colloquial phrase,
on hearing of a better offer, BACKED out"
of that bargain, after it had all been ar
ranged and legally completed, and again
sold the property (now belonging to an
other for $4,000. Bowen began pro-
ceedings against the President of the
United States, and, to avoid such scan
dal, he was pacifed by giving him the
Washington Post Office, and Grant pock-
eted the 100000.
Then came presents of valuable houses
and city lots in Philadelphia and Galena,
and the valuable cottage at Long Branch;
also, we believe, a house in New York.
Altogether his houses must have been
worth $4,000 at least. Of his endless
presents of silks, carriages, horses, stocks
ETC., no definite market value can be
stated; he was the only President of the
United States who received presents,
and he kept receiving them during his
entire double term-even to $4,000 box
es of fancy cigars, cases of costly wines
and old brandies, and rare and varied
assortment of dogs. These he was pleas
ed to receive if the express charges for
thei1 transportation had been paid, 9TH
erwise they were refused. Precisely how
much money he received for his share of
the "Black Friday" operation never may
be known. One gift" of $25, 900 to Mrs.
Grant came promptly to hand, and an
other of the same amount was prepared
to follow it few hours later, when the
wicked combination fortunately explo-
ded, and put a sudden stop to these hid.
den operations. While he was President
he was known to have held shares in
the "Seneca Sandstone Quarry Co.," a
concern whose building stone, it had
been arranged, was to be used in all Gov
ernment buildings. What his gain was
from the Boss Shepherd ring, or from the
vast whisky ring which he protected,
will probably never be known; but there
can be little doubt that he put money in
his purse from some, if notall, of the dis
reputable speculative combinations with
which the name Of his Administration is
more or less clouded, even to the San
Domingo speculation. '.l'"
Grant, we are glad to say, is the only
ex-P President who ever increased his sal
ary by his ownact. By an extraordinary
subterfuge to get around the Constitu-
ton, which prohibits such a thing, the
bill was passed ON the last day of his first
term, and thereby doubled his ssalary and
put 100000 more into his pocket during
his second term. 1t was low trick, and
would not stand the test of legal exam
ination for one moment; but it seems to
have been worthy of Grant, who is be-
lieved, and with reason, to have enrich.
ed himself to the extent of hundreds of
thousands of dollars during his occupa-
ton of the high Office which he so mis-
used and dishonored in his personal as
we'll as political ways. If as he now
claims, he is "a poor man." (why this an
nouncement of it?) he must certainly be
a very thriftless one; and poor men would
do better to stay at hPme and husband
their scanty means, instead of starting
out on two years tour through Europe
and around the world. Ifhis tincompli-
mentary record as President will not give
him honor in Europe, still less is he cal
culated to command much honor or re-
spect abroad by his personal presence;
and this circumstance u1ites with that OF
his alleged poverty to suggest the pro.
priety Of his staying at home Hartford