The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1877-05-10

II Is duuOuuCcU ny u TcCcuG tcic-
gram from Neutrality-suspicious.
ing apparently from some near friend
of the ex-President-that General
Grant has not yet decided where he
will reside, and may yet select
Washington instead of Galena; and
it is added that ''General Grant,
instead Of "being wealthy is a poor
man." If he is, the fact indicates
that he is thriftless man. He has
certainly had money enough-or
property enough-since his singu-
lar rise to public position. to have
made him rich. He has had pres
ents enough to enrich any man, even
in houses alone. The house that
was presented to him in Washing
ton, about the time of his election,
by his wealthy admirers, be not long
afterwards sold to his friend Bowen
for $4,000. Subsequently he. to
use a coarse but expressive colo
quail phrase, on hearing of a better
offer, ''backed out" of that bargain,
after it had all been made and legal
ly completed, and again sold the
property (now belonging to another)
for 100000. Bowen began legal
proceedings against the President
Of the United States. and, to avoid
such a scandal, he was pacifed by
giving him the Washington post.
Office aud Grant pocketed the $780,
600. Then came presents of valua
BILE houses and city lots in Phila-
delphia and Galena, and the valua
BILE cattage at Long Branch; also,
we believe, house in New York.
Altogether his houses must have
been worth $4,000 at least. Or
his endless presents of silks, CARR
ages, 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, throughout
his entire double term-even to
$1,000 boxes of fancy cigars, cases
of costly wines and old brandies,
and rare and varied assortment of
dogs. These he was pleased to re-
ceive if the express charges for
their transportation had been paid,
otherwise they were refused. Pre-
cisely how much money he received
for his share of the "Black Fridavn
operation may never be known; one
"gift" of $4,000 to "Mrs. Grant,
came promptly to hand, and another
OF the same amount was prepared
to follow it few hours later, when
the wicked combination fortunately
exploded and put a sudden stop to
all these hidden operations. While
he was President he was known to |
have held shares in the "Seneca
Sandstone Quarry company" a con
Germ whose building stone, it had
been arranged, was to be used in
all government buildings. What
bis gain was from the Boss Shep.
herd ring, or from the vast whisky
ring which he protected, will proba-
bly, never be known; but there can
be little doubt that he put money in
his purse from some, if not all of the
disreputable speculative combina-
tons with which the name of his |
administration is more or less cloud |
ed, even to the Santo Domingo |
speculation. Grant, we are glad to |
say, il the only ex-President who
ever in creased his salary bv his |
own act. By an extraordinary sub
tltuge to "get around the law" and |
the constitution which prohibits
such thing, the bill was passed on |
the last day of his first term, and |
he signed it at the very close of his
first term, and thereby doubled his
salary and put 100000 more into
his pocket during his second term.
1t was a low trick, and, though the
bill was passed by Congress, his
signature of it was discreditable to
Grant. The latter is believed, and
with reason, to have enriched him.
self to the extent of many hundreds
Of thousands Of dollars during his
occupation of the high Office which
20 misused aud dishonored in his
personal as well as political ways.
Ii, as he now claims, be is "a poor
man" (why this announcement of
t1), he must certainly be very
:hriftless one; and poor men would
10 better to stay at home and hus-
band their scanty means, instead of
starting out on two years. tour
through Europe and around the
world. If his uncomplimentary re.
ord as President will not rivo him