Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-10-10
TEE GRANT BOOM.
Why 100000 Union Soldiers Did Not Go
TO the Pacific Coast.


General Grant seems to be having
a pretty substantial boom in Califor
MIA, / said recently to Mr.. j. B. Nc
Mullen, of Chicago, who is here, "and
how does it happen that you and your
100000 one-armed Union soldiers are
not there to greet him?"
II will tell you all about that. There
never has been any reason why any
thing should be concealed in this
whole business, and the newspapers
which have treated it IN a sensational
way have never been thoroughly in
formed. One thing you may say at
the start-that this Grant excursion
to the Pacific coast, or the Grant
boom as it came to be called, did not
have a political origin. 1t never had
any political significance. 1t never
was suggested to me by any politician
or by any person. 1t was purely a
plan of my own, and was for the most
part a business venture, If the scheme
was bad one, it was mine. 1t did not
proceed from any Grant manager. If
there was any mistake that it did not
go off, that is my fault. | do not want
anybody to be blamed or praised
about it. For the starting of it and
the stopping 1T, lam alone RESPONSE
bic"
But how did it all come about?"
1t occurred to me personally last
winter while here that there would be
a large number of persons who would
like to 60 to California at the time
General Grant arrived, and as | knew
a good many railroad people | thought
| would put myself in communication
with them. | thought that | might
arrange a protracted excursion, and at
the same time make it profitable for
myself. | communicated with Mr..
Kimball, Of the Union Pacific rail.
road at Omaha, and with Mr.. Towne,
Of the Central Pacific, the gentlemen
who have charge of the passenger
traffic on the through route from
Omaha to the Golden Gate. The
contents of my letter to Mr.. Kimball
we're given out at Omaha to a corre-
spondent Of the Now York Herald,
and were very greatly exaggerated.
There never had been thought that
$4,000 people would join the excur-
sion, nor had there ever been any in
tention to have a continuous train, as
was intimated in the press. 1t was
estimated that possibly 1900 people
might desire to take advantage Of a
cheap rate to visit San Francisco, and
and at the same time see General
Grant. A reply came from Kimball
that if the excursion could be com
pressed each way within a week, or a
few days, an excursion rate could be
given on terms that might be advan-
tageous. Mr.. Kimball suggested that
the New York railroad managers
should be seen about it. | subse.
quently saw Sidney Dillon in New
York, and he told me to lay the mat
ter before the road in writing did
so. The result of it was that the rail
road managers agreed to give me what,
practically,was a half rate, Mr.. Hunt
ington was willing to do the Same
thing for the Central Pacific, aud the
branch roads from Chicago to New
York aud from New York 70 Omaha
were willing to encourage the scheme,
Complete arrangements were accord
ingly made with all the railroads for
everything connected with The trip,
except with the Pullman Car Co., and
Mr.. Pullman and General Porter said
that they would undoubtedly be able
TO furnish the necessary number Of
cars to carry the people %
Did you ever got any considerable
response from the 4OOO people who
were expected to go2"
The publicity given to the scheme
through the New York Herald and
other newspapers, and my own letter
in reply which followed, brought in q
large number of letters asking for
terms. etc. OF course the excursion
depended upon the time Of General
Grants arrival, and / set myself to
work to discover when that would be.
That was quite a difficult matter. In
decd, it did not seem certain up to the
very day that he sailed from Yokoha-
ma that he was to come direct to San
francisco" "
What steps did you take to find
out when General Grantwas TO come ?"
called in Philadelphia FIRST upon