The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-01-28
EEN. GRANT ABROAD.

We have no present purpose of speak
ing of Gen. Grant politically. As a
President we think we have had better,
and we certainly may have worse. Those
who personally know Gen. Grant best,
admire him most. And this can not be said
of all distinguished men, by any means
The man who from obscurity came to
achieve such triumphs in the field, and
to become twice President of the United
States can not be taken tor a fool nor a
Bcoundrel. And yet, from reading much
that has of late been published about
him in the political press of this country,
D stranger might conclude that he was
both.
That Gen. Grant should travel abroad
after his term of Office had expired, was
thing perfectly proper in itself. He
went abroad simply as a private citizen
of the United States. He claimed moth
ing more. That he was distinguished
citizen of the United States can not be
questioned. As such, foreign persons of
distinction received him. They paid him
marked attention. In thus honoring the
man, they honored our nation and our
country; and all the more that he was
simply private citizen. Yet there were
those of our countrymen who took upon
themselves the odious Office of sneering
and jeering at the attentions thus volun-
tarily profered to an Ex-President of the
United States. We can not envy them
this self-imposed Office. 1t was unworthy
of them and of the American press.
This public abuse of private citizen
and that too in his absence, can not be
characterized as anything less than sour
rilous, however pretentious the sources
whence it comes. But this flood of obIC-
guy found its widest vent when it came
to be rumored that Gen. Grant proposed
to extend his travels on from Europe into
Asia, to look upon that old Oriental
world which he had never seen; and that
he had been courteously invited to make
the ocean voyage in naval vessel of the
United States, bound to India to rein
force our Asiatic Squadron in those
waters. Now, why should not an Ex-
President of the United States have this
civility shown him by his own country?
For eight years he had been the Consti-
tutional Commander r-in-Chief of the
United States Navy. To have omitted
the profer of such civility, under such
circumstances, would have been disgrace
full to our Government.
And yet, when this act of common
courtesy was but rumored, the press Of
tbs country teemed with pasquinadef
and ill-natured filings, raising dema
gogical clamor about Gen. Grant being
carried on a pleasure trip around the
world at the public expense. These edi
torisl wiseacres either concealed or die
not know the fact that the vessel or
which the Ex-President was rendered {
passage, was bound for India in any event
whether Gen. Grant went or not. Tt
Aave carried him along would not have
cost pound more of steam than tht
vessel would otherwise have applied
Nor would it have caused the least dis
comfort to these on board.
But they cry out Expense" because o
feeding Gen. Grant on the voyage on
man-o war. If it were true that thi
would cause the expense of boarding tn
President, for thirty days. TO fal
upon the Government, it would be to-
contemplate to notice. But even that i
not true. Possibly those economical Car
oers do not know that the officers of ou