New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-23
THE POLICY or PRESIDENT GRANT.

!
THE POLICY or PRESIDENT GRANT
As we anticipated, the remarks of General
Grant on public affairs, as reported apparently
with his sanction in Mr.. John Russell YOung's
narrative of the famous journey around the
world, are read III England with surprise not
unmlxed with annoyance. They are not to be
regarded with entire cOmplactncy even here
The Daily Ne,rs, of London, i'll the course of an
article Oh Mr.. YOung's book, quotes several
remarkable passages, one Of the most striking
of which is embodied in the following extracts
Not without interest surely is what General Grant
says about the famous indirect claims presented to Eng
land suddenly during the Alabama controversy II
is satisfactory for IN England who thought those
claims prcpostcrous know that General Grant, then
President OF the American Republic neld pretty much
the same opinion OF them. They allowed TO be
suggested in order, it seems, to concate Mr. Sumner
Mr.. Sumner really wanted war with England General
Grant thinks he wanted that Engan withdrawal
Canada should be one OF tho condtl MS OF peace
This General Grant would not have, and not to oppose
Mr. in everything he consented to allow the in
direct claims to be made. " knew England would not
consider them, and That it would cOmpcate our
mrritorous case by giving her something to complain
apout." General Grant convinced against his viii,
and now thinks he made mistake III Welding " 1t Is
mistake over TO say more than you mean, aud as We
never meant the indirect claims, we should not have
prcscnted them, even to please 1lr. Summer"
Considering that the indirect claims were
presented by command of President Grant him
self, this is indeed what the London paper
mildly calls an Interesting" statement. 1t is
not pleasant to see the former head Of the United
States Government represented rs avowing to the
world that in one of the most important acts Of his
Administration-an act which, as he acknow
edged in message to Con gress, threatened for
n time to destroy the friendly relations OF the
two powers and undo everything that had been
accomplished by the Treaty of WIshingtOn-he
was dcrciying both this country and
Great Britain. 1t seems impossible that
the cx-Picsidcnt should be unconscious
Of the immomlity and indcccncy OF such
course. Through his Src,cttry of State
he instructed our Agent mt Geneva to pre-
sent the indirect claims aud to insist that they
were Just In themselves and covered by the
terms of the Treaty. Now we are told that
he knew all alOns that tie claims were not
proper no was not sincere in pressing them;
he always intended to back down if Great
Britain resisted them The argument ut
Geneva was a vulgar exercise in bargaining in
which the United States claimed millions with
ont the slightest idea OF getting them We put
in monstrous bill, and said to ourselves: If
Great Britain is fool enough TO pay it, so much
tho better for MS; if not We can knock off
something. This is the horse trade style of
negotiation.
General Grant is represented rs saying
that no presented the indirect claims in
order to please Senator Sumner lie
was not IN the habit Of dcfcrring to Senator
IL, 81
the Geneva arbitration he hated Sumner above
every other man in public life; and we suspect
that he is deceived rs to his own motives, as
men very often are when they review their ac-
tons after the lapse of years. Whatever he
says about Mr.. Sumner is to be taken with some
allowance. He seems to uOuIish the same
bitter dislike for the Massachusetts statesman's
memory that he entertained for his person.
The statement that the Senator wished to en-
br0 this country in Il war with England III
order to obtain Canada hardly needs correction
ut home, though it will no doubt be believed
abroad, and some day this strange misIepre-
scntatlOn may prove the source OF much mis-
chief.
If the President believed that Senator Sumner
wanted war with England instead of arbtra-
ton, his yielding to the Senator's desires at
Geneva, in Il point which he says he knew to be |
wrong, was IN extraordinary performance. |
But in these reported conversations he is |
given to loose way of talking, about war |
which is certainly not pleasant, and to which the |
friendly English paper we have quoted from
refers with evident establishment. If it had not |
been for Mr.. Seward, .hc says that he would !
have hurried us into war in Mexico as soon |
as the Rebellion was over and although Mr..
Seward obtained all that we wanted-the re-
tirement of the French-withOut war, General
Grant seems to think it pity his own plan was
not adhered to. Even war with England in
consequence Of n recognition Of Confederate
would not have troubled him, be-
cause "Canada would have become ours;
Sheridan could have taken it in thirty days.
Mr.. Young has positively asserted that all the
remarks attributed to General Grant in his book
are authentic, yet we find ithard to assume that
the OK President said the strange things recorded
of him. Whether they represent the views
which he really entertained while In Office, or
only those which he now thinks that he enter
tanned while in Office, Is a question not easily
answered. 1t would be q satisfaction to believe
that his recOllections are as much ut fault with
regard to himself as they arc respecting Mr..
Sumner.
Il
RELIGION FOB CHILDREN.
In one of the great religious convOcations of
4 i Al. 1