Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-10-13
GRANT ON HANCOCK.
An Estimate of the Character of the
ht Democratic Presidential
Candidate. l..1
He Has Long Had the presidential Bee in His
Bonnet Something about His Career
in Louisiana.

ne mas Long Hdu the FFeSluentdI pee IN Ills
Bonnet Something about His Career
in Louisiana.
Rev. DR.. Fowler, missionary secretary
of the Methodist Episcopal church, has
published report of IN interview with
Gen. Grant which has raised something
of a breeze in political circles, on ac-
count of the fact that it relates principal
| ly to Gen. Hancock, of whose character
and Louisiana career rather free esti-
mate is given. The interview was an
| informal one in Gen. Grants Galena
| home, and occurred ON the 21st of last
month. The general spoke rather more
freely than perhaps he would have done
had he been talking to a regular re-
porter. The conversation seemed to
have made some impression upon DIR.
Fowler, for he soon after wrote to the
general for permission to publish the
substance of it; and the latter replied
that he preferred that it should not be
published until campaign speaker,
to whom he had made similar
statements and who had undertaken to
verify them, had made them public.
Whether the speaker had made this
statement, and DR.. Fowler had, there
fore, considered himself authorized to
publish his report, the general said, in
conversation with Chicago reporter,
on Tuesday, that he did not know. It
appears, from the interview with the re-
porter just named, that Dr. Fowler,
writing from memory as he did, made
some mistakes in his statement; these
the general corrected. The leading
points of the document, as thus revised,
are as follows
Down to 1864 Gen. Hancock appeared
ambitious only to do his duty as an
officer in the army; but in that year he
received vote in the Democratic
national convention for the nomination
for the presidency, and "from that time
he has had the presidential bee in his
bonnet-his smile, after the convention,
was so broad that one could almost see
it when his back was turned. Hancock, +"
said Grant, els a man who likes to hear
himself praised, and he sometimes con-
planned that he was not complimented
highly enough" He was ambitious of
promotion in the army, and thought
Grant stood in his way; but when Grant
was made general, and Hancock received
major generals commission upon
Grants recommendation, he wrote his
superior a manly letter, thanking him
for his kindness, and acknowledging that
he had misjudged his feelings toward
himself
Respecting affairs in Louisiana and
Hancock's career there Grant is repre-
sented as saying:
H.
issue of 100000 Of levee bonds, ostensibly
| for the levee. conditioned on their bringing to
the state not less than so per cent of their face.
| The governor and three commissioners were 20
place the bonds on the market: but they soon
| found that the bonds would not bring more
| than 40 per cent. To avoid the law they invent
ed the plan Of borrowing money and using the
bonds as collateral. They could borrow about
81 or 35 per cent. of the face of the bonds.
Just at this juncture, to prevent these men
from defrauding the state, General Sheridan,
who was commander of that department. took
Off the heads of the governor and commission
ers so quick that they did not know what allied
| them, and appointed good men in their place.
| For some reason the removed were very anxious
to be reappointed They employed Reverdy
johnson and another lawyer to work for them,
| agreeing to pay them, 1t was said, $3.50, 900 if
they were reinstated. Reverdy Johnson came
| to me, but was so stupid and stubborn that
could not be induced to reappoint them.
He then went to Andrew Johnson and made
his case, and Andrew Johnson sent for me and
asked me to reinstate these men. I refused to
| do so. He said: s'Reinstate them, if it is only
for one day. will promise that they will re-
sign" I thought Johnson might not know
/ of the motive why they were so anxious to be
reinstated, and, thinking would do him a great
service in keeping him from a great blunder, I
| told him zone hour would do these men as well
as one day." and unfolded their intent But
| To-, cicfp tbpiT Oh
refused and excused myself.
johnson then removed General Sheridan and
appointed General Hancock.
Before Hancock left for Louisiana
Grant called on him and said:
General, you and I are soldiers-army of
GERS. We have life positions; we serve under
successive administrations without regard to
congress. We are not responsible for the wis
dom of the laws; congress bears that RESPONSE
bility. We simply enforce them"
He said: swell, [ am opposed to niger
! domination
To further remonstrance from Grant
he made the same reply:
When Hancock went south published an Or
der prohibiting him from appointing anybody
to Office who had been removed by his prede-
cessor. This, Isuppose, he did not like but my
object was to prevent the possibility of the
men being put in place who had arranged for
| the negotiation of those bonds, even for one
hour. After he had been down south some
time he made pretty clean sweep OF the officers
who had been appointed by General Sheridan.
[ then telegraphed to him to suspend his
orders of removals and report to me by mail.
(There was an order existing, if I rember Alright,
prohibiting the of the telegraph when the
mail could be e1uployed.) He replied in very
long dispatch, costing, if remember correctly,
about $3.50. I informed him was not satisfied,
but if he had any further reasons to communi-
cate to do SO by mail. He again replied by tel
egraph, but gave nothing new, saying simply
that his usefulness would be destroyed if he
was not left free to act, and that unless he was
left free to act he should ask to be relieved. I
ordered him to revoke his order making re-
movals and to make no more. He then asked to
be relieved, and I relieved him.
/ always regarded his mere declaration in
order No. 40, that the military should be sub
ordinate to the civil power, as something that
everybody accepted and nobody disputed. AS
officers, we were sworn to obey our superiors.
Congress was our superior, and had made the
laws, and these laws made the military subor-
dinate. We were acting under them. But his