New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-18
TIE NATIONS DEBT TO GRANT.
IS TIE RnPrBLIc uNGRArFFULl

Is THE REPUBLIC UNGRAItFbLF
A Defence By TIE HON. WILLIAM r. CHANDLER
now THE fX-PEEsDENT SHOULD AND HOW he
SHOULD not BE HONOHED.
TO the Edit0r 81 The ITtbuHe.
SIR: In an editorial in your issue oil the 18Th,
under tie heading OF " Ssnatos,-at-Lar-e" yoa use
this language Il there is aay one direction ia
which our Republic is cousp caously ungIateidI, ];
is toward its cx-presdents"
Without now clucneng the correctness Of this
sweeping assertion rs TO the former Cx-PusiGcu;s,
call your attention 20 The fact that Congress. ia
May. 1873. would have gladly placed Genera,
Grant on the retired list Of The Army with tie RANK
OF General aud an annual pay of$17.j00 had 1t not
been opposed Ly some OF bis most dey0,cd and con-
spicuous friends. senator Sargent. o. California,
proposed this amendment 10 tie biz Placing Gen.
eral anes Shields on the retired list, an0 d hc lad
not been antagonizod by other friends @. General
Grant the latter would have received the most di--
tugulshed honor ever offered TO "a private citizen ID
this country and your ent rcploach AGAINST our
Republic would never have been uttered
Ifyou viii examine The Congressional Eceora you
Wi! see tina, at one stage OF auo her Nh ,ar-eHts
amendment or Tie bill with the amendment en-
GRATED upon IT, encountered the opposing votes Of
Mcssrs Oglesby, OF Illinois Howe Of Wisconsin.
Conkling OF Aew-York. EdmuuCs o.. Vermont Tel
ler. of Colorado and others who Laye always RANKED
~ the special ard confidential friends Of General
Grant While the great mass of the Republican Seua
tors cordially voted for it, and also ucA Democrats
rs Messrs Lamar VOORHEES,, Coc..reil. Morgan. Mac
Donald and Butler. Outside OF what i he HccJid
shows, may say that it was well understood that
tic actual or assumed rsprcs nta'lve5 OF General
Grant who was then abroad, did not d,are that tne
proposed honor saoald be conferred upon hum bat
thccon,rarr The precise motive whicnactu1ed them
Idou9t undertake 20 proclaim, but ! understood
from au intimate associate Of General Grant, who
was with him IN Pans at the time tina, the neral
did not direct or suggest this remarkable course oi
his personal friends.
Having thus rrn tested agaiust the iuputat Ou
that the Republic has been cO1sricuOusy UugrIi c-
fI 10 General Grant. let me say further that be-
heye the people OF this country. without regard %
party will be Tcjoccd to sea hl gratefully reueE!-
and ought TO have had three years ago. Ihers are
crave obstacles 10 raising IJi-r sun Of money by
subscriptions Sc proposed oi lat. IL raised by
general appeal. soliciting even 2J-ctut cOujriOu-
fions " Genclal Grant will be placed In humlat-
ing position; and the testimonial wall !aply men
dIcarcv where there should he only the honorable
acceptance of the wiling and CORDIAL rccocm-
tiou of nations obligation. II, on the Diner
band, large amount Is SUBSCRIBED bY Jew p'hkeIs
and capitalists. It viii remove General Grant from
the sympathy OF the masses ana prejudice INN III
the eyes u the world.
Ii Is the Nation that owes General Grant a debt
not vet fully paid. Let the Ma ION pay 1t by con-
ferripp mon HIM the highest military rank ever
known TO orr laws, originally created for hun and
titly adaDcd by its new prOtier TO convey 70 him
sense of tie gratitude. respect ana regard OF the
whole people and let ~ not be opposed either ny
those who have thought that he should not or those
Who have desired thai he should be a2aln President.
Very res pectfally. NM. L. CHANDLER.
Concord y. H., Nov. l6, 1850.