The daily gazette., 1880-12-10
FRHpAx. DnCanBnR ls. isss.

some very sound reasons why Gen.
Grant should mot be pensionsd By the
Government, a. an ex- President Of the
United States. That paper says: "a
contemporary, retaining TO the efforts
being made 70 raise money BY sub
soription for General Grant, says :
"rhey',,-the authors Of the move
mens-'hAve no right to give the i'm
pressisn TO the oountry that Grant 10
in needy circumstances, for he Ia not.
he has only his wife and hiRaself 10
look after. His eldest son Ia Colonel
in the army, with rich wife. His
only daughter has moro than COM
pstspco with her English husband.
His two younger sons are married to
wives whose fathers are worth mil
lions Of dollars. General Grants own
fortune cannot be much less than two
hundred thousand dsllars. This ought
to be enough to keep him becomingly
for the rest Of his dsys."
IL may well be added that the ele-
walton Of Gen. Grant to tho Presi-
dency gave him the opportunity to
place all his relatives and most OF his
friends in official positions and no
other President did so much Of this,
or was 30 gensrally accused Of nepo-
tism a. Gen. Grant. The Presidency
gave his family and friends opportuni-
ties that millions Of money could not
secure for any but an occupant Of the
White House, and 40 q conseq quence,
- the contemporary alluded to above
says, his sons are all either in Office
or married to wealthy wives. And
Gen. Grant himself has only bis wife
depending upon him, with . fortune
Of $500, 900 f.; and capacity. If what is
said in the papers be true Of the
offsrs Of the Presidency Of various
companies, to secure very large
annual salary and little to do. Beside
this his salary while President was
double that Of any OF his predecessor.
In pursuing this line Of argument our
contemporary says "Whsn Congress,
during President Grants first term,
increased the salary Of the Executive
from twenty Ave to fifty thousand dol
lars . year, the country had good
reason to believe that enough might
be saved from the aggregate sum to
enable the incumbent Of the Presi-
Dental office to provide for his future;
and it is declared By a leading mem-
Der Of Congress, who knows whereof
he speaks, that the Presidents "all
save . good deal Of money, and il the
salary were to be again doubled they
would save the additional pay, for the
style Of living and entertainment at
the White House has not improved in
the least since the Presidential salary
was raised from $25, 900 to $50, 0o0.' y
There would be nothing heard Of thii
psnsioning of ex-Presidents il tn,
extravaganza and snobb:shnsss bego
By the war had not found its way intt
the White House 40 we'll as into othe
houses. 1t is not at all spirit that il
to be encouraged, for it is not at al! ;
democratic spirit, but the very revers
Of it.
No one h forced to accept the ONCE o
President Of the United States 1t Is no
IN sfice that goes a-begging, even II s1
Presidents do, and it will not be forgot
ten that no one ever fought more despel
ately for |. than "the oldest living q
President did. No one sacrifices any
thing in taking II, and therefore in leav
ing it, at the end Of q foreknown time
he has no right or excuse whatever {
demand that he shall be given pension
or Life-Senatorship, or State-Sen,
torship, or that he is justified in passin
around his hat for shekels In order ths
he may, As long as he lives, by pursu
Of pleasure aud indulgence In luxur,
support the dignity OF an ex-Presidsn
Washington, Jefferson, and other Q,
Presidents found no difficalty in su
porting their dignity after their rstir
ment a. tillers Of the soil. They hs
the real dignity in themselves, and dl
not depend upon the sham dignity ,
display which money gives to susta
them.
The whole suggestion Of pensionil
our civil servants is wrong, because It
undemocratic; it is altogether at W
with the spirit Of our institutions; and
sstrong evidence to the excellent sen
and propristy Of the country that it b
thus far received with manifest disfav
all propositions to pension in any ",
the Oldest living President"
The proposition Of the President
make Gen. Grant Captain General
the Army and place him on the r
tired lis', does not give satisfaction
many Of the Presidents friends
Congress. They object to il very {
eidedly. Gen. MoCook of New Yol
Republican member of the Hou
Military Committee, urged that Il