Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-05-14
Hancasfcr .JnteIltgenccr.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY ia, iee4,
A Doubtfal Charity.


put Grant on the retired list Of the arm,
with the rank OF general. Why ther
should be unanimous assent to this mea
sure In the Senate we do not know, a
we do not even see why 1t should com
mand majority Of the body. Certainl!
In our Judgment it was not commended
by It's wisdom. We knew no good
reason why General Grant should,
at this time more than at any
rast time, be the object OF benefao
tion by the United States or any OF its
people. II Is true that he has lost all or
his fortune, save the $3.50 900 held In
trust for him, but 1t is also true that he
lost his fortune by his fault and that he
still has from the fund secured to him
an income of over fifteen thousand dol
lars year which is full enough for his
comfortable maintenance.
We do not now raise any question as
to the deserts of General Grant from the
country for what he did for 1t in the
rebellion. For that he has been rewarded
as the country thought fit. He has since
been the president of the nation /; and of
his virtue in that place we do not need to
speak, though about 1t there are certainly
two opinions. He has been In private
life since he left the presidency; and his
record in that life has certainly not been
such as to entitle him to claim a
reward for It from the peo-
pie. He gave his name and fame
to business partnership which
promised him great profits. 1t seems
reasonable to believe that he knew that
his name was valuable stock in the
trade Of his establishment, and that it was
used to inspire confidence and attract
custom and capital. IL was his clearest
duty to protect his name, and those to
whom it was guarantee, by seeing that
it was real guarantee of the soundness
of the operations # his business firm.
Instead of doing this it is now asserted
by General trglt, aud his sons, in
defending thcuselyes from suspicion
Of collusion w,h their guilty partner,
that they had entrusted to him all the
transactions of the firm, its safe and its
checEbook, and were entirely ignorant
OF his dOings.
Very well. We believe the statement.
But it undoubtedly sustains Frederick
Grants declaration that he and hi;
brothers. and his father, the general
were fools.
That is the very best phase Of the sit
uation for General Grant. Assuming
then that he is guiltleSs in this matter
because he was fool, or acted as one
are We to understand that the United
States Senate is unanimously of opinion
that General Grant should be pnt on tht
retired list OF the army, as general, with
donation Of $4,000 or so year, be
cause he is fool, unable TO take care o.
himself, and the cause OF loss to The
friends who trusted their money to theil
faith in his sanity Are We to understand
that the army is properly an asylum fol
fools, who cannot be trusted otherwise
to keep out of the poor house
We hope that no such imputation il
to be thus officially stamped and sealed
upon the officers although we have long
had reason TO suspect that the army was
to some extent used by men in authority
to get their poor relations in out OF the
wet, TO snug retreat where they would
cease from troubling.
Mr.. Cox, Democratic representative
from New York, lately called Sunset
Cox, but now open to the appellation OF
MoOnstTuCk Cox, has moved in tie
House similar resolution to that which
has passed the Senate. in provision TO
Grant.
Mr., Cox says that he has SO moveC
because of pity for Grant in his presen
plight, and because of his generosity I,
Fitz John Porter, and because he is 18th,
most historic general of the civil war.
Mr.. Cox's pity was not fit foundation
for his vote nor should Grants gener
osity have provoked it ; and whatever il
may be to be an historic general, III
merit pales its fire before the brillauc,
OF the meteoric linancier. Mr. Cox wa,
sent to Congress to vote the people.
money away in useful works and in de
serving charity. That Grant has don,
justice to Porter after doing him grea
injustice, has recommended him to the
Democratic heart Of the country bu
neither its pity for him, nor affection
for him, warrants donation to hin
when he has been the witless agent in
monumental fraud.
OVER In England theV look an sbarn