Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-05-27

TUESDAY, EvsNINa. MAY a7. ise4.
W enderful Folly.

Mr.. Fish, the ex-president OF the
Marine bank and partner in the firm OF
Grant and Ward, says that he believed
the exceedingly profitable government
contracts to be all right because his part.
ner, General Grant, told him so, and he
produces letter from Grant, dated May
0, 1882, In which the latter says that
he has looked into these contracts and
finds It right for Grant and Ward to
accep. the profits accruing from them ;
and furthermore that he has given Ward
the right to use his name and influence
in furthering their business interests.
That Is the import OF the letter.
and undoubtedly gives Fish Grants un'
derstanding and judgment to stand on
in his subsequent calm acceptance OF
the pleasant profits accruing from his
interest in the contract business al
WAYS provided that We do not suspect
that Job was set up on the
general by Fish and Ward, where
by Fish was to write to Grant
to get his endorsement Of Wards
operations, and Ward was to see to it
that the general was primed to endorse
him. We have no doubt ourselves that
Ward bamboozled Grant, notwithstand.
ing 1t Is almost incredible that
q man, who had been eight years
president OF the United States, should
have been so readily fooled. The depth
of Grants credulity, when 1t is his in
terest to be credulous, is almost past
fathoming. 1t was always so with him.
He was always the victim OF sharpers,
who made 1t pleasant and profitable to
him 10 be their dupe.
He had too much self corceit TO con-
ceive that he was being deceived. His
mind WAS not able to grasp the compre.
hension of the possibility Of his being a
fool ]; the consequence being the disas
trous demonstration of the fact that he
is fool. His example strikingly dem
onstrates how man may float along
In an exalted position before the eyes OF
the world, winning fame, with an aston
ishingly small amount OF common sense
as ballast. General Grant stands now
before the world as one Of its greatest
rascals or greatest fools, after hav-
ing posed as one OF its greatest
generals and statesmen and there is
no possibility Of evadinZ the necessity of
convicting him either Of gross folly or
gross criminality. 1t is possible TO
charge him with both, but not with
neither We prefer to believe him to
have been silly, and not guilty, save as
guilt may be charged in his failure
to do his plain and simple duty
A man who hands over his name and in
fluence to another to use as he pleases
does a very rash thing. 1t Is rasl
enough to endorse for another or associ
ate with him in partnership but to TAX
apartner's word, as Grant did Ward 8
that millions of profits were being legiti
mately made In government contract
that had no existence, is conduct tha
could only have been expected from lu
natic Ward had FIRST to satisfy him tina
he had the contracts and next that tn
great profits were legitimate and per
suading his childish credulity that thes,
wholly false things were true, he obtained
the use of his name and credit and for
tune. Mr.. Fish may have been Ward 8
accomplice, or he may have been the
victim of bis reliance in Grant, as he de-.
clares. But If he was an innocent victim
it beautifully exhibits the satisfied ere
dulity with which a man listens while
his pockets are being filled with gold. 1t
IS a sort Of credulity that seems tc
abound in New York. All Wards vic
Tins had it.