The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-16
WHY MRS. GRANT DECLINED.

Her Last Letter to Vanderbilt-The General
Well Pleased with the Result.
New York World.
The Grant-Vanderbilt correspondence, in
which the great railroad millionaire makes a
prefer of fortune to the exPresident's wife,
and in which Mrs. Grant makes u fat final de-
NAL of the gift, was the subject of general COM
Inent in all parts of the city. The general YER
dict that the letters reflected credit alike on
the man who made the offer and upon the lady
who declined it, and that the outcome of the
correspondence has been to cut off great deal
of gossip. and possibly unpleasant talk, which
might have been started had such sum of
money been taken from Mr.. Vanderbilt by the
Grant family. Acurious feature of the case in
the mind of the public that the final offer of
MIR. Vanderbilt to make trust fund of the pro-
ceeds of the property sale for the benefit of Mrs
Grant, after being accepted on her behalf by the
General, should then have been declined in the
short decisive letter of Mrs. Grant To those
who know the Grant family well and the peculi-
arities of the several members of it, there was
no great surprise felt at this curious feature of
the correspondence. It has frequently been the
habit of General Grant to allow matter to grow
and seemingly give it his approval, and then
when the the decisive moment came, to put his
foot down and make final disposition of the
whole matter in surh way as showed that he
was watching the whole case closely and had
taken the shortest way to make his view Of the
matter felt.
1t was in this way that he allowed the recent
effort of Messrs Field, Drexel and others to run
ON even when he was Informed of every move
made, and when the thing had gone as far as he
cared to have it, came the letter nipping the
whole scheme in the bud. He had given no pre-
vious sign or intmation that the plan was not
meeting with his entire approval, but there was
no mistaking the import of his note So it Was
with the recent bill reported in the Senate by
Senator Mitchell. the ehaiPman Of the pension
committee. which would have given Gen. Grant
pension of So, 600 per year. This he disposed of
at once by his letter of Dec 5. in which he de-
clared that he would not accept a pension pro-
vlded In that way, even though the bill was
passed unanimously by Congresst and received
the approval of the President. He did not, in
this note, give way to an expression of opinion
on the other proposition, which has been sug
gested for the action of Congress, providing for
the reinstatement of the General at the position
at the head of the army which he eftsabout six
teen years ago to enter upon the duties as Presi-
dent of the United States. The passage of such
a bill would be entirely in the line OF military
etiquette, and it is believed and guardedlyasserted
by the few friends who enjoy intimate relations
with the old warrior that he would accept such
position, and then as retired officer of the
United States army feel that he occupied a posi-
ton which would entitle him to, the pay coming
with the duties of retired officer.
The bringing about of such result would re
quire very careful legislation lest it should be
used as precedent which might be extended to
all branches and grades of the army as we'll as
the navy service, and open the way to no end OF
complications in the future. It is thought,
though, that the problem can be successfully
solved and the matter disposed Of without bring
ing about any hitch in the somewhat delicate
machinery of army codes and decisions. There
is besides strong popular feeling in favor of
some such measure instead of the rather indel
cate method of making outand-out donations to
the object of the Nations solicitude.
The General himself is very busy man just
now. and spends fair allowance of each day at
his desk engaged upon. his literary work in con-
nection with army remembrances. He has found
that writing is very agreeable way of passing
the time, and it seems to take his mind from
the occurrences of last spring, when the Grant
81 Ward bubble burst in the face of the world
and drew SO much scandal about the Grant name.
1t enables him, when he wishes it, to deny him
self to all visitors, and it was this excuse which
met the reporter yesterday when he called to get
the Generals views Of the act of generosity
which Mr.. Vanderbilt has so nearly succeeded in
accomplishing
1t is nov estimated by the author that the
first volume of his memoirs will. be ready for
the publisher by the 1st of May. AS yet no
house has been selected to attend to the me-
chanical part and business end of the book,
though almost every publisher in the country
has sent in request that he be accorded the
exclusive right Of putting his impriat On the
title page
/ An intimate friend of the Grant family said
OF the letters and the situation: al think that