The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1885-01-12
MIR. vanderbilt and the Grants.


sin must go.
Mr.. Vanderbilt and the Grants.
Mr.. w. II. Vanderbilt in the Grant mat
ter has acted more than generously. His
course will gain him many friends. II
will go far to offset his public be d-dn
sentence. Some people criticised Mr..
Vanderbilt for obtaining the Judgment
against General Grant. No one disputed
his perfect right TO secure a Judgment for
the $15o000 which he had lent General
Grant upon the latter's simply asking for
1t. But somo people criticised Mr.. Van
derbilt nevertheless. 1t now appears from
the Grant Vanderbilt correspondence that
the latter was in Europe when the judg.
ment was obtained, and that Mr.. Wander
bits attorneys secured that judgment at
the instance of General Grant.
Mr.. Vanderbilt, in o letter to Mrs. Grant,
recounts these facts and says that General
Grant delivered to "my attorneys mortgages
upon all his own real estate, household
effects and the swords, medals and works Of
art which were the memorials Of his VIC
tories and the presents from governments
all over the world. These securities were,
in his judgment, worth the $l50,000." Aud
Mr.. Vanderbilt also says: II present to you
as your separate estate the debt and judg-
ment l hold against General Grant also,
the mortgages upon his real estate and all
the household furniture and ornaments,
coupled only with the condition that the
swords, commissions medals, gifts from the
United States, States, cities and from for
eign governments, and all articles Of his
torical value and interest shall, at the Cen
erals death, or if you desire it sooner, be
presented to the Government at Washing
ton, where they will remain as perpetual
memorials Of his fame and of the history of
his time"
Speaking for Mrs. Grant, the General
politely and with well.worded thanks
declined Mr.. Vanderbilt's offer. But Mr..
Vanderbilt did not stop there. He again
wrote to General Grant insisting that lie
should not be disappointed in purpose
which he had so much at heart. He would,
he said, as fast as the money was received
from General Grants real estate deposit it
to create trust fund for the benefit of Mrs.
Grant.
Although General Grant in his answer
ing letter said to Mr.. Vanderbilt, "Your
generous determination compels uI to
30 longer resist" Mrs. Grant aft,rward
wrote note to Mr.. Vanderbilt in which
she said ~ find that cannot, will not
accept your munifcence in any form. /
beg that you will pardon this apparent va
cillation, and consider this answer definite
and final"
The correspondence places both General
Grant and Mr.. Vanderbilt in highly com.
mendable light before the public, and es-
pecially does 1t add to the high esteem in
which General Grant is held by tho Amer
ican people--indeed by all civilized peoples
the world over
Mr. Vanderbilt, with generosity almost
unparalleled offered to release his entire
claim against General Grant and return
all his property to his possession. This
generous offer General Grant promptly de-
clined, save only that he accepted the re.
lease Of his swords, decorations and other
! presents made to him by foreign nations
Just after the war, All these General Grant
| turns over to the Government of the United
States, to remain forever part of its
| archives.
This declinaton of mdiridudl aid by Gen
ersl Grant leaves but one course to be pur-
sued by our Government Tho American
people, the whole people, should at once
make the fortune of General Grant their
especial care Some may think the Gov
ernment has already done enough for the
old hero. This is sheer nonsense.
When we remember what General Grant
gave up when called to the Presidential
chair-a life position with princely in
come which had been created for him as a
special reward for bis eminent services and
which was assured to him to the end of his
days, whatever betided, aud when we con-
slider the rewards given by England,
France and Germany to their military he-
roes, Marlborough, Wellington, Bonaparte
and Won Moltke, tho proposition to restore
to General Grant the position he gave up
when he became President would seem to
be tho very least the American people could
do for General Grant with honor 10 them
selves The English people mover tired OF
] laViShinR gifts uDOn the hero Of Blen-