Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-02-20
A CHAT WITH NEWMAN.
WHY THE BILL TO RETIRE GRANT
FAILED TO PASS.
Caustic Comment on Rosecrans'
Opposition-Grant Literary
Labors and Domestic Life.

[San Francisco Call, February 19thl
The Rev. DR.. John ?. Newman has been
the intimate personal friend and pastor OF
General Grant for more than twenty-five
years He has followed the personal his |
tory of the General during that eventful
period with affectionate attention, and has
acquired a complete knowledge of the de-
tails of the Generals life and personal char
acteristics A Gail reporter asked DIR. New
man Yesterday what he thought Of General
Rosecrans' speech on the bill to retire Cen
eral Grant. and received the following re-
ply:
"Rosecrans is the second edition of Giles
of Virginia When Lighthouse Harry Lee
offered resolution in Congress culogizing |
the military genius and civil administration |
of General Washington, Giles of Virginia |
opposed the motion and made @ violent |
speech, asserting that Washington was des- |
titute of great military abilities and was 4 /
failure as a President. Among the thirteen
resolution was Andrew Jackson, from the |
newly admitted State OF Tennessee The
illustrious Washington has survived the |
peurile attacks of Giles, and the illustrious
Grant will live III the affections of his |
countrymen and in the admiration of |
mankind when Rosecrans is forgotten
WHAT DEFEATED THE BILL.
What do you consider to be the chief |
objection in the way of the passage of the |
bill to retire General Grant?' inquired the |
reporter.
There are two. Primarily, the Opposi- !
ton Of Sherman. General Sherman eSpeci- |
ally does not want General Grant restored |
to the army, because that would give Grant |
the precedence; but Grant has the pre- !
cedence in fact, and will have it in history |
and as Sherman is so much indebted to |
Grant, ii should be his honorable pride to |
give his old chief the fullest place on the |
retired list. The other obstacle is the Fitz |
John Porter case. The Democrats made |
that an issue with Grants friends, and had |
President Arthur signed the Porter bill the |
House would have passed the Grant bill |
1t was a political blunder on the part Of
Arthur, Logan and the others, to oppose |
the Porter bill, and it was unworthy of the |
Democrats to put General Grant on level |
with Fitz John Porter. If Logan and |
Arthur bljIndered, the Democrats should |
have risen i'll their magnanimily and voted |
on the Grant bill on its high and intrinsic |
merits.
\ NFVl.EOlED bum
" l see by the papers" continued DR.. |
Newman, voluntarily changing the theme |
of conversation, that it has been asserted |
that General Grant wrote the first two vol
umeS of Badeau's Life of Grant whereas
| know that Badeau did most of that work
while he was our Consul-General i'll Lon
don. No doubt the prCof-Sheets were sub
mitted to General Grant, but the facts were
taken from official documents, and Ba-
deau 5 Life of Grant is one of the most
valuable contributions 10 the literature of
this country. It is replete with geograph
zeal, typographical and biographical intor-
nation, and know of no work that gives
in such luce and impartial manner so much
of the personnel OF the late war. 1t is al
together the most charming book that |
have read for a score of years. | found it
impossible to lay it down. Ny wife would
frequently say to me: You know that
Nicksburg has fallen and Lee has surren-
dered.' but | was so entranced with the re
alistic description that history seemed to be
repeating itself. The conclusion is that |
could not desist from finishing the work.
But, strange enough, that splendid work
has had a limited sale. 1t was published
by the Appletons, who took no interest in
pushing It's sale. Badeau protested and Of
fered concessions. but still the sale was not
pushed. Had it been, it would have
brought the General a revenue as large as
Sherman received for his military memoirs,
which was something over S60,000-an
amount as large as the Seward estate re-
ceiyed from Stewards book on his trip
around the world, which amounted to more
than $50, 900
Why did sthe Appetons not push the
sale?" inquired the reporter.
The Appletons were not i'll sympathy
with the General" was the reply. 1t
seems strange that a house which took jeff.
Davis book and pushed ii should allow Il
splendid life of Grant to lie on their
shelves
WHY HOGAN opposrn poPrFp
-. ,....-..,;,
i ., ~ o., ~ ~
10 r.,ii;,i H. -. -
r. r., - '--> ~
.,,I
Is tII't
.i,at r,,+(-r ,...,,.,,,Ii,
ti,, li;a,.o 49, = ,IJ l'''',' I;.:aI
fi,,l r., 30 iii 10. ~ (,|d
,r,t,- f tI,o Ia,,,,i,Ii ,,.o,,i5 49, -
IA i,Ii,',,1 III ,,ii
- III H., ,,,t tl,,
IN - St'''-'' '''N' ''7' wiz
p ti,a,t ,,,,,,, will mt a..
General on the retired list. and President
Cleveland will have the honor to sign the
bill General Grant will have powerful
friend in thc person OF senator Stanford,
and 1t may he that California Will have the
honor OF achieving an end which will be |
gratifying 70 the pride and justice OF the
American people. ! know that the General
reluctantly resigned life position agree
able to his taste and education. as General
of the army. 20 accept the Presidency,
which was temporary in It's tenure OF office,
and i am inclined TO think that could his
tory repeat Itself and the choice be present
cd him again, he would decline the Presi
dencey and remain at the head Of the army.
lie Is ilnanciaily em barrasSed to-day by no
fault OF his. other than that which might
be true OF the best financier in the country.
lie Is still under the care OF wophysicians,
and while his health is better than it was
two months ago, yet he IS far from being
well man, and his mental sulterings Incl
dent To the loss OF health and fortune, and
from the ungenerous structures made upon
him, are more than an ordinary man could
bear But he IS still the pure, calm, brave
man lighting the immortal battle of life,
greater strain being upon the spirit of the
GRAND old soldier tlan when he WAS SfrtIo-