Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-01-15
0be fanfaster 1ntelli9enfer.
LANCASTER, JANUARY Is, 1885.
The Donation to Grant.

Democrats and Republicans in the
United States Senate tumbled over each
other in their eagerness to put General
Grant upon the retired list of the army
with the full pay of a general which is
thirteen thousand five hundred dollars.
And yet it was not proper thing to do,
both because it could not be done by direct
legislation and because of the lack of in
trinsic merit in the measure.
The bill had to accomplish its object in
directly by authorizing the president to
appoint one person who had been
a general to be general on the retired list.
Grant is the only one to fill the description
and the bill in effect therefore authorized
only his appointment. If it had author
lied the appointment of Grant by name it
would have fallen under the same objection
that President Arthur found to previous
bill for Grants relief The president is
now expected TO shut his eyes to the sub
stantial similarity of this measure,
and to approve it on the distinction be-
tween tweedledum and tweedledee which
it isnot clever in the Senate TO ask the
. pitolutDl W up. dS IL ID HUt CleNtI III " W
seek itself roundabout way to get the bet
ter of the laws.
The senator's seem to have thought
that there was great popular demand for
this donation to General Grant. They have
taken the impression from the journals of
the large cities. We think it is mistaken
belief. There is very good feeling
toward General Grant in the country. He
has greatly conciliated Democratic opinion
by his generous course toward Fitz John
Porter. But yet it is thought on all hands
that the present pecuniary misfortunes of
Grant have been so undeniably his own
fault that he has 10 claim upon the nation
for the exercise of the generosity in his
behalf, when il is a fact that he enjoys
an income Of fifteen thousand dol
lars year. If he was really needy,
public opinion would unanimously demand
his relief, however his losses came to.him !:
as the people would not see an ex-president
forts and luXuTies of life But when
Grant gave his name to the Wall street
operation to be used for all it was worth,
with the result that losses to the amount
Of millions Of dollars came TO those who
conflded in the virtue Of that great name.
he certainly does not come before Congress
with clean hands for its bounty. Ii cannot
be denied that General Grant knew that his
nlme was valuable trade mark to his busi-
mess firm, which he committed to the CON
troll and guidance Of an associate without
the slightest supervision or check by him.
self. His name and the great Office titles
connected with it having been dragged into
the mire so deeply and so carelessly by him,
il does not seem to us nor do we believe
the people think, that he should be rein
vested with the office and pay of general
OF the armies, while he retains so hand
have from $4,000 year.
Senator Voorhees, said that after six years
this income would probably cease, the
guarantee of the western railroad bonds in
which it was invested, made by the late Z.
ID. Morgan, then expiring. If this is SO, the
present bill would seem to be one for the
relief of E. ID. Morgan's estate, or of the
committee which invested the fund in
worthless bonds; as il is to be assumed
that these culpable parties would find it
impossible to let this income pledged TO
Grant drop away from him by their in
vestment of the trust fund in worthless
bonds, unless he had such feather-bed as
the Senate now provides for him ready to
support him.