Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-03-19
GRANTS MEMOIRS
CORRESPONDENCE WITH B4DEAU

NEW YORK, March 17.--COlonel Fred
erick Grant answers the various stories
that have been in circulation about the re-
~lations between General Badeau and his
father, the late President Grant, BY max
ing public the whole correspondence.
General Badeau was engaged by General
Grant in 1884, to assist him in the prepar-
alton Of his personal memoirs. His work
wa to be that of an amanuensis.
This General Badeau explains AID ad-
mits in one of the letters, when he says:
~ have no desire, intention or right to
claim the authorship of your book. The
composition is entirely your Own."
After General Grants sudden relapse, in
1885, General Badeau, impressed with the
magnitude of the sale of the proposed me.
moirs, aud seeing immense gains, made, as
appears in the correspondence, a demand
upon General Grant to the effect that he
should be paid @ certain sum per month
and likewise a share in the profits to help
the General to build q monument of en-
during feme. This proposition General
Grant evidently regarded as a suggestion
that General Badeau should practically
write his hoax and he General Grant,
assume the credit.
General Grant, in q long letter under
date OF May 5, 1881, in reply to Badeau's
proposition, seys: "Since bordering over
the contents OF your letter, and more par
ticularly over the conclusions / have
drawn from it, and ref ections based upon
what you say, and my knowledge of your
temper and disposition, l understand the
letter better than you do. 1 have con-
cluded that you and l must give up all as
ISOLATION as far as the preparation of any
literary work gees which is TO bear my
signature. In all other respects l hope
our relations may continue as they have
always been, pleasant and friendly. - y \
Il did not contemplate you writing any
thing, except in case OF my death; but tx
pected you to help me arrange and to
c~riticizs my work, 80 that l could correct.
\ \ \ The work which | wanted you
to do | did not think would take over two
months of your time, working on an
average Of four hours a day, six days in the
we elk. For your work, it being under
stood as above, l proposed to give you
S., 900 out of the first $40, 900 received
from it's sale, aud S. 600 out of the next
$40, 900. For the compensation you ask l
could get very able work done By persons
who would not regard the work as either
d~rudgery nor as degrading 1t would be
degrading to me to accept the work from
you as you regard it.
You say that Il an q man of affairs,
&C., and can tell a simple story &c. You
imply that a literary man must supply
some q deficiencies, and that you are the only
man who can do it. If this is the case,
General, | do not want q book bearing my
name to 60 before the world which | did
not write to such an extent 10 be fully en-
titled to the credit of authorship. | do
not want a secret between me and some
one else which would destroy my honor II
it was divulged. l cannot think of hold
ing myself AS dependent upon any person
to supply a capacity which l am lacking.
I may fail, but l will not put myself in
any such position. II l succeed in telling
nv story so that Others can see as | do
what I attempt to show, l will be satisfied.
"Yourletter Affords an abundance ofotheI
reasons why you should not help me in my
work, which is to beer my name. But
these are sufficient. ! add only what is
necessary to make O part Of what has been
| already said plain. YOu ask for q contract
and demand 81, 0C0 per month in advance
until the work is completed, and ten pei
cent. of the entire profits arising from the
sale Of the work after it is put upon the
market. This would make you a partner
With my family as long as the book found
n sale. This is pIeposterOus. Not for one
moment has your proposition been ehter
tanned by me. This, with statements emu
merated in this letter and others contained
in yours, makes it impossible for us to bC
associated in a work which is to bear my
name. 1t would be a degration for me tt
accept honors and profit from the work Of
another man while declaring to the public
that it was the product of my own brair
} and hand.
~ write frankly, because / want you II
know why l cannot receive your services
now on any terms. ! hope that it will no
disturb the relations which have hereto
fore existed between us in all particulars
Your prosperity in life will crafty me.
; This correspondence between US MAJ
be unknown to the world if you choose
; 1 do not ask secrecy, bat the necessity TO
T publicity will not occur through any faul
Of mine. Repeating my assurance Of tn
best wishes for your success in life ant
} health and happiness to the end / sub
; scribe myself as ever,
"Your friend and we'll wisher,
! "U. S. GRANT,