The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-17
GRANT AND DEMoNEr1zATIoN.

Ever since there has been any dis
cussion Of the decentralization of silver
in 1873 it has been accepted as common
knowledge that General Grant made
the remark that he would net have
signed the act of February u, 1873, had
he known that it dropped the silver dol
lar from our monetary system. SO far
as we know this story has never been
denied until Within fortnight though
1t was told and retold during General
Grants lifetime. This denial comes
from the generals son, Colonel Fred
d. Grant. The story has beeen repeat
ed in Indiana during the present cam
paign, which fact led Attorney General
Ketcham, of that state, TO address a
letter to Colonel Grant on the subject.
He replied as follows:
My Dear Sir: Acknowledging the re-
ceipt of your communication of Aug. 4,
in which you ask me as TO che truth of
! the statement which is, and has been
for years, going the rounds, to the et-
feet that my father, General Grant, at
one time said that he did not know,
when he signed the coinage act of 1873,
that the silver dollar was dropped from
the coinage, and that, if he had known
the fact he would have vetoed the bill
l hasten in reply to say that | fire.
quencly talked with my father upon the
question of standards of currency, and
1 that l never heard him intimate any
such sentiment as is credited TO him
above.
l am in receipt almost daily of letters
similar to your inquiry as to whether
my IA ther made the statement attrib-
uted to him in the little book entitled
Coin" can only say that he never
animated such a statement to me.
In all his conversations with me he
seemed to take the ground that 1T was
misfortune for amy country TO have as
the basis for their circulating medium
any metal that had the least element
of uncertainty about it, and that the
workman, when he collected his sti-
pend at the end of the week, should be
absolutely certain that there would be
no question as to the value of the cur
rency which he had to supply his needs.
From the time that he was inaugur-
ated president until the resumption Of
specie payments act was passed all his
public announcements and, so far as
knCSs. all his private statements, were
aimed to secure a stable currency to the
people of the United States.
The coinage act of 1873 does not elm
mate the silver dollar from our COIN
age; in fact, the United States has coin
ed since then more silver dollars than
had been coined during the entire per
lod OF our national existence before, and
most of these coins were made during
his lifetime. 1t is, therefore, not prob
able that General Grant ever said that
he would have vetoed the act of 1878
If he had known that the silver dollar
drowned fro, 10,
the silver dollar was not dropped from
the coinage, and 1 would not believe
anyone who said that he had heard my
father make such a remark
Trusting that the above is a salts
factory answer to your communication.
l am, my dear Mr.. Attorney-General,
very truly yours,
FREDERICK D. GRANT.
This is not a direct denial that Cen
eral Grant made the remark attributed
to him, but the aim of the argument is
to show that he coultE not have made
it. The facts, and the argument, do not
bear out the inference of Colonel Grant
He says that he talked with his father
about standards of currency, but he
does not say that he talked with him
about the act which demonetized sill
yer. What he says regarding his faith
er's views as to a stable currency is in
nowise inconsistent with what he is
reported TO have said about not know
ing that silver was dropped from the
currency by the act of 1873 What the
colonel himself says about the silver
dollar not being dropped from the coin
age by the law of 1873 is nothing but
fustian. He may note some distinction
between dropped and omitted that
is not patent to ordinary minds.
Whistler or not General Grant made
the remark attributed to him makes
not the least difference in the world
as to the baieful effects of une law OF
1873, but now that a controversy has
arisen as to whether he did or did not
make 1T, The question should be seruled
once and for all. But the letter Of Col
onel Crane signa1ly fails to settle ii.