La Petite Gallery

Ulysses S.Grant

Grant had the biggest
drinking reputation of any U.S.;President During the civil war
some reports say, that during the battles
he'd just sit there, drinking, all day long. When he was on his
death bed he passed out and a doctor was able to revive him.

There was the Whisky Scandal = pocketing whiskey taxes.
Grant called for swift punishment but caused further
scandal when he moved to protect his personal secretary who had been
giving a couple of extra minutes of life... by giving him brandy.
grant's administration was rife with scandal. The first major scandal
dealt with speculation in the gold market. Jay Gould and James Fisk
attempted to corner the market. They drove up the price of
gold but Grant found out and quickly had the Treasury add gold
to the economy. This in turn resulted in the lowering of gold prices
on Friday, September 24, 1869 which adversely affected all those who
had bought gold . Grant has risen from No. 2 on the 1948 Schlesinger list probably because of the same revisionist take on Reconstruction that lowered Johnson in the eyes of historians.Although there is no way to overlook the widespread graft and corruption that occurred on his presidential watch —it was at the time unprecedented in scope— he was in no way a beneficiary of it.  "My failures have been errors of judgment," the popular former Civil War general admitted, "not of intent."  More important, the 18th president now receives plaudits for his aggressive prosecution of the radical reform agenda in the South. His attempts to quash the Ku Klux Klan (suspending habeas corpus in South Carolina and ordering mass arrests) and his support for the Civil Rights Act of 1875 were controversial and may have produced only short-lived gains for African-Americans, but Grant's intentions were laudable and brave. He also worked for the good of American Indians, instituting the reservation system as an imperfect, last-ditch effort to protect them from extinction.

Grant's reputation may continue to rise as a result of sympathetic biographies and studies—and because of a renewed appreciation of his own excellent memoir, considered to be the best ever produced by a former president. Ulysses S. Grant The Credit Mobilizer Scandal The Credit Mobilier company was found to be stealing from the Union Pacific Railroad. However, they tried to cover this up by selling stocks in their company at a large discount to government officials and Congress members including Vice President Schuyler Colfax.When this was discovered, it hurt many reputations including that of Ulysses S. Grant's VP.The Credit Mobilier scandal was the first major corruption scandal in the wake of the Civil War. Starting in 1867, several high-ranking Republican congressmen (all close supporters of soon to be President Ulysses S. Grant), were given and/or purchased at below market prices stock in the Credit Mobilier of America company, which was involved in the funding and construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. The Congressmen then proceeded to grant a number of public subsidies and other gifts to the company to help line their own pockets. Another of the major players was another future President: James A. Garfield

.

 While not implicating the president himself James Garfield  had to deal with the Star Route Scandal in 1881
during his six months as president before his assassination. This scandal dealt with corruption in the postal service. Private organizations at the time were handling postal routes out west. They would give postal officials a low bid but when the officials would present these bids to Congress they would ask for higher payments.  Obviously, they were profiting from this state of affairs. Garfield dealt with this head on even though many members of his own party were benefiting from the corruption.

GARFIELD


More next week--- How did we let them in the OVAL office?

History repeats it's self Right??

Posted by Yvonne @ La Petite Gallery Comments are welcome