The Grant Bill in the House

The House met at 10 o'clock in continuation of Saturday's session and immediately went into committee of the whole on the legislative appropriation bill. Considerable progress was made and at 1 o'clock the committee rose.

The House adjourned and at 11 o'clock the session of Monday began. The Senate amendments to the army appropriation bill were concurred in and conferees appointed. The House under special rule passed the bill extending the privileges of bonded express companies as to the character of packages and permitting them to carry passengers and baggage to interior ports of entry.

After the call of States for the introduction of bills had been concluded, Mr. Slocum of New York, under instructions from the military committee, moved to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill for the retirement of Gen. Grant. (This is the first bill passed by the Senate and specifically names the officer to be retired.) Mr. Horr of Michigan and Mr. Warner of Ohio demanded a second. The motion to suspend the rules was seconded, 110 to 70. The thirty minute debate allowed under the rules was opened by Gen. Slocum, in behalf of the bill.

This bill, he said, proposes to place Gen. Grant in the same position which he would have occupied had he [...] When a man had performed such services for such a country as Gen. Grant had performed, it was right and proper that in his old age he should not be left to grapple with poverty. Gen. Grant had not been free from mistakes in his career, either as a soldier or a civilian, but in a few years his late companion in Wall street would be forgotten. Every error of his would be forgotten, as it ought to be, and the campaign which would be remembered was the campaign from that day when he sent the tidings which revived the hopes of the North to that other day when he sent the news which carried joy to every Northern heart. All the good would be remembered, and all the mistakes would and ought to be forgotten, [Mr. Slocum] believed that to-day it was the wish of the people of the South as well as the North that the Government should take care of Gen. Grant, and provide for him liberally. The honor of the Government was at stake and he trusted that the bill would pass the House with the same unanimity as it had the Senate.

Mr. Horr of Michigan and Mr. Thomas of Illinois opposed the bill, because they thought it was a trap to catch Republican votes and put the President in a tight place. The President, Mr. Thomas said, could not sign the bill and the Democrats knew that fact. Mr. Rosecrans of California regarded the bill as a plain proposition to reward Grant for distinguished military services, and it was his duty to say that he could not vote for it. It had been the interest of the great political party to make Gen. Grant's services appear as large as possible, if he was their servant. Gen. Grant himself had prepared the first two volumes of Badeau's Life of Grant, upon which the students of history had placed the stamp [...]