Grant in Saint Louis (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1916 Excerpt: ... Three St. Louis men wrote books on Grant. One of these books was published in 1887. It took up Grant's battles, one after the other, and showed that his military career was a succession of blunders. It convicted the general of utter ignorance of the science of war. Another of these books appeared in 1879. It was called the "Great American Empire." Grant was exposed as a man of despotic, vindictive nature, bent upon making himself dictator of the United States. If Grant succeeded in becoming Emperor of North America, Roscoe Conkling was to be the Duke of New York. The third book was published in 1880, after the defeat of the third term movement. It purported to be "a complete exposure of the illicit whiskey frauds culminating in 1875." It alleged that Grant was "an active participant in the frauds." These St. Louis authors did not regard themselves as humorists. The author, or putative author, of the "Secrets of the Great Whiskey Ring," was John McDonald, the head of the conspiracy. At the close of his three hundred and more pages of "evidence" McDonald, in summing up his revelations, disclaimed knowledge that any part of the $2,786,000 revenue, of which he said the government was robbed in his district, went directly to Grant. What he claimed was that "Grant knew" money was raised by these frauds to finance political campaigns of which he was the beneficiary. President Grant arrived in St. Louis from Washington the evening of the 5th of October, 1874. He was accompanied by Mrs. Grant and their daughter, Secretary of the Navy Borie and General Babcock. Ten old friends and Federal officials were at the station to meet and welcome the Presidential party. Within the following year four of the ten were convicted of complicity in the Whiskey Ring and were in pri...