Pressured in 1875 to declare himself for or against a third term as
president, Ulysses S. Grant found it equally difficult to decide
what he wanted and to explain himself to the nation. In May, he
pronounced the idea of a third term both constitutional and
potentially expedient, and defended the right of the people to
choose their own leaders. Grant disavowed any desire to continue as
president but expressed gratitude at being chosen twice already.
His conclusion left room for doubt. "I would not accept a
nomination if it were tendered unless it should come under such
circumstances as to make it an imperative duty, circumstances not
likely to arise." As he pondered a third term, Grant's second term
came under increased scrutiny. The first signs of the Whiskey Ring
scandal emerged early in 1875. Investigations uncovered several
well-established "rings" of distillers and officials conspiring to
skim tax revenues. Indictments were handed down in May, notably in
Milwaukee, Chicago, and St. Louis. Those indicted in St. Louis
included some of Grant's own friends. Evidence soon connected the
scandal to the capital, and ultimately to Grant's longtime aide and
secretary, Orville E. Babcock. Warned in July, Grant brusquely
ordered prosecutors to "Let no guilty man escape," even those "who
insinuate that they have high influence to protect, or to protect
them." But in December, when Babcock made a questionable demand for
a military court of inquiry to clear his name, Grant backed him up.
The idea soon fizzled, and by year's end Babcock faced trial in St.
Louis. Grant faced further tribulation in the south. In Louisiana,
supporters of rival legislatures clashed on the streets of New
Orleans.Lieutenant General Philip H. Sheridan, accused of
interfering on behalf of the Republican legislature, described
armed Democrats as "banditti," a remark that became a rallying cry
for southerners and those northerners opposed to federal
intervention. Grant did recognize the limits of northern patience.
In September, after violence flared again in Mississippi, he
hesitated to intervene, noting that "the great majority are ready
now to condemn any interference on the part of the government."
Rumors of gold in the Black Hills signaled a new threat to Grant's
Indian policy. Prospectors flocked to Dakota Territory, and many
slipped through military patrols ordered to stop them. Grant sent
an emissary to the Sioux with a proposal to buy the Black Hills.
Red Cloud responded: "Look at me! I am no Dog. I am a man. This is
my ground, and I am sitting on it." In May, Sioux leaders traveled
to the capital, where Grant renewed efforts to persuade them to
relocate to Indian Territory, "south of where you now live, where
the climate is very much better, and the grass is very much better,
and the game is much more abundant." The Sioux refused, returned
home, and rebuffed a commission sent out to resume negotiations. In
November, Grant tacitly dropped the military patrols. Grant left in
September for an extensive western trip. In St. Louis, he arranged
to sell assets at his farm, which he had resolved to lease after
persistent losses. At a veterans' reunion in Des Moines, Grant
spoke against the use of public funds for parochial education. "The
free school is the promoter of that intelligence which is to
preserve us as a free nation." Traveling as far west as Salt Lake
City, where he met Mormon leaderBrigham Young, Grant could not have
relished the prospect of returning to Washington, D.C. The
Democrats who controlled the House of Representatives prepared to
challenge his administration at every turn.
General
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