Page "Ulysses S. Grant" Paragraph 54

Grant's curt response to Johnson in the Stanton matter increased his popularity with the Radical Republicans ; John Weiss Forney, editor of the Washington Daily Chronicle, who had paved the way for previous presidential nominations, took up the effort for Grant's nomination, by first inquiring with Rawlins about Grant's interest in the presidency.

Rawlin's response was that while Grant was a loyal member of the Republican Party, he would be unable to serve as president for financial reasons, since he would lose his lifetime military pension upon ascendancy to the White House, and the presidency did not provide any such income benefit.

By becoming President under current terms, Grant would at best leave the office at age 56 with no income, assuming he served two terms.

Rawlin's strategy in making this response was that if Forney had real influence over the matter, he could facilitate a legislative change to solve the problem.

The ultimate answer was that this could not be changed.