Washington telegraph., 1852-09-15
From the New Orleans Bulletin.
Administrative Talent of General Scot

A good many Wings of the old Sort who
are said to be lukewarm towards the Wing
nominations for President, and hesitating
whether they shall support it or not, do so
upon the ground that Gen. ScoTr is a mill
itary man, and that military men are not
calculated for high civil Offices. This is
their only objection. We do not believe its
validity can be sustained The heroes of
the Bible, and many of the great military
men of ancient and modern history, have
attained equal eminence, as lawmakers,
with the first statesman of their respective
ages Frederick, Napoleon, Wellington
and Washington, are illustrious modern ex-
amples Speaking of Wellington, we may
add that JOHN ARTHUR RoEBUCK an emf
nent member of the British Parliament, has
recently written history of the Wing Min
istry from 1880 to the passage Of the Re-
form Bill, in which the following opinion is
given of the Duke of Wellington at the
time he was made Premier. The London
Quarterls Reyiea0, thigh authority refer
ring to this work, says: "Mr. Roebuck has
evidently studied Gurwood with diligence.
and closed the invaluable book with clear
and honest conviction. So have thinking
men of all parties-all countries--nowhere
more decidedly than in France"
mo man can be great soldier, unles he
possesses great administrative talent. and
this talent is more likely to be brought forth
and fosterel by the business of war than by
the management of cases at Nisis Prius;
yet because of the habit of speaking the
lawyer is deemed capable of governing;
while the soldier, whose life is spent III ac-
tion. and not in talk, is considered unversed
in what are called the civil affairs of State.
The training of the Duke of Wellington
was, however, of much higher character
than any which ordinary statesmen, or sol
diers or lawyers. can hope to enjoy In In
dia, and Spain, and Portugal, he led armies
and he governed nations. TO feed his ar
mics, and to keep the people for whom he
was nominally engaged obedient and favor
able to his cause, he was obliged to bring
into requisition all those great qualities OF
mind which are needed for the practical
government of mankind. Every intricate
question of finance, the various and perplex-
ing operations of trade, the effects of every
institution, commercial, political, Of law and
Administrations all had to be understood,
weighed watched, and applied, while he led
the armies of England, and, in fact, govern
ed the people of Spain and Portugal. The
vast combinations needed for his great cam
paigns made him familiar with every opera
ton of government and the peculiar rela-
ton in which he stood to the people of Spain
and Portugal and their various rulers, called
into action every faculty Of his mind, and
made him profoundly skilled in the difficult
art of leading and controlling men Of all
classes and of all characters
If Gen. Scott has not displayed all the
high attributes, the possession OF which this
author awards to the Duke of Wellington,
then American history is not to be trusted.
Look at his campaign in Mexico. He had
a conquered nation at his feet, and all the
Intricate questions of finance, the various
and perplexing operations of trade, the ef-
fects Of every institution, commercial and po-
litical of law and administration, had to
be considered and determined by him, just
as Wellington had to consider and deter
mine the same questions when he was vir-
tually the ruler Of Spain and Portugal
The paragraph we have quoted will apply
to both of these greatest living ehieftains up
on the face of the earth, and to it we invite
particular attention.