Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-11-28

i
acuuaintances claim tina. his temperament is chvarous
and Lis dsAips romantic in their tsnACy. Warmth
Of affection and great srmusss are the Ong points in
his character, AID mako Lin THAT he is one of the
mos. e1a9rdnary men in this sge of sslshness, when
friendship is indeed what the poet describes it to be,
- :.but a name,
A shade that follows wealth or fame"
Thsse charaet ristics AFFORD clue 10 what is often OBJ
scaee in tho Presidents aclo1z That which seems to
DO the obslin.cy Of personal prid, and the Wulness
o. opinion proves to be only the Alelty OF remarkA-
Die man, whose asetonate disposition Is scarcely COM
pretended by the butterfly society of his worldly
minded contemporaries. Nos. cling 80 lightly 70
their friends that they cannot understand the persist
enoe of higher nature which eleGves all the more
closely the more obstacles interposed in the path Of
Affection trivial personal grievance, slight differ
enee Of opinion the smallest Misunderstanding, and
above ALL the SHADOW of suspicion Of the worlds dis
APPRECIATION srces to give the deAh-bOW to the vast
majority of friendships Ca the other hand true frierd'
sal, Is but famed into brighter fame by every breath
of opposition and 3 never ardent a. when the hollow
smile Of the worlds approval is Withdrawn.
Such friendship in private fe s rare a. it is no
bic Poets have sung its praise from tho days OF Jon
Sin rarer and noblsr ia true friendship in public life.
The sttenuAed atmosphere of the higher regions chils
this delicate and beautiful flower Of the SOUL and it
pershes ere ia 6rst thy petals are unfoded BY so
much as pure friendship in courts and cabinets,
By 80 much is is WOrthier of praise. Nor has this
praise been wantuE whenever and wherever these rare
occasions have called for it. Praise is cheap and easy
to the ssnmeutAisS Sho fad the practice Of any Vir-
tue TOO costly for their slender resources and too hard
for their sensitive nerves
But what is lovely and harmless in private life may
wear another aspect and be attended With far different
results on higher and wider scene The friendship Of
the great carries With iAvOrS which cannot be limited
10 their results 30 the friends themselves. Il i
longer matter between two individuals, for the State
has become party q thu contract Hnd the Welfare Of
the nation is involved The warmth of dShp soft
ening the Judgment may miseAd great civil chief and
induce him to bestOW upon his iaVorite gilt Of power,
which no dspassionAte mind would have bestowed and
which that fAVOrite is wholly incompetent to WELD.
If upon trial. his incomPetenoy be proved that very
teuaciIy Of friendship which is in itself noble and
worthy OF all praise, becomes in lis effects hdeouI and
deserving Of all reprehensiOn for the glow of affection,
Increasing with each Successive proof of incompetency
and each additional evidence OF pubic dsApproba ton,
weakenA and Warps the judgment more and more, until
to the blind and partial eyes Of the friend in power
the sacrifice of his favorite the aspect of
crime so henous and inexcusabe that hardly any pub
lie calamity can Justify it, and certainly disasters
viii present themselves in their light the direct
consequences of this Partially. Tho public cannot ap
prove nCOmpeteney and yet their dsApprOvs but adds
to tie fire of the grea: mans friendship nteusfes his
and he Of
rect Judgment ensures the tenure OF the avore in office
and the cont of tue depOabe results of his in
competency. Who does not see that ia this manner
private vHtue may become public wrong, and be at
landed with consequences the aal1o the eoantry
And who does not psrceve that the only chance of
curing the Paray which produces these consequences
il sudden nd'vOlent effort, of which the friend in
power is daily less capable ard which, the longer it s
postponed seems less necessary and outrageous to
the seusibilites of both parti-s.
To bring the matter home. President Davis is Elm
cerey and deeply attached to Gen. Bragg, has implicit
filth in his abilities military leader and cannot
bring himself believe that the public is enlightened
in lis of confidence in his capacity Some sinister
and interested motive appears 10 be at the bottom of
the opposition % hm-sone personal feeling against
himself (Plesidsnt DLUs) and some question Of bis
ability to sslect the right for the light place. II
such be The suspicion of the President can assure BIN
that he is entirely mistaken. No personal hostility to
the Chief Magistrate actuAtss the hundreds and thou
sands Of those Who implOre . change Of commanders
for the army at ChckamAuga. The majority of those
WAC make this enreaty-hoH earnestly, almost piteously
they make !-entertai6 the highest admiration and
respect iOr no President Doubling nothing of his
purity, his patriotism his high Intellectual capacity,
they nsVerthOgs think be has permitted his friendship
to carry him TOO far. That i all They lack confidence
in Gen. Bragg, because in the of things they
cannot possibly mink otherwise They have seen him
At the head Of one o; the largest b. AVest best drilled
and les: equipped armies in TIE COnfs3eracy, driven
back, step by step, nearly thousand miles. from s1e
vicinity oil LOHiVIe Kentucky, nearly to Atlanta, al
most ia the heart OF Georgia. They have seen him
deliver four general engagements, in ali Of
which his troops fought brATsly troops
could REht but In ali Of which their brave
~ wAa virtuAlly wasted, In consequence Of the
faulty dispositions Of the Commanding General. Fl
nAl they have seen him AZ the head of late vctO-
rOus army driven from position strong by nature and
dOubIy StrO1g BY ARA humiliation which no great
Southern army has ever before suffered. They have
seen thS and they compelled to cOnclude that the
dsAstor vas the result either Of want Of skiOn the
part Of the General or want Of cOnhdsn,e in him on
ths part of the trOOpG They have this and they
think they have seen enough. EuOggh to Sstsfy them
that neither the reputation Of General Bragg nor the
welfare of the country be served BY his continuing
in command. Enough to satisfy them that President
Davis il not bpns6ng his friend but hArming him. BY
retaining hm-or however the public may be that
General Bragg has done his hest, they still will blame
him for not reagning place he Is not able 10 , and
in which he Il making himself the ecapsgoAt Of tsrr