The New York herald., 1864-04-02


since thenf By his underground railroads. bis
vile and incendiary publications. his invita-
tons to murder, his stirring up the Boston riots,
his recommendations to destroy newspapers,
his bloodtbirsty desire to see every slave
holders throat cut, and by the diabolical ends
which his fanatical and unbrdled passions
even now aim at, be is entitled to the medal as
the most perfect mob inciter in the land.
| General Grant, tho War Department
| and the President.
| General Grant was made commander Of all
the United States armies by the friends OF the
administration in Congress because they had no
faith in the military abilities Of General Hal
leck and because they believed that it was
necessary for the safety Of the country that the
President should have better military advice
than any that General Halleck had been able
to give. They saw how completely our mill
tary operations bad failed Of their object in
the East, and. in common with the whole
country, they believed that the fault lay, not in
the want of any proper quality in our troops,
but solely between the President and General
Halleck Consequently they desired to replace
the Presidents mediocre adviser by an able
soldier; they desired that a technical strategist,
a martinez and a Marplot, should not occupy
the highest place in our armies while there was
man Of genius to fill 1t; they desired that
General Halleck's influence should no longer
be felt in the operations of our armies, and
that General Grant should be supreme in that
bis proper sphere And these men are natu-
! rally dissatisfied at the manner In which the
| President has failed to carry out, and has even
thwarted, their wishes. In the persistent reten-
ton Of General Halleck near to the Presidents
person they see an Inevitable source OF future
| trouble the seeds of an evil that cannot but
cost tho country bittcr price in honor, in
blood, in money AS General Halleck-farly
on trial for nearly two years-had not the
ability to originate the great plans that are to
crush the rebellion, it is hardly to be expected
that he will appreciate the great plans of
another; and it Is believed that he
will be but too ready to criticise
and carp at those plans-as Thersites was
never without his sneer at Achilles-and will
thus be source of discord in our councils
Nor is it to be expected that man of Hal
leck's calibre will have the moral elevation
and greatness of soul to cordially cooperate
with one who, being his subordinate in the
West has come forward SO rapidly, and finally
pushed him from his "pride of place." as Grant
has.
Apparently the friends of the administration
In Congress have not made their wishes suffi-
ciently plain to the President even yet, and
So <I,ok A. Lo,
change in his conduct. Metternich sent to
Paris at critical period in the history of Eu-
rope to study the Emperor Napoleon in the in
tcrcst of those who desired peace wrote of him
the three words. " He is unaltered." Europe
was to be swept again with the hurricane OF
war. And the President after 80 many fear
full lessons, and after the withering rebuke of
Grants promotion, is still unaltcred. aud is
going on in the same old way. He keeps his
Marpiot at his elbow, and under the Marplot's
advice manipulates our armies as he pleases
He ignores Grant ss he did Scott and McClel-
Ian, and we are likely to have reproduced in
this summer the tragedies With resulted from
the fact that while the generals in the field were
carrying on the war in their way the President
q
and doing more to defeat our armies than the
enemy could possibly do. Recently very i'm
portant changes have been made in the Army
OF the Potomac, by which two army corps have
been put out of existence, and by which the
most sweeping changes have been made
in the organ'z ition OF that army and
in its corps and division commanders.
A measure OF such vital con equence to the
efficiency Of that army certainly called for very
ample deiberatioa on the subiect and 1t is
without precedent in military history that such
measure should be undertake and carried
through without the sanction Of the general
who is to lead tie army in battle. Yet it is
positively certain that the whole change in the
Army of the Potomac. made after Grant was
appointed commander OF all our armies, was
made without bis advice being asked upon the
subject, and without his knowledge. 1t was
done entirely by the President and by General
Halleck and General Meade. From this, as
the first result of the retention of General Hal
| leck near to the President, Congress may see
| that its work is only half done. It was not
| enough to elevate General Grant: General Hal
| lcck must be put out Of the way; and until that
is done there is no hope that the conduct Of the
war will be different In the future from what it
has been In the past.
With the army in new hands II was thought
that the war would take new and vigorous
start and that the President would relinquish
his Presidential intrigues and assist In every
way in his power to end this great struggle.
But he is Snaltered in oil respects. In the same
manner as he continues bis plans against the
generals he continues his intrigues 10 the State
Legislatures, and in the little, dirty political
conventions oil over the country. But he will
find that Congress will be frmer and more de-
cided with him on this point than on that Of