Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1866-01-10
soathern Tribute to eeneral erant..
From the Mobile Register and Advertiser John For,
f..1gl csythe, Editor, December IS, 1885. -
GENERAL GRANT.

sr=H srz5 GRNERAL. GRANT, a 4
GENERAL Grant grows upon US in his char
acter Of a wise man and a conservative state
man. From the moment that be overwhelm-
ed General Lee with the irresistible force Of
numbers, welded byhis iridomitable viii and
untiring perseverance, lie cropped the char
Facter of military conqueror, and all his ut-
teTancest have been those q of a patriot and
statesman, who saw that the sword had finish
ed work, and the policy Of Cancellation was
the duty of the hour. The honorable terms
he awarded to General Lee and his veterans,
who had opposed him with determined and
bloody resistance, struck chord of'syInpathy
in ntlien Southern breast, othe intonatiou of
which waszin exact ProportiOh' to the singu-
lar rarity. of deeds Of generosity up to that
time, from the Federal commanders. Grant
was. essentially. a "Union General He
fought in sincerity and in earnest for the pre-
.servation of the &c Union not as a pretext
for Interior views, not as an excuse for slaugh-
ter, plunder, confiseatiOn and subjugation, but
as reality And when the first step in his
object had been accomplished, in dispensing
the armies organized 10 break it up, he prov
ed his sincerity by acts and efforts to bind
up the political wounds inflicted by war, and
by Immediately dropning the sword to seize
the olive branch. He has thus shown his
want of sympathy with the radical plan of
continuing the in time of peace, and Of
rejecting the Union which they had fought
for -s.1e.e.s q IL .--. -
His conservative tendency and his love Of
JUSTICE and truth have been recently manifes-
ted in the report he made to the President
of the condition of things in the South
whence he had inst returned He declared
the people sincerely and heartily desirous Of
restoration, and in earnest in their profess
Sions and vows of allegiance to the Govern
ment of the United States. He told the
truth, also, unpalatable to the negro -worsh-
ippers, that the freedmen were, for the
most part, idle and unwilling to enter into
labor contracts for the coming year. In this,
he has performed valuable service to the
South. for his testimony viii outweigh upon
the Northern public mind, the reports of a
fhnuSand SuGh eEparte witness as Carl Schurz,
John CnY0de and General Banks. ....
In his late admirable report of the opera
tiOnS Of the great armies under his command.
he gives another proof Of his spirit and the
broad nationality Of his feelings, in a grace
f1l passage of Tribute to the gallantry of the
South 9Aftef' doing Justice to the equal brave
nv Of the troops of the East and the West, |
who had fought under his eye, he adds: "Let.I
ne hope for perpetual peace and harmony
with the enemy. whose manhood, however, |
drew forth such Hercuean deeds |
Of valor" .'" +
A.n1an of General Grants stamp is invalu-
allie toa country in an epoch like this
Events may take a shape TO open to him
even wider and grandeT field Of patriotic |
effort than that in which he has already. earn
ed SC. distinguished a reputation. He may |
vet have to marshal parties and policies as
he has heretofore doue batiaIons and ARMIES |
A Democrat in political faith and education, |
and Conservative in sentiments and princi- |
pies, who knows but that he is the coming I
man to rally the hosis of bis political pur-
suasion to the defense of the rights and lib /
critics guaranteed by the Constitution Of the !
Union. This high duty of great leader !
shin has TO dSvolye on some strong patriot |
Fortune has placed President. johnson in
the gap Of freedom but he may fail, or try |
ing. iall9like Leonilas and his little band at |
In either event General Grant
possesses the great qualities and rare gifts to
fit him 20 take up the flag of the Constitution |
a~d bear it IN trinmph. The Douglas Demo |
orat Of 1860, the first soldier Ct the United /
States, after four years Of fiery ordeal, the
idol Of the army and the object Of high es-
seem aud respect in theSouth ss well as in /
the North, where could the Dem cratic con-
servatives of the nation find worthier lead
sr, otsthe restored United States a most hon
est President? AspoIiticaI currents are now
.inning. these thoughts may become pro-
ohecies before three short years roll away