Smyrna times., 1866-09-19
Position of Gen. Grant in Relation to
Political Contests

The Chicago Republican, in a letter from
It's reporter travelling with the Presidential
party, makes the following interesting state
ments in connection with Gen Grants refusal
to present himself to the soldiers, who attempt
ed to call him out in advance of the Presidents
arrival at Cincinnati:
The fact is, that Gen. Grant knows, az has
been patent to every one during the whole of
this trip, that continued efforts have been made
to embltter, if possible, his relations with the
PRESIDENT by exciting the jealousy of the latter,
or by making lnvldOus distinctions between
them, and he is determined that no act of his
snail lend any encouragement to any such con-
temptlble proceeding on the one hand or those
that have been made with like persistency to
identify him with the political views of the
President on the other. Gen Grant feels that
next to the President, he is the head of the
army OF the United States, not the head of a
political party. He does not consider the armv
place Tor politician, and therefore will not
permit himself to be committed to the support
OF either OF the present political parties, nor
that the army shall be made party machine
| have submitted the above to the General,
ch0 entirety dpprores Of ,ohdt / hare lcrittca,
amt says that Il fully and cractly expresses his
written, the concluding sentence was in these
words: When he becomes a partisan he in
tends Immediately to resign his present posi-
ton, and to this the General objected, saving
that 1t might be taken to imply that at some
future time ne did intend to become partisan,
whereas hls only intention in using those words
was to express, as an officer of the army, his
dlSapp:0batlon OF any attempt to identify him
with any political party whatever.
ne above conversation with Gen. Grant
took place in the baggage and refreshment car
attached to the train, in the presence of Mai
Gen. RawlinS, Chief of staff, to Gen Grant
and others.
In further conversation with the reporter,
the General made the following assertions con-
cerning the Copperheads:
lie felt that it was above all things desirable
tor officers OF the army to avoid participation
IN ordinary political conflicts, except it was
their DUTY as citizens to support only men who
could show record of consistent LOYALTY =
Whether man s sentiments were ,JohnSon;an
or Republican, he said he felt that it was an
insult to any loyal man to ask him to vote for
any candidate who was not loyal man in 1861
In TINS connection he said that, without ex-
pressing any views of his own for or against the
johnson policy, he yet felt it to be misfortune
Tor Mr.; johnson that the advocates of his poll
cy IN the States through which he had Just
passed, Missouri Illinois and Indiana, and In
dlana' had IN some instances put on their tick
ct men who in 1851 and 1862 had been guilty
! OF known dlslOyaty to the Government; be-
cause (and this was said in n very emphatic
manner) he felt that to ask men whose sons
had shed their blood for the Union to vote tor
men who had been dislOyal to it, was the great
est insult that could be offered. Southern men
he could make allowances for, and he could
ride through the South and get out on a plat
| form and shake hands in friendship with such
men as Lee, johnson or Forrest, because
though they had been almost educated into Sc
cession, they were now truly honest and loyal
in their adherence to the Union, and were seek
ing to strengthen it. But he did not feel in
that way toward Northern men who had once
been disloyal, and neither desired to associate
with them nor have them for his friends. No
such men ShOuld hare his support nor Ou0ht
they to be supported by Mr.. JOtmSons friends
throughout the Ndrthcrn States. lie particu-
larly instanced, as a specimen ofthis objection
able class of men, Hester Clymer, the Demo
cratic candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania
saying that to ask any soldier to vote for sucb
a man, OF at one time known disIoyaltv. ora;nst
another who had served four wears in The fIn;on
army, with credit to himself and bcneft 70 he
country, was gross insult If men desired to
support Mr.. Johnson's policy let them bnt nj
all events, let them vote only for sncb mon -
were true to their country in 1861. 90