The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-27
rrhn Iohn npon-Grant Correanondenos.

IRON no ~ y BUe,fnO Post
part of the correspondence between the
President OF the United States and the General
of the army upon recent important public
events has been published. The present cor
spOndence relates to the removal of General
Sheridan; there wasa previous correspondence
Il seems from an incidental passage In General
cayanps letter, which concerned the question of
removinQ Mr stanton. The last has not vet
been made public; we trust 1t Will soon be pub
lished. The President relies upon his constitu-
tional authority TO remove officers; he does not,
he says think General Sheridan a fit man for
the place, and he therefore puts another in his
Nbout his authority under the Constitution
there has been no discussion. He is the CHIEF
exeeutive and he has authority to do what in
his INDICTMENT is best in this and in many other
Inaiters of public interest. The question is as
TO the expediency Of his action. me PRESIDENT
verv great authority by the people; but they
on Inc other hand, hold MIN responsible for the
manner in which he exercises that authority
asa5 ,nowar. they REQUIRE of him sound judg-
ment q correct appreciation OF the woiK ne mas as
10 do and such wise @ O ond not "
Keen public affairs at deadlock, as MI Jonn-
son has done, or give advantages 10 Lne
enemies of the country, as Mr.. Buchanan did
nndsr q plea substantially the same as that of
M; " ~ OTohnEon's letter is the production OF q
nolitieal theorlst, who lives up in the clouds,
and evolves what he tmagines TO be policy
siout OF the depths of his inner consciousness"
such men, blind like bats, pig-headed looking
al ali questions only as they affect themselves,
their Individual "rights," their wills, their
desires, their mates ana preJuulceS, MAKE excel
lent clogs, but they accomplish nothing. Mr..
Johnson has managed to keep the southern
States under military rule; he has Kept the
country in a turmoil; he has paralyzed indus
try, kept down the price of our securities
abroad; and with all this he has been the means
OF putting constantly severer conditions upon
the Southern States. These are the results of
what he calls his policy" which is simply
the policy of an angry boy.
He pretends to a horrible fear OF military
despotism, ;, but everybody knows that the only
fears for the perpetuiIy OF our system, during
the last two years, have arisen from his blum
dering and persistent opposition to the public
will: the only reason for the long delay in the
completion of the work of reconstruction is his
interference with it. The Southern States
would have accepted the ruling OF fCoAgress had
not Mr.. Johnson melted the ex-Rebel politi-
clans there to opposition. They would have
accepted the constitutional amendment had he
not again opposed 1t, and excited their opposi-
tion. They were ready to accept the Recon
BtructiOn act, but he has succeeded once more
in arOusing the evil hopes OF the worst class in
the Southern States. There is, we believe, COM
mon sense enough now in the South to MAKE
his further efforts of no avail; but upon him,
upon his folly and obstinacy, rest the hopes
to-day, OF the extremists who demand wholesale
What of General Grant, on the other hand
His statesmanlike letter will put to shame the
persons and presses who have for several
weeks been trying to fix upon him, for their
private purposes the suspicion of foollshness
equal to Mr. Johnsons; Grant advises the
officer has the confidence of the country, ana
because to remove him will be to encourage
those who are factiously opposing recon-
General Sheridan has performed his civil duties
faithfully and intellgently His removal viii only
gTess Il WIZ be Interpreted by ths e econ
break up this Government by arms and now wish to
be the only element consulted as to the method of
e Iepe%ed opposon to the viii OF the ioya
believing that they have the Executive with them"
Grant points to the effect of the proposed
act the President chooses to disregard this en-
tirely, and insists upon his right. 1t needed
only such a spirit in Mr.. Lincoln to ruin the
began. Is it not part of a statesman's duty to
consider and most gravely, the effect of his acts?
General Grants opinions on reconstructionI
are not q secret. He has spoken freely with
many persons; and there was not the slight
est occasion for the misrepresentation to
which he has lately been subjected. He be-
lieVes that the work of reconstruction ought,
on every account. to be completed as quickly
as possible. He holds that the country is
seriously injured by the long delay which has
occurred. He thinks that military rule over
the South is not nearly SO bad or so dangerous
for the South as for the country at large; that,
as he once put it TO a friend in conversation, It
is Just as IL was with slavery, which though it
was hurtful and mischievous to all, was far
more injurious to the masters than to the
slaves. Grant holds that the Congressional
policy when it was declared, should have been
carried into effect at once that ali opposition to
1t ought to be discouraged and that 1t is eXpe-
dent to that end that all parts of the Govern
nent should appear to be cordially united in
carrying it out, to the end that the whole
country may, as speedily as possible, be placed
under L00 peaC6Iul supremacy VI Gu6 COnSIlJu-
tion, and all parts be represented In Congress.
Now in this faith Grant has the greater part
of the Republican party with him. He is not,
of course, favored by the persons who desire to
keep the country in a turmoil, who wish still
further to delay the work of reconstruction,
who insist on confiscation, etc.
But Grant has with him, in his behalf the
greater part of the Republican party, which
earnestly desires the completion of the work of
reconstruction, and he has with him also con-
siderable part of the Democratic party, which
has the same desire. Statesmanshlp Is TO do
the best possible. It is not to grow furious
because your own wishes are impossible. IL Is
not 70 put q stop to everything because affairs
do not go our own way. General Grant Is not
q politician, but his letter shows him to be q
statesman and patriot; man wise enough to
see that 1t is best to work with the means al
hand, and to q possible end; and clear-headed
enough not to forget the end in looking at the
means, - 49,
Mr. johnson, on the contrary. began with
urging the necessity of as quickly as possible
completing reconstruction; and then, because
the country did not approve of his means al
once forgot the end, and has been ever since
acting as though his single object was to pre-
vent and put off reconstruction as long as pos
sible At FIRST the community was with him
but, naturally, now it is against him-for Il
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