Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-09-14
Letter ftOm Wendell phill,pp.

was 10 pc tne great raulcal lehueTi Ut
semi, conservative leader, or something
else, not quite known to himself, has
evidently fallen between stools. Fessen-
den, who has been gravely quoted Of late
as having determined on impeachment,
ms il that amounted to anything, Phil
lips thinks nearly as stupid as Grant,
and the whole radical Congress he shows
up very much as it is. 1t will be known
in all coming time as the laundering
Congress-a body whose work was all
patchwork for want Of statesmen. 1t is
little. better than the Nashville Legisla-
ture. Phillips is near right in oonoeding
that Johnson has them on the hip from
all causes. Hear him;
Grant at last has spoken and-blun-
dered How he stalked into the Secretary
ship, his friends Boosting his great power
to prevent mischief; What mischief has
he prevented? None. The only power
he claimed against the President a
moments thought obliges him to re-
nounce This is our practical states
man, whose first move is blunder
This was our st. Michael, whose resist
less sword was to NOW down the Satan
or the fallen host Instead OF that we
find that he does not even know how to
draw it
The great popular leader sinks to be
only the Presidents Secretary issuing
orders he abhors sits, like ancient
Pistol eating his leek and grumbling
Was ever boastful promise followed by
such miserable failure2 The General of
the United States is to day weed caught
in the Presidential maelstrom, and unless
some better brains than his own come to
the rescue, sure soon to be swallowed in
the vortex. Let no Grant man after
this call johnson clumsy knave; he
has found wit enough to befool the model
leader, whose silence passed for the
highest wisdom-the puff of whose cigar
was statesmanship Once before there
vas an animal which passed tor lion
till he spoke.
Grant friends excused the shame of
his taking Stanton's Office on the ground
that he got thereby so much power to
prevent mischief. What power to pre-
vent mischief has he gained by becoming
Secretary Absolutely none. His re-
monstrances are wholly disregarded he
is obliged, as Secretary, to issue orders
he dislikes, and wait till, as General, he
can do something to avert their sad re-
suits. Evidently then he has gained no
beneficial power by taking the War De-
partment. Has he, by such an act, as
sumed position which teaches the peo'
nle What valuable lessons do the peo-
ple learn from the sight of their admired
and trusted leader befooled into this
sorry plight by brains so muddled that
when, as Secretary, Grant demonstrates
AGAINST a measure, johnson, forgetting
that Grant is anything but General,
charges him with "insubordination i
as if a cabinet officer could be guilty of
q 0insubordination |" We challenge the
South to produce q negro as unfit to
vote as this man shows himself to pre-
side over q cabinet
Grant has not, as Secretary, averted
anv mischief. Has he, by taking the of
fee, reused and taught the people2 ? To
fasten public attention more thoroughly
on his plotted treason, to- rouse them to
their duty, is worth anything but sacri-
fee of conscience. Has Grant done this
great public duty by taking Stanton 8
office3 Daes chagrin at seeing his igno-
rance. does disgust at Witnessing the
Presidents paltry triumph over him
teach them the needed lessonY Every
thoughtful man sees that so far as
Grant 8 influence is concerned the loyal
masses are weaker to- day than yesterday.
If Grant had Indignantly protested
against Stanton's suspension and refused
to accept the place, that would have
reused and taught the people, and made
him President of the United States on
inst platform. Instead OF, this, the peo-
ple see to-day that Grant rushed forward
TO help oust Stanton, supposlng himself
to POSSESS power of controlling the dis
trict commanders, which he now comics
ses he has no title to do. He stands
before the public convicted at once OF
Ignorance of his own duties and faith
lessness to his friends.
AS matters stand, the only advan tage
the masses gain from this event IS one
more hollow idol broken-one more
sham exploded. Grant joins Mcclellan,
to stand forever in history among the
might have been" We by no means
undervalue this gain. But the present
business of the nation is neither to break
nor to mend idols. Our present bus-
ness is to save the loyalty of the South
from plunder aud death. In this great
emergency it appears that neither the
Thirty ninth Congress or the Fortleth
Congress had sense enough to draw
statute that would hold water. If Grant
be bunder, he has scores Of comrades
in the last and present Congress.
II 1861 will stand in our history as the
near of treason, 1867 will surely be
marked on the same page as the year oil
ounces. Treason no doubt hourlshes
to-day in Washington, but incompetency
is the dominant characteristiow which dis
gusts the nation and amuses the world.
If the real government IS shown at
Washington then 1t is demonstrated that
Democracy is failure. A head of the
State who would long ago have wrecked
it, had not heaven graciously provided
that he should be even weaker than he
was wicked; Congress-ht body to ut
head-ruled by a conservatism winch
modesty assumes to represent the calm
wisdom of the nation and smiles, Nal
volio like, on its critics as sentimental
lists. The result Of this wisdom, code
which, worse than the old sarcasm, not
only lets the big villains through, but
cannot even catch the small ones.
What can we expect a practical com
mon sense from a Senate which follows
Fsssenden as a leader; man OF whom
it may be truly said that the nation has
taken no one important and critical step
since 1861 which his influence or vote
1;1 -, -os;s4 rntil nonular GOOD sense