The Portland daily press., 1867-04-22

AT every turn we meet with q disposition to
defer In all things to men of military fame. To
become a successful candidate for popular ia
vor one must have military title To make
an opinion worth straw it must be the opin-
ion Of military hero. We have been led into
this train of reflection by the following para
graph, copied by the newspapers as though it
was perfect settler: ..-.r.
Gen. Grant has expressed himself, unreser-
vedly, in condemnation OF the acquisition of
Russian America. He asserts that the who.e
scheme is unadvised, and that the sum paid is
ruinous in view OF our present financial
status. eigt a ..a .HH - .ars
We trust we are not deficient In genuine
respect tor the men who fought our battles,
won our victories and saved the Republic. We
know we are not. No one has for the true
soldier more profound respect Upon Gen.
Grant in particular we look as the greatest
military captain of the age. We regard him
as the first living man in this regard No COM
mander on the stage of active lite has such q
record or has higher claims upon a nations
gratitude.
That he may be elevated to still higher po-
sition than he now occupies is quite possible,
aAko ououAu outA piONc W Dc Tue case we s0du
have great hope that he will be found as safe,
as reticent and as wise in his new position as
he has been in his military career
But what can be more sickening than the
very common practise of quoting Gen. Grant
on query subject as though on questions upon
which he has perhaps never spent a thought,
his impressions are of more importance than
the calm Judgment of the lmost profound
statesman! We remember when Gen. Grant
was absent ten days from Washington on a
Southern visit, spending five days in travelling
and the other five in three cities of the South
and his opinions as to the situation of the
South, based as he said upon the most super
fetal observation, and formed under the most
unfay orable circumstances, were quoted as
though of more importance than those of men
who had spent months in the South, engaged
all the time officially in investigating the condi-
ton of affairs
Now in relation to the Russian Treaty, we
don't see why Gen. Grant should know any
more than other intelligent men, and we don't
believe he has given expression to any such
opinion as is attributed to him in the above
quoted item. To assert that the whole scheme
is unadvised and that the sum paid is ruinous
- seven millions ruin the American nationl
what bosh!-is to assert that thirty-seven out
of thirty-nine Senators didn't know what they
were about; that they, with all the facts before
them, didn't know what was advisable or what
was safe 30 well as those who had no such
sources of information! Gen. Grants proverb-
ial reticence forbids the belief that he has Civ
en- expression to any such opinion as that re-
ferred to.
But suppose he has, what then? Is all the
brain of the patton covered by military cap?
We don't believe any such nonsense. Gen.
Grant is the highest military authority, but on
question like that of the Russian Treaty his
opinion is no better than that of other men.
The presumption is that he knows very little
about the matter, and he is too wise to express
himself too openly upon a question of which
he knows perhaps nothing.
1t is time this toadying to military men. this
mere fiunkeyism, were Gone with, and that
opinions should be received for their sound
ness and eonsonance with good sense and
facts and not because of the position of the
persons giving expression to them. Mrs.
Grundy is dead, or ought to be, and American
independence should be recognized in matters
OF opinion as in other things.