Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-09-17
From the Anti-Slavery Standard.I
Hard Knocks by Wendell Phillips
General Grant, Senator Fessenden,
and the Whole Radical Con-
gTeSS ElOOred.

Grant at last has spoken and-blundered
How he stalked into the Secretaryship, his
friends bOasting his great power to prevent
mischief What mschiefhas he prevented
None. The only power he claimed against
the President moments thought ObIiges
him to rcnounce. This is our ''practical"
statesman, whose first move is blunder =
This was our St. Michael, whose resistlcss
sword was to NOV down the Satan of the fall
leu 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 "aucicut l'istol' eating his
leek and grumbling Was ever boastful
promise followed by such miserable failure
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 recuc, sure soon to be swallowed
in the vortex. Let no Grant man after this
call johnson clumsy kRave; he has found
wit enough to beioOl the model leader, whose
silence passed for the highest wisdom-the
puff of whose cigar was craftsmanship. Once
before there was an animal which passed for
lion till he spoke.
Grants friends excused the shame of his
taking Stauton's Office on the ground that he
got thereby so much power to prevent mis-
chief. What power toPrevent mischief has he
gained by becoming Secretary! Absolutely
none. Ills circumstances are wholly disre-
garded he is obliged, as Secretary, to issue
orders he dislikcs, and wait till. as General,
he can do something to avert their sad results
Evidently, them he has gained no beneficial
power by taking the War Department. Has
he, by such au act, assumed IA position which
teaches the people! What valuable lessons
do the people learn from the sight OF their
admired and trusted leader beioolcd 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 :" As if a Cabinet officer
could be guilty of characterization ~ We
challenge the South to produce a negro as
unfit to vote as this man shows himself to pre-
side over a Cabinet.
Grant has not, as Secretary, averted any
mischief Has he by taking the office reused
aud taught the people? 10 fas,en public
attention more thoroughly on this plotted trca-
son-to rouse them to their duty-is worth
anything but sacrifice OF conscience. Has
Grant done this great public du:y by taking
Stanton office Does chagrin at seeing his
ignorance, does disgust at witnessing the
Presidents patry triumph over him, teach
them the needed lesson! Every thoughtful
man sees that, SO far as Grants 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 a Just
platform. Instead of this, the people see to-
day that Grant rushed forward to help oust
Stanton, supposing himselfto to possess a power
of controlling the district commanders which
he now coniesses he has no title to. He
stands before the public convicted at once of
ignorance of his own duties and faithlessness
as a friend.
As matters stand, the only advantage the
masses gain from this event is one more hol-
low idol broken-oue 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 busi>
ness is to save the loyalty of the South form
plumber and death. In this great emergency
it appears that neither the Thirty ninth nor
the Forticth Congress had sense enough to
draw a statute that would hold water. If
Grant be n blunderer, he has scores of COM
rades in the last and present Congress.
If 1861 will stand in our history as the year