New-York tribune., 1867-08-02
JPSE DIYIT.

| IPSE DIXIT
| We are living in rainy season of rumOrs.
| The public likes to have its intelligence fresh
hot, and spicy; and what the public likes it
generally succeeds in obtaining Many large
and many little men joy TO be mentioned in the
journals, and dilate with plcasurable delight
upon seeing their private conversation carried
to all points of the compass upon paper wings
| their jokes, their jibes, their sOemnitles and
| their sarcasms, their bracing and their unbend-
| ing We do not know that the President is
| pleased with this trumpeting of his small talk,
which come to us sometimes in native purity
from its original source, and sometimes through
the obliging Interpretation of Mr. Stanbery;
we do not, in truth, know that the
| President is Just now in frame
of mind to be easily pleased by anything; and
| if he be in the least sensitive by nature or
education we can imagine how much his dell
cate spirit must be grieved by the liberal dis
closures of the correspondents. 1t is, indeed,
another matter if he talks to be reported, and,
| in default of decent organ, takes this method
of communicating his views to the country.
| In such case we ought to be much obliged 10
| him. and cheerfully struggle to reconcile the
most contradictory statements. By the iast
accounts he was saying that "the Democrats
"a are, some of them, very reasonable, ana
| "s some of them very unreasonable. some
| wanted him to give them all the 0fhces,
"and some did not ask anything of the
"kind.n If he will now communicate to
an astonshed world the names OF those
gentlemen who "dOn't ask anything of the
"kind,r he will tell us something worth know
ing. We fear it will be found upon such dis
closure that Democrats of the moderate spe-
cies by no means expect to be left out of the
partial distribution which they so magnani-
mously approve. The party has lost almost
everything else, but it has retained an extra
ordinary quantity of human nature-enOugh,
in fact, for party of twenty times Its size.
| If the Democrats are "yery reasonable" upon
the af-and- fish point, it is but lately.
Another gentleman whose coloquial waits are
waited TO us upon the tide of intelligence, is
that brave man, Gen. Grant, who is, or was
lately, disporting himself by the sad sea
waves at Long Branch, as one newspa-
per correspondent is good enough to
| inform us, with q genteel suit OF
| dress-clothes on :" At other tines we are
told, he appears Gin a finely fitting dress uni
" form, his slim and fragile figure shining out
4" to great advantage But these points of in
| teligence are of Importance only to army tail
ors and to Jenkins Clothes, in the view of
all sensible men, must yield to conversation,
| and epauets to opinions. Unfortunately, Gen.
Grant smokes, and n smoking man may talk
or not as he pleases. When attacked by the
| Boswells, the chief resorts to a full-tlavOred
Havana, and confines himself pretty much to
puffs aud monosyllables. If still more closely
beleaguered, he calls for his horses and, like a
faithless lover, rides away. Should the emer
gency arise should the crowd of cross
| examiners become too great, we expect
TO hear of this reticent commander rush
| ing into the blows of the ocean in
| full regimentals, and nobly surrendering his
best buttons 10 the deteriorating brine. Thus
| far, he seems equal to the situation. Some
thing is extracted from him. but not much.
His utterances are brief. His mOts are
shadowy. He does mt put his opinions on
| parade. He refuses, with rare sagaeity, TO be
confidential. He is proof against the passion
for being printed He might have two or
three columns to himself in almost any issue
of almost any morning paper. but he emulates
the lamb in the hands of the shearers, and
opens not his mouth except for necessary
fumigatorial purposes This may be prudence;
il NAV be contempt for his enemies in the
guse of friends; it may he love of smoking
| for all true smokers are tacturn-but be the
motive on cause what it may, the General does
| we'll and shows himself worthy of the fine old
| Grecian name which he bears in thus husband
| inc his strength for the day of battle, and in
! Jo,l;n;n,r IN taIl himself into n nolitical tOmly
He is surrounded just now by a sharp set of
schemers and engineers, and silence may prove
| his salvation.
What the President says is entertaining;
what gen. Grant might say, If he talked,
would probably bc just and true; what Jones,
Smith, Brown, Robinson, and many other
minute notabilties say. though duly and eX-
! tensively reported we are dislncllned to re-
! gard as oracular. But we get II from all
quarters, and are duly informed that Jones Is
| with the President on the Reconstruction ques-
ton; that Smith is of one mind and Brown OF
another, while Robinson continues to occupy
the interesting position of the ass between two
stacks of hay. If n mans opinions are OF
| importance to the country, they will be sought
| for by responsible bodies, and when the proper
| hour has arrived he duly and authoritatively
announced To pump the President is dis
respectful to his Office, aud is taking undue
advantage of his fine, natural candor TO
pump the Lieutenant General is waste of
wind and of time; to pump Jones Il Co. Is to
| play upon their credulity, and to awaken hopes
| in their bOsoms which must be cruelty blighted.
! Our word for it, u President can be elected
! without these political hydraulics. u