The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-08-10


high radical authority and it is for his lr'usr
of course, that the radicals desire he q. nouio
hold on. II would be safe to 60 more into de tail
aad say that it is for one particular virh1e
that he is supposed to possess that the radicals
desire that he should retain his place@the
virtue, namely, of having that kind Of left
handed wisdom and tact that by any and every
means disposes of obnoxious candidates to
public favor Stanton is, in his present position,
relied upon by his radical associates for the
great duty of killing of General Grant, as in
other days he killed of General Mcclellan.
AS the head of the War Department it is sup
posed he may do great service in that dlrec-
ton. He may involve Grant in all sorts of
politico-milkary complications, and put him in
such false positions as to sadly compromise the
great soldier in the eyes of the masses, and
thus give the radical orators and writer's some
material TO work on against that hitherto unas-
saiable name. Grants record is so clear, so
plain, so direct a story of unselfsh patriotism,
that radicaiism feels it has no chance against
such candidate, and it assigns to Stanton the
especial duty TO change all this and involve the
man of The people in the tolls of intrigue. In
the Cabinet, associated so directly with Grant
in the work Of reconstruction, Stanton, it is
held, may accomplish this. Outside the Cabinet
he, of course, could not. Hence ii is vital
part of the radical programme that he should
hold his place; hence even bitter personal
hates are for the time laid aside, and radicals
who love Stanton as little as they love Grant
are willing to risk the Secretary's gaining
great position in his party for the mere hope
that he will cripple the man who otherwise is
beyond their reach.
This is no now bus mess to Stanton. Corrupt
intrigue, covered always by skilful stimulation
of bold and honest purpose, has been the COM
mon vein of his political life. Before he was
in the Cabinet, Chase and his associates, desir-
ing to manage matters in their own peculiar
style, found Cameron in their way-a man who
did not believe that to make Chase President
should be the final object of all human endea-
vor. Cameron's place was important, as it had
all the contracts; and the combination was
made to drive Cameron out and put Stanton
| in, not forgetting to heap at the same time all
possible odium on the retiring Secretary. Stan
ton once in, the vast patronage of the War
Department was in the hands of the combina-
| ton, and the case seemed clear But a new
danger arose. Generals began to Oil large
place in the popular thought; successful SOL
diers attracted to themselves what was thought
| to be an undue proportion of attention, and
Secretaries were in danger of dwindling out Of
sight The problem for the conspirators then
was how to carry on the war without letting
any one general achieve such splendid tr-
umphs as would make him the especial glory
and favorite of the nation. The soldier who
then doomed up with greatest promise was
General Mcclellan. For the right kind Of
action in West Virginia he had been promoted
TO the command of the nations best army, he
had organized it with great success, and had
taken it skilfully and with little loss to the
immediate neighborhood of the enemy's CAPT
tai He was looked upon by the whole country
as the man destined to close the war in blaze
of glory, and the case became desperate for the
political consp;rators in the Cabinet To this
soldier therefore, Stanton resolutely applied
his murderous memorable policy, deter
mined TO kill tho soldier even though
he killed the country. He broke that
army into detachments and paralyzed it by
hampering the commander with all pitiful con-
ditions. He succeeded in forcing the failure
of that campaign, and there and elsewhere de-
stroying the soldier, though by pushing away
the success then within our grasp he caused
the war to reach the proportions 1t did and
piled up the great debt that now weighs
upon us.
He succeeded against Mcclellan; he de-
stroyed Buell. in the West; he broke down sue
cessvely every man that rose into promi-
hence; he became the nightmare Of the
nation. But Gran. rose from battle to battle
in spite of his hindering policy-tr!umphin
over Stanton almost without knowing it, by
plain honesty Of purpose, as he did over the
enemy by his straightforward fighting. Stanton
found that he could not destroy Grant by the
means that had been successful against others,
and resorted 70 the characteristic plan of put
ting q spy In camp under the designation Of an
Assistant Secretary Of War. Il was the bust
ness OF this pitiful fellow to foist himself upon
the soldier at all times, to be present whenever
there was company, to push his way in at
meals to listen at corners, and report all
that might make capital against Grant All
| in vain Grant beat the enemy still, put down
| the rebellion and became the foremost man Of
the nation. But even then the game was not
given up, and we have recently laid before
the public facts in regard to another spy on
Grant, detective, employed, as stated, by q
Massachusetts, Congressman. But the Massa-
chusst.s Congressman in question is hand and
| glove with Stanton, and the game Of one is the
game Of the other; both are lost II case can
not be made against the great soldier before
| the time when the people will choose another
| pros;asnt And in this desperate position Il ia