The Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1865-1870, 1868-01-09
GRANT.

e1pAbility OF stopping work wnen ne gets nj!
work DONE That is to say. he knows how t.
mind his own business and let his neighbors
alone. This peculiarly is what is idiomatic
ally called "common sense" There must
be . very nicely adjusted balance wheel be.
longing to his braln-system. The bumps Of
caution and individuality are largely develop
ID in his head: and they help him to hi,
wise reticence and freedom from vanity, weak
showings and humbuggery in general
Something Of prepnnderance Of negative
Qualities, one would say; but some crisp, apt
comprehensive, weli-timed sayings of his,
let us know, from time to time, that still
xaters run deep" Men who initiate these
qualities BY assuming silent profundity OF
manner only break silence to prove their
likeness to Jack Bunsby. Grant appeared
to great advantage before the Judiciary Com
mittee of Congress. He said what he had to
say, directly and with perfect clearness and
freedom from all egotism or self-comparison.
and then resumed his cigar. He is in the
habit Of working hard. thinking in healthy,
unabstracted way, and letting his acts speak
for him. He is not poet; not reformer :;
not sent;nentalist; not in sympathy with
isms. But. Winding his own business, he at
tacks none of these p.culiarities and pet
ideas Of other men. Horace Greeley has
ventured the opinion that he is " not even
great General" We suppose that Horace's
idea Of great man is one who is continually
under the influence Of restless Genius to
do something startling and grand Magni6-
cent failures are what often follow in the
wake Of greatness; and Grants quiet avoid
a1ce Of cata.trophes and horror Of ofiicious
undertakings are, We suppose, what make
him seem wanting in Mr.. Greeley's eyes.
We suspect that the majestic manner and in
comparable soldier-like bearing" of the
late General Scott have. imperceptibly to him.
cell, become Mr.. Greeley's model Of al
" great" soldiers character. The fact is
" glory seems to lose its sheen and splend-
or when one looks upon the quiet, common
place, modest man Of medium stature who
holds the place of General-in-Chief Of the
United States Armies. Putting him in COM
pany and contrast with Burnside, Hooker,
sedgwick, Hancock, Sumner, old Harvey, |
Phil. Kearney, or even old Wool, and Grant |
lssks like farmer among field marshals-l
locks like the least and most unpromising |
among them. But he happens to be = prac-
zeal man. free from all hobbies and all gilt
ter; and was better prepared, As every candid
minded man Of them knew, to WELD the
shole machinery Of the grand Army Of the
Union than any or all of them. Such prac-
,ical operators upon the field Of battle a.
Sherman, Thomas and Sheridan would swear
hat he is so. They know it and Grant
Inev they Lnew it when he singled them out
or his chief subordinates. II Grant was a.
zig and commanding a. Scott, or even a. his
,amesake Winfield Scott Hancock, and look
ID - grand a. he would il encased in such
uperb physique a. either of them, he would.
10 doubt, be accepted a. "great" even by
Horace Greeley. Indeed it may be possible
hat little more egotism and self-assertion
n Grants part would serve him we'll. But,
igh a. We may, he will never write an auto :
biography.
We have got into this strain just from re-
Getting upon something that Miles O'Reilly =
a. lately said about Grant. Miles Charles
!. Halpine) is, a. everybody knows, a Dem
-rat, and the editor of the New York Ma !.
on. In commenting upon the Generals =
s,imony before the Judiciary Committee of .
ongress, the Nation says: o
The published testimony Of General Grant
fore the Judiciary Committee is in every
~ ere Iitable to him. 1t shows that he had pl
e good sense to perceive, at the moment of ss
Glory, both the duty Of the Government to u
ow msynsniInity, in abandoning the right
punish the military leaders Of the rebellion, III
ID MS own duty to abstain from committing kt
. Government to anything further than I'll
3. In this he proved wiser than his time. A;
'. Johnson, with the apparent approval of
q nation, desired to punish these whom 81
rant hid pledged the coun;ry's honor to 10
ARE, while General Sherman. erring On the
,posite tide, sought to arrange by military "
avsn,ien the terms Of eivi! fec'nst5netion: q q
eneral Graut is very explicit in disclaiming
lea, eli her then or now, Of assuming to
gulate p litical affairs or to besto.v political in
hts upon those Who surrendered to him. "a
8 he very justly says, that was matter for
IL sreSS 10 decide. 1t was simply his duty Ct.
cave il alone but it is so rarely that any -,
an does his duty and is content to do it,
At General Grant merits praise for his
,uble virtue The bane OF MIR. Johnson