Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-04-16
A TEMPERANCE LECTURE.
Phillips Sober Appeals Against Grant
Drunk

Drunk.
From the Anti Slavery Standard.
SO of Grants intemperance. We think
the evidence was sufficient before. But if
anything in the way of proof was lacking
il is simply supplied by the speech of Mr.
Dodge, of New York, the President of the
National Temperance Society, and by the
letter of Mr.. Senator Wilson, published in
the Boston DAILY Adgsrtiser, April l. Mr..
Dodge has been in Washington, and ASSURES
temperance men they need have no fears.
He knows of the reports of the Generals
recent public intoxicaLion. AT such mo-
nient, and speaking as an officer ofthe Tenn
perance society, Mr.. Dodge would have
denied the truth of those reports If he had
been able to DO so. His omission to do
that, and the evasive, general terms in
which he INDUCES, will convince any
thoughtful teetotaler that Mr.. Dodge knows
and feels that he cannot deny the Generals
intempeFance. He has schooled himself
into thinking that it does not amount to
enough to peril the State, and hence let
ting his party feelings override his temper
anee principles, he is willing to run the
risk What We claim is, that, before he
| asks us TO run any risk, he let us know the
| eIdct facts. Then We will decide whether
to ran it or not.
Mr.. Wilson's letter Is even more char
acteristic, and therefore evasive He, too,
knows OF the reports as to Grants public
drunkenness on a particular day 10 last
January. If We mistake not, these reports
weEe brought more than once to his notice.
In his letter he says, II have seen Gen.
Grant in the camp, in his office, at his
town bonse, and at dinner parties where
liquors were freely used by Others, but
have never seen him drink even a glass of
wine, nor have lever seen him when | had
the slightest zeason to think he was in any
degree under the influence of drink"
OF c0urse, no doubt. We never saw Grant
| drunk or sober. But Mr.. Wilson knows
we'll that the country never asked him, as
a prominent teetotaler, whether he had
seen Grant drunk. The question was, "Sir,
living in Washington, knowing the facts,
or easily able to know them, what are the
facts as to the alleged public exposures of
your Presidential candidate ?" Mr. Sena-
tor Wilson undertakes to answer that ques-
ton. His answer is, he never sac Grant
drunk. If any shrewd lawyer had, IN such
circumstances, received from a witness such
an answer, he would have asked no further
question; but taken it for granted and
urged to the jury that the witness substan
TALLY admitted the drunkenness. To US
no further evidence is necessary. Know
ing Henry Wilson, we see in this equivo-
cation convincing evidence that he cannot
and dares not deny that he has
heard from Trustworthy sources of
this public drunken exposure of his
candidate Mr. Wilson's course on
this occasion is precisely the same he pur-
sued year ago when, having originated
a report as to the drunkenness of a Massa
chusetts Congressman, and afraid to meet
the consequences, he equivocated himself
out of the responsibility. Now, when all that
Congressman constituents admit his intox-
ication, it is not probable that Mr.. Wilson
would think it worth while TO shuttle. If
Grant, as President, should show himself,
in Mr.. Dodge's felicitous language, 'fully
capable of filling Andy Johnson's place."
drunkepness and all or when Grant is
thrown aside, because he has been Presi-
dent, or Is not needed for that Office, we
shall hear the absolute truth about this
vice, even from Henry Wilson. Now when
the temperance body need his knowledge,
he obeys that same law OF timid self-pres-
ervation which shocked his admirers when
it carried him seishly into the Know
Nothing party to save his place. We call
this letter equiVocation. 1t is mild phrase
considering the vast peril and the value
the writer Processes to set on temperance.
We should be amply justified in describing
it by much stronger term. And the con-
slant repetition of th.s ohense by this pub
lie servant seems almost to call for such
frank description.
In view of this element in his career, the
success OF Mr.. Wilson il one of the most
alarming results of D}mocratic institutions
sad evidence how often they throw worth
less men to the top.
WENDELL PHILLIPS.