Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-04-21
Another Assault Upon Grant by
wendell Phillips.
CONVINCING EVIDENCE.

that Grants friends have no real, sufficient
proof Of his 'ty assent t. The radical
theory Of r Fuctlon is the miseTaoIe
shifts they S.z, =, TO in their efforts 70 Wy "
prove such assent In every other @
a presidential candidate opinions We nA's
bsen furnisbsd with authentic, precise Anu
.n,bor;ysd accounts Of his conversaiiop' VI
~ I.,,.rs stating distinctly his sis"s.-
Novv We have guesses and Impressions, A.
sn-.nces and oonjec.ures. MI. "ashoutne
Ink and supposes. Is confident, and has
~ donbt; Mr. Wilson asserts Mr.. Tbs ! |
dsus Stevens believes, but no one ever pre-
tends TO speak by authority. The last straw
which this drowning faith catches at 10 the
recollection which the Hon. Mr.. Gooch, Of
Massachusetts,, has Of . convsrsssiou he |
held, Two years ego. With General Grant. il |
the course Of which the General said Jehn. |
sons evil conduct would have good effect.
q 1t would make the nation more radical
and vigilant Now, this may mean some.
thing Or nothing We asked Mr.. Gooch,
some six months sge, 10 allow US TO cite
this convsrsation. He declined. on the
ground that the General might not recollscs
anything about the matter, or attach any
importance to IL.
by the time this scrap Of . recollected,
incidental talk reaches Cincinnati. il swslis
into . conversation on impartial suffrage.
and the Commercial, of that city, says the
Boston journal, referring TO Hon. ID. W.
Gooch's statement OF . conversation with
General Grant on impartial suffrage. saysn
il reminded Of another conversation with
the General at a dinner party, given while
he was on a visit to his former home. in
Brown county, two years ago last summer.
at will not be improper to say" remarks
The Commercial, THAT sufficient Was said
to convince us that General Grant was fully
up to the most advanced ideas of that day
on the question Of suffrage, and tina, he Was
unqualitiedly in favor Of giving the ballot
to the negroes Who had entered the service
and fought on the aide of the Government
for the salvation of the Union. We never
doubted, from that moment, whore General
Grant stood. II our recollection 10 cisss.
General Sherman held tho same opinion ~
that time and We have no reason 70 think
| that either OF these distinguished men has
ever changed his views"
| Here, again, we launch on conIecturs.-
The talk is two years old, but sufficient
was said to convince u.s." ''if our sseollss-
ton is clear" mo reason to think" either
Of these distinguished linen had ever
changed his views" Every man Of commoa
sense know. what bosh and stuff oil this
dreamy recollection and idle aupposing
would be considered in any case involving
ten cents OF disputed property. When
ncn fall back on such babble % ground Of
action, it is convincing proof that there 10
no eridence 10 be produced. That no man
on the con,inet is authorized to pledge
Grant to any course of policy, 10 we'll
known. II any man doubts il. w peint
him to the eagernsss With which Grant
friends clutch at these straws, - sufficient
proof that they have nothing better 10
Offer
SO Of Grants imtemperance. We thisk
the evidence was sufficient before. But il
anything in the way Of proof was lacking
IT Is amply supplied by the speech Of Mr.,
Dodge, Of New York, the President Of the
National Temperance Society, and by the
letter VI Mr.. Senator Wilson, published ia
the Boston Daily Adper,iser, April 1.
Mr.. hodge ms been in Washington, and
assures temperance men they neen have no
ars. He knows Of the reports OF the Gen
erals recent public infoxication. At such
. moment, and speaking ~ an officer Of q
temperance society, Mr. Dodge would have
denied the truth Of those reports if he had
been able TO dc so. HIS omission to do that
ana the evasive. general terms in which he
INDUCES, will Convince any thoughtful tee
to,aler that Mr.. Dodge knows and fsels that
he cannot deny the Generals intemper
snce. He has schooed himself into think
ing that il does not amount to enough tc
peril the State, and hence, letting his party
feelings override his temperance principles
he is willing to run the risk. What va
claim is, that, before he asks " TO run
any risk, will he let US know the sxac,
fac,ss Then We will decide whether to rur
it or not.
Mr.. Wilson's letter is even more charac
tcristic, and, therefore, svasivs. lie, too
knows Of The reports - to Grants publi
drunkenness on particular day in Les
January. IL we mistake not, these report
we're brought more than once to his notice
In his letter he says: 81 have seen Gener
al Grant in camp, In his office, at hs owl
house, ami At dinner parties, where liquor
were freely used by others. but ! hav
never seen him drink even a glass Of wine
, nor have ever seen him when had III
slightest reason 10 think he was in any dc
gree under the influences Of drink"
OF course, no doubt. We can bring TO-,
I, 600 people in that very city of Washing
ten who never saw Grant drunk Thsr
: are 10, 100000 in the North who never saw
D Grant drunk. We ncver saw Grant DRUM
or sober. But Mr Wilson knows we'll tina
the country never asked him, as prominsn
tee,otaicr, whether he had seen Gran
drunk. The question was, "Sir, living il
Washington, knowing the facts, or easily
able to know them, what are the facts a. {
these alleged public exposures Of you,
presidential candidate 2" Mr., Senator Viii
: son undertakes to answer that question:
His answer is. he never saw Grant drunk
: II any shrewd lawyer had, in such crcum
. stances, received from . witness such a.
answer, he would have asked no furthe,
question, but taken it for granted and Or
gued 10 the jury that the witness had sub
s,antially admitted the runkennsss. II
Us no further evidence is necessary.
knowing Henry Wilson, We see in THU
equvocation convincing evidence that b
cannos and dare not deny that he has heard
from trustworthy sources Of this public
drunken exposure Of his candidate. Mr.
Wilson's course on this occasion 10 precise
" The same - he pursued . year ago, when
having originated . report rs to the drunk
enness Of Massachusetts Congressman.
| shu aua'u " meet tue consequence he
equvecated himself out of the response
bliity. Now, when all that Congrsssmau's
constituents admit his into xieation, il Is not
probable that Mr.. Wilson would think it
worth while to shuttle II Grant, % Presi-
dent, should show himself. in Mr.. Dodgs's
felicitous language. ''fally capable OF filling
Andy Johnson's place." Drunkenness and
all; or when Grant is thrown aside. because
he hes been President, or is not needed for
mat once, we shall hear the absolute truth
about this vice even from Henry Wilson -
Nov, when the temperance body need hi,
knowledge, he obsys that same lav of ,i.;d
se'i-prsssrvation which shock Cd his sdm;.
rers when II carried him sefshlv inte N.
hnow- Nothing party to save his place. w,
eau inns letter cquivocation. Ii il mild
phrase considering the vast peril. and tho
ssuc the writer Processes to set on tempor.
a"ce. We shou 4 tie amply justified in A..
ss''o.nS y ny much stronger term. And
me constant repetition OF this ofrepss b.,
'h's ruofc servant, seems Amos. 10 cali a.
such frank deserirI,ap iV'