Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-08-26

4
writer, and, as consequence, they argue deficient
IN administrative capacity, and will, when Pfesl-
dent, substitute for stalesrnsasbip the blind rule OF
forcs. These objections have been made against
other men in other times, and were then most sue
cessfully answered. Forty yesrs ago Gen jackson
was Candidate for the Presidency sud what was
said against bis fitness for She Office is urged
against Gen. Grant John Randolph, at The time
member of tie House, replied 10 these assumptions
in speech remarkable FOR its beauty, vigor and
truth. And as bis remarks apply with equal force
to the objectipns now raised against Cen Grant, l
send you for publication in tho WHO, extracts from
bis speech, which may be found PIP. s02-1, inclu
sive in vol. ii of Maj r. a. Gsrlsnds Biography
of Mr.. Randolph RAPIDAs.
"Sir, said he l deny that there any instance on
record, in history, Of man not having military
pacity, being at the head Of any government with
| advantage TO that government, aud with credit 10
himself There is great mistake this subject.
1t is not those talents which enable lhan te write
books and make speeches, that qualify him 10 pre-
side over government The wittiest Of poets mas
told Us that
can rhetofieiah's rules
Teach only how TO name his tools
We have seen professors Of rhetoric who could
doubt de5,ant fuenty upon The use of these said
tools yet sharpen them 10 90 wiry edge 10 cut
their own fingers with these implements Of their
trade Thomas a Beckett was as brave a man as
Henry Tue SECOND, and, indeed, Drawer man-less
infrm of purpose. And Who we're the Hildebrands
and the rest Of the papal freelooters who achieved
victory after victory over tle proudest monsrchs
and States Of Cbristendom These men were
brought up ID coiser perhaps, but they were en-
dowed with that highest of ali gifts of Heaven the
capacity 70 lead men, whether in tie Senate or in
the field. Sir it is one and the same faculty and
its successful display mas always received and al
ways will receive, the highest honors that man can
bestow and this will be the case do what YOU will
cant what you may about military chieftains and
military domination. So long as man is man. the
victorious defender Of his country will and ought
to receive that cOuntrys suffrage for all that the
forms of her government allow her to give.
A friend said 10 me not long since Why, Gen. |
jackson can't write" Admitted" ('s PRAY Sir |
can you tell me of any one chat can write for, |
protest, know nobody that cam Then, turning |
TO my friend said " II is most true that General
jackson cannot write" mot that he can't write his
name or a letter. &C., because he has never been i
taught; but his competitor cannot write because he
not teachabe !" for he has had every advantage
Of education and study. Sir, the Duke of MARI /
borough the greatest captain and negotiator of his
age, which was the age Of Louis the Fourteenth /
and who may rank with the greatest men Of any |
age whose irresistible manners and address tri- /
umphed over every obstacle in council as his mill
man could not spell, and was VIGOROUSLY ignorant
of all that an Undergraduate must know, but which
il is not necessary for man at the head of affairs
TO know al all. Would you have superseded him /
by some Scotch schoolniaster? Gentlemen forget /
that il is an able hemsman we want for the ship of
state, and not professor Of navigation astron-
omy.
Sir, among the vulgar errors that ought to go into
Sir Thomas Browns book, this ought not 10 be omit.
ted that learning and wisdom are not synonymous,
or at all equivalent. knowledge and wisdom az 4
one Of our most delightful poets sings
knowledge and wisdom far from being one
Have ofttimes connection knowledge dvelIs
In hearts replete with thoughts of other men
Wisdom in minds attentive to their own
knowledge IL proud that he has learned so much
Wisdom il humble that he knows
Books are not seldom tslismans and spells,
BY which tho magic art Of shrewder wits
Helds the unthinktng multitude enchanted
And not books only, Sir. Speeches are not less I
deceptive l not only consider the want of what is
called learning, not TO be disqualification for the
commander-in-chief in civil or military life but |
do consider the possession of too much learning to
be of most mischievous consequence to such char
acter, who is TO draw from the cabinet Of his own
sagacous mind, and to make the learning of Others
whatever other qualities they may possess sub
serYient TO his more enlarged and vigorous views. |
Such q man was Cromwell such man was Wash |
ington not learned, but wise. Their understand
ings were not clouded crauiped but had fair play
There is q class Of men who possess great learn
ing, combined With inveterate professional habits,
and who, ipsO fdeto, perhaps should rather say
5psiS facts, for must speak accurately, [ speak
before professor, disqualified for any but sec
Ondary parts anywhere, even in the cabinet Car
dinal Richalieu was, what2 A priest Yes, but
what priest Oxenstiern was a chancellor He
il who sent his son abroad TO see guam peTuG
sapieztia reqittty. BlaAtdus-with how little wisdom
this world is governed. This administration seemed
to have thought that even less than that little would
do for The gentleman called it q strong, able
eabinet-second TO none but Washington's first |
cabinet. | could hardly look at him for bushng
What, Sir is Gallatin at the head of the Treasury
Madison in the department of State2 The mind /
of an accomplished and acute dalectciaD, of an
able lawyer or if you please of great physician,
may, by the long continuance of one pursuit-of |
one train of ideas-have IFS habits inyeterately /
fixed, as efectualy to disquaify the possessoT for
the command of the councils of country. He /
may, nevertheless make an admirable chief of a
bureau-an excellent man of Details which the chief
ought never to be. A man may be capable of MAX
ing an able and ingenious argument on any subject
within the sphere of his knowledge; but every now I
and then the master sophist will start have seen
him start at the monstrous conclusions to which his
own artificial reasoning had brought himself But I
this was man Of more than ordinary natural can
dor and fairness of mind. Sir by wolds and figures
you may prove just what you please; but il often
and most generally is the fact that in proportion as
proposition is logically automatically true so
false. The talent which enables q
man 10 write book or make speech, has no more
relation TO the leading Of an army senate than
it has to the dressing of dinner The talent which
fits for either Office is the talent for the man.
agement Of men mere dialectician never had and
never viii have it each requires the degree
of courage, though Of different kinds The very
highest degree of moral courage is required for the
duties of government. l have been amused wher
have seen some diaecticians, after asserting their
words" the counters of wise men, the money OF
fools after they had laid down their premises,
and drawn, step by step, their deductions sit down.
satisfied, if the conclusions to which
they had brought themselves were really
tie truth-as if it were irrefragably true. But wait
until another is called, until another court
sits-till the bystanders and jury have had time to
forget both argument and conclusion, and they will
make you just as good argument on the other
side and arrive with the same complaceney at d.
rectly opposite conclusion, and triumphanty de-
mand your assent 10 this truth. Sir, il is their
do not blame them. l only say that
such habit of mind units men for action and for
decision They want client 20 decide for them
which side 10 take; and the really great men per-
forms that office This habit units them for gov
eminent in the first degree The talent for govern
nlent lies in these two things-sagacity to perceive
aud decision 10 act. Genuine statesmen were never
made such by mere training. Let house be on
fire. you will soon see in that confusion who has the
talent 10 command. Let ship be in danger at sea,
and ordinary subordInation destroyed and you will
make the same discovery. The ascen-
dency of mind and Of character rises and rises as
naturally and &c inevitably where there is fair play
for il. msteria bodies find their level by gravta
ton Thus, great logician like certain animal
between the hay different sides of
him, wants some power from without, before be can
decide from which bundle 10 make trial Who be-
lieves that Washington could write good book OF
report as Jefferson, make an able speech as Ham
ilton2 Who is there that believes that Cromwell
would have made as good Judge as Lord Hale