Middletown transcript., 1868-02-22
Prss.a.na SsA.ss. ana o... sAsrn...
President johnson seems % lack one

Frssidsns Sshnssn ANA cea. shsrm@..
President johnson seems 10 lack one
essential quality. Il least. q ! great man.
and that Is. the power to analyse human
character. # he agrees with Pope, that
" the proper study Of mankind is man."
he seems TO have pursued his studies, in
that particular feld Of knowledge ! to very
little purpose. It was not so with jack
son, Napoleon. and other men Of historic
celebrity. They were good judges of men,
and possessed sort Of intuitive percep-
tion Of the character and qualities Of those
around them. The consequence was, that
they always put the right man in the right
place. With President johnson il seems
to be different. He does not know the
men with whom be is brought into closest
official contact. Atfeast We are unable to
explain his blunders upon any other hy-
pothesis. He retained in his cabinet men
who were hostile TO his policy and whose
diseordant views disturbed the harmony
of his political household. And he kept
in Important positions under the govern.
ment, men who had the power and the
will to thwart his plans, or at least to em-
barrass him. And when, at last, he
would have removed some of these imped-
iments out Of his way, his hands were
bound BY the withes of the tenure-of-ofice
bill. Gen. Grant was invested with the
port-folio, Of the War Department. and
the President remained profoundly igpo-
rant of his overreaching sduplicity until
Stanton was reinstalled in his place. A
counter movement was then attempted in
the field of political strategy, by the cre-
alton Of new military department, and
the appointment Of Gen. Sherman to COM
mand, with head quarters in Washington,
and the rank of Brevet General. But
Sherman spurns the psoassed honor; the
President did not know his man. The
affair has occasioned some, stir in political
circles. and not q little comment. A
friendly correspondents in Washington,
feeling the embarrassment of the :. situa-
ton" steps forward and puts the best face
upon the matter, Of which it is. suscepti-
bic. He says: 81, ~ ,s, s.g
As great surprise has been expressed at the ac-
ti0n of the President in nominating Sherman as
orevet General ascertaining his feelings On
the subject, and much curiosity exhibited to learn
what the purpose of the President was, IL can be
stated, upon reliable authority, that Mr.. johnson
did not consider II necessary, saying nothing Of
Its indelicacy, to name to General Sherman in
advance and consult him in relation TO nomina-
tlon designed solely as q compliment to the Gem
eral for his military services s8
~ can also be stated that the propriety Of con-
sulting the General, both as to his nomination as
Breret General and as to the order detailing him
tothe command of the new Department of the At
lantic, was suggested to the President by a dis
tingulshed gentleman now In this city, who is q
near relative Of General Sherman. Mr. Johnson
replied TO the suggestion, that 50 far as the com
pliment intended for General Sherman is con-
cerned, it should be bestowed voluntarily and
without his knowledge; IL being one which he
could not possibly object, and one to which every
true soldier must appreciate. As to his being or
dered TO the command of the Department Of the
Atlantic, or any other Department, 1t was enough
for him TO know that General Sherman was a p,-
triot, and ready to serve his country in any Off
cial position to which he might be assigned. II
is believed this was the only conference held by
the President with any one ON the subject Of the
nomination or the order, and no one has been
more surprised than Mr. johnson himself at the
manner in which General Sherman Is reported "a
have received the news and the President expires
ses the apprehension that some one has communi.
Gated to General Sherman statements which may
have created false impressions which will, nc
doubt be dissipated when all the facts come TO b
known.