Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-06-19


his Knoicle}ge Of Men |
From the Speech Of Gen. and Ex Gov. Hawley Of ,
Connecticut, FanueI Hall, June IL i9's'-
We nominated at Chicago Gen. Ulysses 5.
Grant as our candidate for the Presidency. :
CAprlause.) study with curiosity the OBJ
iectti1ons that are made against him by the
/ democratic papers. They say that he Is
| characterized by nothing but stubborn VIII, /
! an extraordinary obstinacy. Well, that VIII !
/ has wrought very grand results. There Is !
/ something terrible in that calm, lrrepress-
] lie indomitable will. 1t took him from Bel
mont round 70 Apromatox Court House. 1t
,ros the will Of the nation He was the en-
/ bodied concentrated Will of the American
reorIe There was no stop, no cessation for a
moment in their demands, and there was
none In his action. It was an exhibition of
will that rose to an exhibition of genius 1t
Is riyen to but few men to manifest that de
termination Of purpose. that inyincble ad-
herence to a Ire-conceiyed plan. It Is some
thing that marks % great man.
Bat want t. call your attention 70 Gener-
al Grants extraordinary combination OF
| qualities. He has always exhibited a spirit
Of the most docile. kindly and latient obedi-
! ence. If he be the eXemplar Of terrible |
most splendid exemplar Of a child-like-obedi- !
ence. t.Thisis republic. he says, where the |
viii Of thepeoulei Is the law Of the land" He |
saws. 81 have never complained Of anything |
done bv the administration. l have never |
refused to oJeyan order. says General |
Halleck. who was uniustly critical on many !
occasions - He never complained and never |
hesitated to obey an order. Am not telling
YOU truly when | point to this feature OF hls
character as something exceptional when
saw that he unites the splend0rs Of the virtue
Of obedience with an infexihle frmness of
will ? He saws he viii never attempt to force
pon an unwilling people any policy Of his
= own devising. lie never has done it, and
= we knowhe never will (Applause.
Mark this in the mans character-hlz eX-
traordinarv command Of men In all preced-
ing great wars. whether in our own country
or any other. YOU never look back upon any
such terrible crisis without witnessing the
hottest riyalries between great military lead
ers We had something of it at the begin
= Ming Of our war but for the last eighteen
5 months. a little quiet. unvretending man had
risen to the command. and all these men.
= many of whom might have aspired TO the
= highest honors by reason Of their genius
: their courage, and their patriotism. submit
e ted quietly, and not only quietly but loving
". and in a spirit Of honor and respect, TO
y the command Of Grant " are accustom-
ed TO look upon Gen. Sherman as a man per-
5 hans. of more shOwy genius vet Gen.
y Sherman held back from Grants Nic6sburg
y exuedition You say, 90 Grant is only
e straightforward executor OF simple plans.
: Rut Halleck saws that there is no more brill
= liant military exploit in history than the
Y expedition to Nicksburg. lie cut loose from
2, his base. and swung round into the country,
$ not knowing where his supplies were 70 come
= from. with three days rations IN the haYer-
sacks. to feed his army ten or fifteen days
N He did it without calling council OF war,
ls and against the opinion ofevery leading ten
If eral under him. except it be Gen. Logan
q (auplause) and by his comprehensive ablll-
a ty his power to swing masses OF men, dozen
I'd masses Of men. to provision them, and march
a them. and supply them with ammunition, and
le shift them hither and tiither upon the board
10 of war-by his genius in these matters ne
1r brougbt about a magnificent success. Is
Is there nothing in all this but straight-ior-
70 ward. bulldog ike tenacitv? Talk about the
le brilliancv Of Sherman Is Sherman a rival,
in anv way. of Grant Does he suppose that
I, Grant has too high place in the affections,
n. and honor. and respect of the American peo-
ID rle came across Yesterday. in reading
st the history Of Grants military operations.
n this most significant letter from Sherman 10
ID Grant. dated Dee %, 1868, months before
Y the nation made him Lieutenant General
,r 8. repeat. you occupy position Of more
+ power than Halleck or the President Ihere are
= similar instances IN European history but none
4' in ours For the sake offlture generations risk
10 nofhinq Let us risk, and when you strike, let
Il il be as at Vicksburg and Chattanooga Your
le reputation as general Is now far above that OF
lg anv man living, and partisans viii manouvre
It, for YOUR influence but if yOu can escape them rs
)k YOU have hitherto done y0U rilI be more power
il full for good than il Is possible to measure 1ou
Il said that YOU were surprised at my assertion on
p this point. but 7 repeat that from what ! have
nj seen and heard here, am more and more con-
ot WINGED Of the truth Of what 1 told you. Do as
YOU have heretofore done preserve plain nil
p, | itarv character and let others man@uvre as
-, they will y0u iriH, beat them, not only "a fame,
- ! buf In 4ying g00i ia TIC closing scenes OF this
'u l~ar, when somebody must heal and mend up
the breaches made by the war. Loud ap-
Iu plause.
It's When the somewhat naughty and crratiC
a | Nm. T. Sherman comes down To this little
Fer quiet man. in the middle Of the war. tom
i'll years before we nominate him for the Presi-
dency, and tells him these things | tell You
it there Is inspiration in them. You are not t
tell me that a man is a man Of inferior abl
ities or moral worth who has this element o
greatness in him, that he can command grea
i've men. cloud applause) He finds great men
too, where We do not know that they exist
sill Do You see how, in all his long campaigns
be gradually weeded out sometime
ow gently, sometimes roughly, the inefficient
men sometimes patriotic, very tair, very re
I IL i -
nd answer the purpose of his will. and they slip
as ped out of the machine. daughter and ap
ms rlause.) Watch his course and see how h
RS built up certain men as his eve lit upon them
mt Who brought forward John NJ. Schofeld, on
r;ll of the ablest and best Generals in the army
p is Who brought forward George II. Thomas
ot n oud aprlause Who did almost as niue
nee f,r Sherman. leaning upon his strong RICH
the arm and acknowledging fully his Obligation
to that General Who brought out Phi
an Sheridan d? Tremendous applause Why, b
ink the time General Grant had held the man
dy reins Of that army for six months OF yeal
are he had picked men all about him, and "
nib We're ready for a fifty years war with ii
heir world if need be, and young Napoleons a
about him. applause Tel me that man
this man OF inferior ability in anything te
e YOU it Is one Of the truest marks Of ma
)me worthy 10 COMMAND men that he Is apie
,yn pick out capable men and in that respect
eva certainly, Gen. Grant surpasses any Of b
,ter predecessors in command OF the great army
hey the nation.
Now. these men not only cheerfully obeye
adv him. but loved him and since as the 20,
r. saws. 1T is genius to be loved, let justiC
We be done him by the acknowledgement Of d
for American people. Do You know IN wh'
Ial- terms Abraham Lincoln addressed him : ho
re. he honored his almost inestimable services {
ross country ? How he eleelfully acknowledge
after VcksbuTg, You were right, ana wa
i wrong ?'' Let ne read you single #or
ice. Mcpherson said about him - McPheTs!n' L
10 whose death Grant wept "His purity
hat character is unimpeachable and hls patrio
ism Of the most exalted kind. He is genel