New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-08-29


the communications of another to bring up the heavy
guns All move to one object, all represent the one
purpose The statesmen of ideas necessary to
the statesmen of action. it is that the artillery
sbould come up and decide the battle which the adj
vance guard has opened
The traveller in Paris might once have seen among
the many trophies of tina. gorgeous city, lofty column
capped with figure aurel-wreathed. sandaled, and
draped holding IN one hand the emblem OF victory
and i'm the other, the short double-edged Roman
sword The cunning artifcer had embazoned the
pillar with representations of armed men-ln-
fantry charging cannon, and cavalry ridlhg over
fields of DEATH and soldiers kneeling TO stern
faced conqueror and the gates of captured cities
opened to receive him. AT its base were the Keen
and watchful eagles of the French Empire,
and over the door of massive bronze was VIII
ten -" NEApoLIo. mp AVG. MOMENTUM. BELLL
GERMANICI' Thus men were told TO see III tins
mighty pillar and the figure upon ITS summit the
glory of the Grand Army as gathered in the German
wars, and the majesty of the august Emperor Ma
poeon All France is filed with the fame of its great
soldier and yet what has Napoleonsm given France
A few words that will be remembered with Canine
and Issus "a history that reads like romance, the
18th of Brumaire and the 2d of December, an
Empire that is nothing but the gilded sepulchre OF
liberty dynasty that trembles with the rheumatic
pains of prematurely old man. The greatest soldier
of France leaves nothing but his laurels and his
sword. All that remains of his majesty
ale the cabastic letters that surmOunt the
bronze gates in the Place Vendome. August Emperor
and no m0re-no more but this name and a grave IN
the Invades with clusters of faded and frayng coOrs
surrounding it. Freedom and public spirit are dead
ono man is great and France is enslayed We
mako no comparison between the great captains
of America and France The career of the one ended
with peoples despair-the nations capital in the
hands of Scythians and Germans, and the detested
Engshman restoring despised prince to an unwel-
come throne. In all Napoleon's splendid aud
dazzling career there was no word for liberty to
his own country-nJr TO any of the nations that
Welded TO his arms. Grant shows us soldier
that scarcely knew defeat, gradually rising from
the staff of Western Governor to be the com
mander Of great armies. Over his head the re-
pellinV streams Of abuse have been poured, and
the only reply has been the patient doing OF his
work. Every sympathy has gone out to Freedom
and Law. When justly angry Republicans sought
TO array him against President whom he de-
spscd and who finally sought TO betray and destroy
him, he rebuked them and insisted that the great
Office which was the embodiment Of the nations law
and dignity should receive proper respect IN what
ever representative. When the war ended and he
saw in the capital of sister republic the armed IN
Yader of the Houses of Bonaparte and Hapsburg he
insisted that he should be driven out. Macmillan
in Mexico was TO him act of hostility against the
United States. Napoleon showed many acts OF
maVnanimity. but he never rose as high as
Grant, who, when the country was trembling with
anger and passion and grief over the dead President,
and an insncere demagogue was panderng to the
sentiment by passionate declarations that 81 treason
should be made Odious" earnestly requested the
pardon of Lee. Napoleon rarely hestated TO attack
a beaten army In bulletin Grants bulletins are
soldierly and generous In every respect and under
sore temptations his virtue has always controlled his
ambition. Time and again we have mOurned the
apathy Of the man whose name alone would have
been victory to party; but fear we shall come
TO sad days when the influence OF a successful SOL
der is necessary TO determine subtle questions of
government and legislation.
Accepting that high philosophy which finds a
cause and purpose in every great event and in the
history Of men whose lives are great events. we see
in Ulysses s. Grant personfcation of the Private
Citizen and the Private Soldier Let poets sing of
him as the hero the captain the great cheftan, and
wreathe his brow with laures while artists Chiselh his
name on monumental stone To us he is The Man of
this hour the one true, supplemented. unostenta-
tious, unambious Ameroan-plainly one of the
people--whose life is that of half of the men
meet on Broadway All the traditions, and customs
and advantages and ceremonies of the old military
regime were arrayed against his success. Enough of
a soldier to know the art Of war. but essentially
citizen, buyer and seller, reader Of newspapers,
and talker of politics, scarcely idealst enough to
vote for Fremont but very decided that Buchanan
was an old granny of an Executive" The malig-
nifty of SANDER only charges him with the vices that
we meet, and regret, and excuse in half OF the
men we know. Before he achieved his position of
almost dangerous election" he was, according to
Sherman, as unselfsh, kind-hearted, and leniont
as a man should be- We have known him for three
years in the whrl of luxury, peace, temptation,
presidential Establishments, partisan caumny, and
political intrigue and we nothing to change that
Judgment 81 believe" says Sherman, you are as
brave, patriotic and just, as the great prototype
Washington but the chief characteristic is the sim
pie faith in success you have always manifested,
which can liken to nothing else than the faith
Christian has in the Savior"
Thus we leave him. and in doing so thank Mr.
Richardson for showing US 80 much of his manhood,
and Gen. Badeau for admitting us TO such close and
intimate knowledge of his military life Providence
has called him to high responsibilities and it is prob
able that higher duties await him. Destiny seems
to have written that he shall be the eighteenth
President of the United States. Other men have
attained this office with more of those qualities
which Gifted Statesmen aud Able Editors hold ne
cessary to tho proper performance of the Presiden
tal work. There have been more phllosophic states
men, like Jefferson, and Adams, and Lincoln, and
keener politicians, like Van Buren,. and Buchanan
but we shall DO much mistaken if history does not
find that when we take him as citizen, soldier, and
President, and truly estimate his character and his
services his will live with the most illustrous
Of Americas sons, and be second only in the afec
tons Of posterty to the peerless name of Washing