The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-06-05
From the New York independent
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLIC MEN
GRANT AND C0LFAX.

/ have just written the name OF the
two most popular favOrites in the coun-
try There are others called greater
men; more profound statesmen. Yet
Grant is the pride of the army, Colfax
the delgiet of evil life.
Destiny snatches her special darlings
from the arms of obscurity, mocking
birth and degree, and she sets them i'll
the worlds highest place. Scarcely a
name has burst upon the world i'll tran
scendent lustre that did not at the first
emerge from the heavy cloud of defeat
and humiliation.
Not many years ago the well paid,
little-to-do officers of the United States
army used TO cross the street to avoid
meeting young ex-captaln, turned far
mer, because he 'bored" them by ask
ing them to use their influence to assist
him in recovering his former position.
To-day no officer, whatever his rank,
would be greatly bored by conversation
with this same ex-captain, nor very
likely to cross the street to avoid meet
ing the general of all the armies, the
certain-to be President of the United
States. Less than ten years ago the
people of America had never heard of
Ulysses S. Grant. He was poor, he was
disappointed. He had neither social
position nor political influence.
Though he lived but few doors away,
he had never even spoken to Elihu
Washburne, the brave Congressman,
who afterward fought his battles
through all defeat, and who washed his
escutcheon white of blame long before
| Grant himself could lift it into the keen
sunlight of renown.
| Not many years ago young man srt
in little office in a small town of the
West, clipping and writing for the col
umnS of an nhCnupa He
] could boast of brave blood and an hon
orable lineage, but the world did not
know it. His name was historic by
right of birth; yet, beyond the narrow
arc of a few counties, no one had ever
heard of him. Nature had not stinted
his birthright. He entered the service
of his generation with a sunny courage,
an endless patience, clear head and a
true heart. One has said profoundly :
Temperament is greater than all"
| Temperament is fate. Not one of us
is more or less than our temperament
makes us. Schuyler CoifaX has the tenn
permanent of success. He began his career
i with an honorable ambition and daunt-
less faith in the future. Yet, though all
the dreaming of youth, 1T is doubtful II
the marrow walls" of the newspaper
office stretched away into stately halls"
of the Capitol of the Nation, or that
he beheld himself the third in crank in
the government of this country within
less than twenty years.
The prestige of Grant is entirely i'm
personal. Reticent and impressive, he
has not the temperament which lnspl-
res spontaneous individual enthusiasm.
You see him, and find it difficult to asso-
ciate his personality with his deeds, and
make them one. The popularity of
Colfax is purely personal. He has the
spontaniety, the heart fellowship, which
inevitably inspires personal devotion.
Beyond this he has the answering in
tegrity of character, the sagaclty OF in
tellect the clear vision and executive
gifts which the Americans admire, If
I they do not always demand them, III
their statesmen. He is the idol of the
west. He is the favorite of the women
, not only because he says very pleasant
things to them, nor because he grew in
to manhood reVering womanhoOd, but
because all true women know intultive-
ly that he is a true man, holding ms
soul blameless in honor. To bllleve Is
a necessity of woman-at least of a
good woman. / saw in paper the 9th.
er day that ''if American women could
vote, the next President of the United
States would be Schuyler ColtaX." Very
likely. If true, the fact would be very
much to his credit; for we ali know
that those public men who are believed
in and supported by the best women
are the best men. We know, also, thai
the most illustrious men of all age:
and nations have drawn their highes
inspiration and best success from the
friendship and devotion of women.
Schuyler Colfax is politician in the
highest sense of that much abused term
for the best years of his active manhood
have been devoted to the study of pc
litical science and the administration o.
public affairs. General Grant by ma
ture is anything more than a politician
He has seen the time when he was too
y indifferent as to who was to be the mex
President of the United States TO vot'
for ANYBODY. His habits of tempera
ment and of thought led him peaceabl.
along the strait path of discipline ant
routine, till destiny suddenly forces
). him to the very summit of success
Grant and Colfax are not antagonistl(
though each makes the antithesis OF tn
other. They are in singular degre
CONFERENCE.-The temperament of on
g. modifying or supplying the defect
= excess of its opposite.
So utter has been General Grants ne
CATION as politician that the most e2
ipent republicans have dietrnsted III
T. soundness of his faith in the tenefs {
tie the party, and have turned their unef
ia thusiastic eyes upon him only as unlr
"a teresting necessity to be secured by thel
ey against the triumph of the democrat
IS Not until the publication OF, has pr1val
= letters to President Johnson on the II
moyal of Sheridan and Stanton, did
as a man, seem to quicken the pu0l
pulse to one thrill of enthusiasm. 4
!, these letters only proved what MS ac
in attested long ago-that, when he nj
IN ANYTHING to do, he does it; when ne hi
ed anything to say, he says it. Howev
ng dumb before. when the occasion com
ny he speaks without hindrance and wit
$ out fear. He is loyal to his friends,
. is LOYAL to his duty and you feelin e
ery line, however calmly, that his hea
throbs deeply and truly for his countr
Republicans are not always ungrat
= full And the grand armies OF tn
western land feel that they owe more
the soldier who led them from defeat
victory than to any other man. II
soldiers of the republic know that the
. own renovvn is indissolubly linked wi
En- his fame that he who led the nation
armies through the Wilderness"
death to triumphant peace is the ms
! who should receive the highest recoT
. pense in the gift of this nation.
e That Grant is to be the next Preside
of the United States seems to be for
gone conclusion, and the name couple
-. oftenest with his for the Vice Presiden'
is that ef Colfax.
Further than being one more proof
public favor and confidence, the elects
eet of SCHUYLER Colfax to the Vice Pre-
ork dency would add very little to ]