Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1868-02-21
Opinions Of the Press.

ie""i"b P"PcIS Oh Tile JOnnsOu ana Grant
correspondence. These extracts will give
the reader q good idea of how this matter
strikes the minds of minded men:
1.-The correspondence between General
Grant and the President, the conclusion
Of which we publish elsewhere. presents no
new points. The President repeats his
assertion that he was deceived, and rather
coarsely infers that he was tricked-that
Grant tricked him-aud that he intended
to do so all along. The Cabinet officers,
who are requested to sustain the Prcsi-
dents narrative as to what occurred at u
Cabinet meeting. scarcely agree. , Mr..
Wellcs writes such letter as Mr.. Justice
Stareleigh would have written had he been
Secretary of tho Navy. Mr.. McCulloch
and Mr.. Randall unequivocally indorse the
President. although Mr.. Randall, mach tn
our surprise. fails to notice that General
Grant acted like a '.liar and sncak,' as
he is reported to have said at the time.
Mr.. Seward makes guarded reply. He
gives us the interesting news that the con-
versatinn was respectful and courteous on
both sides, and, aliuding to Mr.. John
sons narrative, says: I did not under
stand Gen. Grant as denying. nor as ex
plicitly admitting these statements in the
form and full extent to which YOU made
them. In other words, the Secretary
does not commit himself to the President s
story. but doubts it in diplomatic way.
The President concludes by intimating
that the General is insubordinate. The
Generals reply ia brief, frank. and soldier
Iy. The chargeof insubordination he ut
terly overthrows by showing that. while
the President gave him vague and mean
ingless order, intended to enticc him into
an infraction Of law, the Postmaster Gen
eral and Secretary Of the Treasury direct
ly ana officially communicated with the
Secretary of War.
SO ends this business. johnson comes
out of it as one willing to wonnd, but YET
afraid to strike, and recalls story which
one OF his strongest supporters occasional
ly tells of him. The President, thi.
friend is reported as saying. reminds me
of celebrated fiyht!ng-cock used to
own. bought him for his ya!Or and cner
gy. He was a glorious bird, with spurs
like arrows, gorgeous feathers, and lusty,
alarai city. Well, to.k him to the pit.
and had him ready for the contest. He
only tapped his wings and crowed, and
then backed up into Il corner. and stood
still. There was 10 fi5ht in him. lie
was too cowardiy to fight, aud too plucky
to run away. An he dld was crow. =
We commend this st0ry to the President
| as the best commentary we can make up
OIL liis CORES spondrnce with Grant.-N. Y.
Tribune.
We may NOW hope that the dispute b :
tween the President aud General Grant
hai come to a close. 1t is IL disagreeable
incident, not cre,litable to the country :;
and there are more important matters de
rnanling the Presidents attention.
Mr., johnson displays often childish
eagerness to prove soinehody else wrong;
he might do well to remember that it is
more importat he should himself be right.
To scold is not part of craftsmanship it
and of doubt. Mr. johnson rails at
Grant, as though to scoll was al he could
10; but the public does not forget tn, he
may relieve Grant, suspend him, punish
him. even supcrccde him, if Grant has
really been guilty of an offence. Evening
Post.
The Presidents reply to Gen. Grant,
with such endorsements of his former
statements us he cnuld induce the men,
hers of his Cabinet to write. have been
given to the public. Secretary Wel!cs, as
was expected. fully sustans the President
Secretary Seward ,hc diplomatic. tries to
make it appear that both the President
and tho General are right. Secretary
McCulloch has very little to say. pos.mas
ter-General Randall agrees substantially
with the President, and Secretary Brown
in. seems to have had similar under
standing of the conversation ; aud it will
he remembered that Gen. Grant, in his let
ters. admitted that such an understanding
might have resulted from the conversation
which was had between him aud the Prcsi
dent at the Cabinet meeting. But this
question of veracity.-now reduced to a
question Of whether Gen. Grant was mis-
nnderstool.--is not the main question in
the case and the President does not 50 re-
gard it in his letter The President was
irving to remove See, etary St1nton. and
resist the power of Congress, and he cy-
pected that Gen. Grant would give him aid,
Int the General failed to help him, and
Welded the key of the Office to Mr.. Stan
ton. and the question now is, did he thus
do his duty as an officer of the army and
as a loyal citizen. lie has disObeyed no
order of the President, and does not pro
pose tn disobeyed no order OF the Presi
dent. and does not propose to disobey any
legal order from his superior officer, but he
has aided materially i'll restoring to Office
a man whom the President dislikes, and
whom Congress trusts. and it is tor the
people of the country to say whether he
has done we'll. We think it quite safe Tor
him to staaI ON that issue.-Boston Irau-
eiter
Since the first page of to-day's paper
was made up, the letters of the Cabinet
officers who were present at the meeting
of the llth OF January have cone to my
hand. These letters. as we expected,
show that the President was entirely mis-
taken when he claimed that the Cabinet
without exception agreed to the accuracy
of his account Of the conversation that
evening. Secretary Welles does indeed
say that the three points specified in the
Presidents letter of the 3lst ult., are
correctly stated, and Mr.. Randall, citing
the three paragraphs at length, says they
accord with his rscollcctons. Secretiry
McCulloch says, little more guardedly,
that the Presidents account substantial
ly' accorls with his recollection. So FAR
none of these gentlemen farnish any orig
inal testimony. They simply repeat in
various kpycs tho Presidents words, and
state their heiel that substantially the
facts are as represented. This is testimony
drawn out by leading question, and must