The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1868-05-05
From the Marietta (O.) Register.]
Gen. Grant and Intcmperance.

SnntSCO vi vi uu hCuuboo AoNO VIVA
sionally been made against Gen. Grant,
by his enemies. That they are lies we
have no doubt. We have not noticed
them for the same reason that
We should not feel called upon to deny
that George II. Pendleton is guilty of
drunkenness.
The truth is, that neither of these
Presidential candidates are what are
known as temperance men; but both, as
We believe, are temperate in their person
al habits. AT least the Democratic can
didate and his friends for him, can claim
no excellence in this regard, over the
Republican candidate.
We should not have noticed this mat
ter, but the Woodsfeld Spirit says:
"Will the Radical Editors of this
Congressional District publish, in order
that their readers may be properly in
formed, Grants drunken record?"
The editor furnished what he consid-
cred excellent proofs, that Grant was a
temperate man, from the New York Cit.
isen and Cincinnati Commercial, which
amounts to nothing, owing to the fact that
they were obtained from his chums or mil
itary subordinates. e.
Here is what Wendell Philips says
and he is the head and front Of the Abo
lition party:
Mr.. Wilson's letter is even more char
acteristic, and therefore evasive. He,
too, knows of the particular day in las
January. If we mistake not, these re-
ports were brought more than once tc
his notice. In his letter he says: 7 have
seen General Grant in camp, in his Office
at his own house, and at dinner parties
where liquors were freely used by others
but have never seen him drink even 9
tglass of wine, nor have ever seen him
when I had the slightest reason to think
he was in any degree under the influence
of drink"
OF course, no doubt. We can bring
10000 people in that very city of Wash.
lington who never saw Grant drunk. There
are 10000, 600 in the North who never
saw Grant drunk. We never saw Grant
drunk or sober. But Mr.. Wilson knows
we'll that the country never asked him, ,as
a prominent teetotaller, whether heIhad
seen Grant drunk. The question wes, aSir,
living in Washington, knowing the facts
or easily able to know them, what are
the facts as to these alledged public ex.
posurers of your Presidentialoandidate2'
Mr.. Senator Wilson undertakes to answer
that question. His answer is, he never saw
Grantdrunk. If anyshrewd lawyer had, in
such circums tances, received from wit.
ness such an nanswer, he would have asked
no further question; but taken it fol
granted ana argued to the jury, that the
witness substantially admitted the drunk
Ienness, To us no further evidence is nec-
essary. Kao,oing Henry Wilson, zoe see
IN this equivocation convincing evidence
that he cannot and dares not deny tha,
he has heard from trustworthy sources OF
this public drunken exposure OF his can
didate.
The italics are our own. We will now
put in evidence the statement of cor
respondent Of the Chicago Times, dated
March 7th 1868:
THAT sobriety was the exception and
not the rule of General Grants como uct
while located at Cairo, is fact too well
known to need confirmation; but individ-
ual instances of beastly drunkenness are
not of rare occurrence. / will mention
two or three which fell under my own
personal knowledge, and which am
ready to verify on call.
On the 9Th day of November, 1861,
the steamer Alec. Scott started from Cairo
ON trip to Columbus, KY, carrying a
flag of truce, and Gen. Grant, his staff,
and a few other army officers, the news
paper correspondents and some other in
yited guests. When the boat reached
her destination, bevy of rebel officers
came on board among whom were Gen.
Cheatham, Gen. Pillow, Col. Rusk, and
Q General from Arkansas, whose name
do not remember, when general drunk
was commenced, which was kept up till
late in the night, after the flag of truce
officers had separated and the Scott had
returned to Cairo. When the boat
reached the wharf at Cairo, Gen. Grant
was in such beastly state Of intoxica-
tion that it was deemed imprudent to
take him to his head quarters over the
City Bank, where his wife was awaiting
him, and he was escorted and assisted 20
the st. Charles Hotel, where he remained
during the night.
When he arrived at the hotel it was
found that he was SO drunk that oonsid-
erable assistance was needed to enable
him to reach room on the second floor,
and Captain R. B. Hatch, Post Qua rter-
master, and Robert Forsyth, general
freight agent of the Illinois Central
Railroad--one upon either side, and
each with shoulder under the Gener-
ais arm pit-hoisted him up the stairs to
Captain Hatch's room A hundred per-
sons Witnessed this scene, and loud and
many we're the expressions uttered of
censure and Of disgust at the spectacle.
About twelve o'clock that night Grant
got musical, and an orderly was dispatch
ed for the brigade band to come and SER
eDade him. The band soon put in an ap-
pearance, and were about to commence
playing, when Mr.. Bedard and Mr.. Lans-
den, the proprie.ors of the hotel, at
tempted to stop them; but, on word be-.
ing taken to Gen. Grant of the. obs.ruc-
ton to the music, he, with drunken and
profane indecency, declared that he was
commander Of that post, and he would