The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-05-29
HOW the DemOeFaLs Propose 10 Con.
49,, 49, T,,,,raN~n

HOW the Democrats Propose 10 Con-
duct the Campaign.
When we remember how recently
the Democratic journals were protuse
} lin praise of General Grant, it Is anus
ling to observe their entire change OF
Itone toward him as soon as he had an
opportunity to show his sympathy with
the LOYAL and patriotic sense OF the
country. This change oftone indicates
the line OF attack they propose to make
on Grant, and prepares us fora cam
paien In which, on the part of our OPP
nonents, maIevoIencs and mendacity
viii do their worst. We copy from the
World platform of long article in
which 1t Iauded General Grant to the
skies, and set of against It the words
which partisan mallgnIty now compels
tito utter. Not long since the World
said; 1919
OF the steadiness and staunchness OF
General Grants Patriotism or the up
rlghtness and so1idity OF his characters
no man in the country doubts or AZ
On the score of loyalty and public
services no man In this country can
come into competition with this illus
trious soldier.
II is the noblest reward of great SER
vices like his that 1t e1alts the charac-
ter to this high level; that it enables q
man to act nobly without appearing 10
be pretentions. General Grant Is I'M
| der a moral necessity of respecting the
great renoWn of his past services.
The Presidency can be nothing 10
him; he has more valuable Office. But
| IL, in the hands of Providence, he could
be an Instrument for tranqulIizlng the
country, that Is an honor for which he
could AFFORD to sacrifice ease, congentAl
pursuits. ana the possibilities OF still
greater fame as soldier
As Washington was elected and re-
elected on the strength of his character
and services, without pledge either
asked or given, we trust that General
Grant will be elected, IL at all. in the
same way and with the same generous
confidence. Having restored the an-
thority OF the Government, we hope
that he may add the highest civic TO
the highest military fame by restoring
Ione-losI cordia1ity OF feeling.
The World now says: t
Grant is entirely Without personal
magnetism or popular qualitiess but
successful military career hides q null
titude of defects. When he drst con-
scented 10 be the Republican candidate,
he seemed a very formidable one. he
had not then been convicted OF dema-
gosueism or dnpllcitY, and was credit
Ell with too much ste2diness iand
strength of character TO be controlled
by the Radicals. He has since shown
himself 10 be mere thing of wax In
their hands, 10 be modelled by them
into any shape they please,
Turning to our Democratic exchanges
we ind similar evidences Of "change
OF base, +" and il will be worthy object
( for Republican journals in various To-
caIities to meet the weak aud wicked
changes OF their Democratic cotempo-
rsEies, by turning back 10 their hles
and reproducing the articles in which
they lavished praise upon Grant, for
/ the very qualities for the absence OF
which they now accuse him. As Cor
| tez burned the ships when he invaded
Mexico, so the Democratic press would
do well 10 destroy or hide their fles, as
they enter upon campaign from which
there is no retreat, and in which their
past record VIII prove so damninG.
The World returns 10 the attack, and
;ndulEes IN the following reflections
upon Grant.
We suppose that none OF his friends
I vii seriously maintain that he is en-
titled 10 be called great general mere
y because be has commanded great
armies, much less 6ecAuse he has ex-
posed and losi in baule great mniti-
tades 81 men
r General Lee IVES \ more worthy an
: taEonisl; but General Lee was not con-
qOersd BY fighting him, but by ex-
: hE uBtinE his resources
In his LAST and greatest campaign he
= pltted an enormous army Rgainstss
: small one. and sacrificed thrice as many
4 men as General Lee had under his
r command.
{ The truest test of military genius is
. The accomplishment of great results
Z with slender means
81 a mal does not prove that he pos
: sesses giants strength by eyermas-
; teriDg an invalid or "A cripple. a gem
eral does not establish his title to be
considered great by subduiDg an army
one-third as large as his own, and
losing i've of his own men for every
one that he disables of the enemy.
In its cooler moments, Immediately
afIer the surrender of Lee, the World
gave expression to the following, which
we ask our readers to compare with
what we have last quoted:
OEdtlL blh1ub pTE-t0lnent among all
| the Generals who have led our armies
In the late war In that he has exhib.
tied tho utmost strength of will of
which the highest type OF manhood is
capable.
Nothing could be more clean and
complete, even in Imagination, than
General Grants mastery execution.
III anybody is so obtuse or SO wrong
headed as to see nothing great in Gen.
Grant beyond his marvellous teDacjtY
of will, Let that doubter explain, if he
can, how II has happened that since he
rose to high command this quality has
always been exerted In conspicuous
energy precisely at the point on which
everything in his whole sphere of op-
erations hinge. There has been no dis
| PtdyoT great qualities on small occasions;
no expenditure Of HercuLedn efforts to
accomplish objects not of Lsc first NGgHf-
Jude. sailS1
he has won his greatest triumph
over tho most skillful and accomplished
General on the other side;t over Gem
eral who foiled him long to prove his
great mastery of the art ofsVar; and the
completeness of whose defeat Is a testi-
mony to Grants genius such as n VIC
tory over any other, General of the
Confederacy, or oven an earlier victory
over Lee himself, could not haveRiyen.
Apply to General Grant what test you
Will; measure him by the magnitude of
the obstacles he has surmounted, by the
value OF the positions he has gained,
ny the fame OF the antagonist over
whom he has tIlumphed by the achieve
menus OF his most illustriOus co-Work.
sIs, ny the sureness with whichh he direc-