Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-05-29
oR.YT-s REI,ATIoNsTO HIsPARTY


Of his Official tour through the Southern
States, with Andrew Johnson in an at
tempt to "whitewash" the condition of
affairs, and represent the temper Of the
people as pacific and prepared ior re-
admission TO the full equality Of rights
aud privileges attaching TO American
citizens This was true in every respect,
except in 80 far as it charged that the state
faents and views Of the report were in
correct They were true, and were the
honest opinions Of Grant before he had
tasted the Circean cup of ambition for
the Presidency During the year 1850,
in which che disagreement between the
President and the Radical Congressional
majority regarding reconstruction was
being developed, Grant was looked on
with distrust by the Radical leaders
IN that body So Par as his habiual
reticence was broken, or his OIL
eial acts would indicate, it was fairly
claimed that he conceded IN the main
with the Presidents views. He was
held 10 be Conservative. Nothing trans~
pired until the autumn Of 1867, to induce
a different opinion, and during the time,
he was the object of severe criticism
from the press and speakers Of the ultra
Radical wing. Greeley, through the
Tribune, labored to demonstrate that he
was not to be entrusted with the carry
ing out:of the great cardinal tenets Of
their creed. Phillips rallied from every
rostrun be could reach. New England
eneralIy, was as chilly towards him, as
the blasts that sweep her sterile plains
Wade, so late as last November, in dis
eussing him, delivered himself as fol-
lows:
"Well, horses are very good, but in
these times man may be all right on horses
and all wrong on politics. Grant may be
all right for what / know, but then again
he may be all wrong. Ii he wants to be
President by my voice, and the voice of
the men ] act with, he must not only be
right, but lac must prove that he Is" |
inquired says the correspondent of Mr..
Wade, what proof he wonld require from
Gen. Grant before supporting him as a
Presidential candidate. Wouid letter
indorsing the Radical policy do? "No, it
won't We must have his word, backed
by some official act, showing him 10 be in
sympathy with us, and in favor Of the doc
trines we advocate. We won't take any
mans word after what we've gone through.
Grant must come out and show his hand,
AZ a pronounced Republican, or he can't
get my support don't know that my
support amounts to much, but what little
there is Of it will 60 in the right direc-
ton"
Only comparatively uninnuential
western section Of the party, headed by
Washburne, Logan ard n few others,
chung to him as prospective Radical
candidate, in the belief that the glamour
Of his military glory could so bedizen
mems eyes ~ not only to conceal his in
tellectual defects and personal vices, bat
TO reconcile the most advanced and ar
dent Radical with the halting and equiv
coating, non committalism he had either
studiously practised, or sincerely felt to-
wards them So doubtful was his atti-
tude, that in August, 1861 President
Johnson, who had then been for
eighteen months in fierce conflict with
Congress over the question Of reconstruc-
ton, placed him in his Cabinet in that
position in which he would have most
direct connexion with that engrossing
matter of administration. This he never
would have done, if it had not been pre-
sumed he did not coincide in opinion and
sympathize with the Radical party and
the prominent Jacobins so interpreted his
acceptance of the post. They turned
pale with fear lest the collision which
Mr. Sumner had declared to exist, nearly
two years before, between the President
and the General Of the Army, had been
officially sealed, and all their plans to
degrade the Southern States into Radical
satrapies, would come to naught This
sentiment was outspoken, and for awhile
it was thought Grant had put himself
outside the pale of Radical support
At this juncture, the schemers saw
they must make sure of Grant by the
assembling Of Congress in November,
the negotiation was concluded For the
sake of the Radical nomination, he bar,
gained to abandon his position to Stanton |
again. He palbered with the President, |
and abused his confidence When d. |
rectly intcrrogated, he deliberately falsi-
fed, and completed the compact with his
seducers Since then he has become a
Radical god and there has been no doubt |
Of his nomination The Chicago work
was bat the counting down Of the thirty
pieces Of silver, for which he betrayed
his honest convictions and became the
tool Of the .lacobins. The earnest lead
ers welcome the traitor, but in their
hearts despise and distrust him. They
know that he has given no such proof as
old Wade demanded as guarantee of his
good faith; and they cannot but fear a
man who would tins shamelessly huckster
his principles for the hope of office And
thus is one Of the chief weights he carries
in the race There is no heartincss for
him among the vanguard leaders of Radi-
calism
IHE "Senior Editor" of the Knoxville
Hhigand nominal Governor OF Tennese