The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-14
General Grants Popularity md How He
Was NOminatod.

| 'AS iVPhouCah staIuaru Dehrcr VIC oo"ooi"''o
journals and stumpers, to great extent, have
been laboring to create the impression that he
is not a popular candidate; that he is cold
and austere man, who has nothing Of the
elements of personal popularity about him.
that he possesses neither the civil experience
nor the qualities of craftsmanship necessary
for the Presidency; that as military leader
his record Is that of butcher and blunderer;
that his success against the armies of the
rebellion may be credited to his overwhelming
forces, the exhaustion of Rebellion and the
chapter of accidents, and, worse than all, that
he has no policy Of his own, but is voceless
automaton, subject to be moved and managed
by the radical powers behind the scenes.
Under all these drawbacks his political adver-
saries contend that his name and military fame
give no strength to the republican party, but
that against Seymour he stands somewhat in
the relation of General Scott to poor Pierce in
1852.
Now, we think that to establish the popu
larity of General Grant it is only necessary
to recite the popular movements and influences
ton on the first ballot in the Chicago Conven-
tion At this time last year he was not by
any means a favorite with the republican
managers and leaders. They, Greeley and all,
distrusted him and leaned decidedly towards
Chief Justice Chase. In fact, in the last
October election in Ohio the republican
managers made their fight upon the merits of
Chase and his negro suffrage policy, and Mr.
Chase himself, as if his political fortunes de-
pended upon the result, took an active hand
in that canvass. The result was the defeat Of
universal negro suffrage in Ohio by very
decisive majority, democratic Legislature
and a narrow escape of the republican Gov
ernor. So much for Ohio. In the last Novem-
Der State canvass in New York Governor
Fenton, Greeley, Spencer and others of the
radical clique of managers undertook little
more emphatically than it was done in Ohio to
make the election test of the availability of
Mr.. Chase as the preordained republican can
didate for the next Presidency, and the result
was overwhelmingly against him. The con-
servative Grant republicans largely contributed
to this result and lager beer did the rest
All this time the radical leaders, managers
and newspapers labored zealously against the
republican organs and movements in favor
of Grant. Their reasons for this Course
very strong as party reasons-were, they
said, that Grant had not shown his
hand; that his position ON the great
party issues Of the day was very uncer-
Tot hot ne
clan little or nothing was known, and that
in accepting the position of Secretary of War
ad interim from Andrew johnson, especially
when it involved the displacement of Stanton,
the General placed himself to some extent on
the side Of johnson and the democracy. Nor
was this construction Of this incident limited
to the radicals for the democracy were SO well
pleased with it that in General Grant they
began to think they would have the very man
they were searching for-the man required to
beat the radicals with Chase as their candi-
date Nor was this discussion of the chances
brought to an end till about the 22d of February
last. Meantime, upon the heels of the Penn
sylvanis and Ohio elections, and more actively
after the New York election, with its forty
seven thousand democratic majority, sponta-
neous outbreaks Of the republican rank and
file, here, there and everywhere, in favor Of
Grant began to be the order of the day. Thus
the popular tide had already set in very
strongly in this direction when an event
occurred at Washington which instantly settled
all doubts upon the subject in favor of Grant
The event we refer to was the surrender of
the War Department by General Grant back
again to Secretary Stanton, with the refusal of
the Senate to concur in his suspension by the
President. From this event, and the CORE
spondence between Mr.. Johnson and General
Grant resulting from 1t, the stone which the
radical builders had rejected was made at once
the head Of the corner. In defining bis posi-
ton on this business Grant had done 1t so
effectually that Immediately he became the
favorite Of the radical leaders against all
corners, and Immediately all the batteries of
the administration and the democratic party
were turned against him. Had Grant pre-
ferred it he could just as easily have made
himself the anointed champion of the admin
istration and the democracy, 30 manifest on all
sides was his strength among the people.
This change Of base on the part of the rcpub-
lican leaders, following in the wake of the
masses Of the party, settled the question for
the Chicago Convention and resulted, too in
change of base on the part of the Chief Justice.
This was developed on the Impeachment trial.
and soon after the Presidents acquittal Mr..
Chase, as the defender Of the constitution.
began to loom up as the most available man
for the administration, the democratic party
and the conservative republicans But this
immense stride forward was too long for the
short legs Of the Bourbonized managers of the