Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-01-02
Cen. arant,s sheridan Letter.

, Since the publication Of Genera
! Grants private letter to the Presi.
dent on the removal Of General
Sheridan from the command of the
Fifth Military District a great deal
has been said for and against Grant,
relative to this communication
The General has been too reticent
in regard to his political views to
. please the politicians. With all
their devices and probings they
could get little from him. The Re
publicans want to take him next fall
as their candidate for the Presiden-
cy, seeing the necessity Of having
his popular name to help them
out Of their growing unpopularity
and to perpetuate their power; but
the radical leaders feared he was too
conservative, and might Tylerize
the party. Under this state of
things they are anxious to get hold
of the letter to the President on
Sheridan's remov.,l The Demo
Gratis, on the other hanu, while they
had no serious thought of making
Grant their candidate, believed he
was conservative. They looked to
his early record before the war,
when he was an avowed Democoat
to his general expressions Of pa
triotism, to his character, to his lib
eral conduct toward the rebels, and
to the fact that he accepted the po-
sition of acting Secretary of War CT
the removal of Stanton, the big gun
of the radicals. They, consequent
ly were desirous Of knowing what
the General had said about the re-
moval of the favorite Southern mil
itary commander Of the radicals
Everywhere there was a great deal
of curiosity, though it was generally
known Grant demonstrated against
the removal of his heroic friend.
Upon the pressure from the par
ties in Congress and to satisfy this
curiosity the President gave up the
private letter of Gen. Grsnt. We
think he should not have done so.
He could have refused to make it
public, it having been intended for
his eye alone and marked private.
But it has been published, and every
body knows its contents. Well,
what comfort can the politicians get
from it? What is there in it to
make so much fuss about? 1t is
the letter otan honest man, express
ing honest convictions at the time
it was written. He may think diff
ferently now. He demonstrated |
against the removal of Stanton in
the same letter; yet be afterwards
accepted Stanton's position, and we
have no doubt that now he believes
the President did good thing in
making the change. Gen. Grants
conduct all through, towards the
rebels and with regard to the recon
struction acts of Congress, has been I
but radical, and therefore I
It is not to be supposed he favored !
the radical policy of Sheridan or
any body else. The truth is, he {
.oved Sheridan as his friend and i
in arms, and valued t
highly his great services in the war. a
He knew Sheridan to be patriotic, P
md was not willing to believe that a
distinguished soldier would act i'm s
,rudently. Besides, he has always C
,een anxious to see the Southern Il
states restored as soon as possible, L
nd thinking Congress, as now con v
had absolute power ever o
he subject, it would be impolite or o
dangerous for the President to op- 0
'ose the policy Of that body. He e
Ooked upon Congress as represent 0
ng public opinion in the matter, a
nd thought that was the high tri-
unal to which all should bow. Ihe =,
ecent election may have changed d
is opinion in this respect, and ii
lough we have no direct evidence Il
( that, we think it likely they have.
n short, there is nothing in the
heridan letter to show that Grant n
not conservative, or that he had IL
ny other object in view than to serve h
is distinguished friend and the o
ountry, under the peculiar circun. y
5ances Of the case and the times
TeU York Herald. - pl
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