The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-05-26
COLUMBIA,.aS C.
Wednesday Morning, May se. 1859.

The New York Herald secs the clouds
rising, the heavens blackening, and hears
the rumbling of the thunder of Che ap-
proaching storm OF popular sentiment in
regard to General Grant It, says the press
is the barometer of public sentiment, and
that the press is now either silently MUIR
muring discomfort or. flashing in fury. It
finds the Democratic press either, silent or
unfriendly, and the radical press open in
its hostility and denunciation of the admin
lstration. 1t asks what is the meaning of
all this? 1t answers that it looks as though
the affections of the people are becoming
estranged from the man who but few
months ago was their idol. It administers
the following morsel Of advice to the Presi-
dent:
Let him brush away the parasites who
surround him, who poison his ear with false
accusations against good and true men, who
give him bad advice, and whose ayarice and
seitshness are bringing his administration
into contempt all over the land, and fast
causing the character of the Government
to lessen in the respect of nations abroad
The scene, the other day, between Senator
Sumner and General Dent the Presidents
usher, was most unfortunate Had it been
possible, . report of it would not have ao-
peared IN our columns. But, unfortunate
and humiliating as it was, it was important
as atfordlng an index of the manner in
which business is transacted at the White
House. AS Mr.. Sumner said, General Grant
should remember that the executive man.
sion IS not a military camp, and that we are
living In q state Of peace, not in state of
war; and, furthermore, that when gentle
r0n M anil OF fhn la II
business, they are entitled to be treated
with the respect due an American citizen in
his own household, and not with petty in
science and churlish vulgarity."
In another article on the same subject, the
Herald says it is easy enough to say that
Grant is a failure, but it asks are the facts
such that men must say it after deliberate
thoughtP It admits he is not what the peo-
pie thought him; that he does not realize the
generous national expectation. But it asks
is it not possible the people, in their enthu-
siasm, placed him at a height that no man
would seem to fit when looked at in sober
moments? 1t says it is common fault of
the world that exaggerates its heroes and
then contenms them that they do not come
up to the false measure. It asks:
'But what did the country expect of
Grant? 1t expected broadly the admins
tration of the Government on new princi-
pies. 1t expected reversion to the primi-
tive system--that is, a revolution against
the Office holders, against sort of political
and official oligarchy, that in an immuni-
ty OF fifty years had come to look upon the
Government patronage as exclusively it's
own: If we consider only this point fairly
we shall see that Hercules had but little to
do by comparison with what we expected of
our straightforward soldier. \
we expected 100 much. But then it must
be assented that we have got much less than
we might even reasonably have looked for.
We have got nothing, and here it is that
absolute failure is obvious Grant was re-
lied upon to do all, because in his whole ca
reer he had seemed a man of common
sense common honesty and resolute pur-
pose. But his resolute purpose has become
puerile vacilation; his common honesty is
nepotism, or worse; and common sense is
the quality of all qualities that the admin
lstration is most without