The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-08
Congress and the New Departure Under
General Granrs
From the ". Y. Herald.

From the N. Y. Herald.
Will General Grant in the White House be a
second Andy Johnson? Have the Republicans
caught Tartar? Some of the Democratic po
liticians are setting their sails in this direc
ton, while the radical leaders in Congress are
evidently dsinclined in advance of the Gene
rals inaugural to give him loose rein. He
is still to them mystery. He gives no opin
ions and answers no questions concerning his
Cabinet or his policy. He avoids the White
House; but he also avoids the Capitol. His
reticence excites suspicion, and his political
antecedents are conservative. Ills radical
friends are not sure whether he will prove
man OF wax or a man of IRON good worker
in the traces, or as fractiOus as mule; an
automaton like Buchanan, a marplot like
johnson. or master like Old Hickory. So
they are waiting TO hear the voice of the oracle.
The prevailing opinion among the Republi-
cans, however, seems to be that General Grant
will have no policy of his own, except upon
retrenchment, and that, having no desire for
asecond term, there is but little danger OF his
undertaking a repetition of Johnson's profit
less fight with the two houses, or of Jackson's
despotic discipline.
Meantime, we think, enough is known of
tie character of General Grant to Justify the
prediction that as President he will give US
something better than the negative do-nothing
policy OF Buchanan, and something more eff
cient and decisive than Johnson's policy, with
out the continuous fuss and tlummery and
incessant squabblings of Johnson. In the late
Presidential CANVASS General Blair, who
fought through the Vicksburg campaign with
Grant, and through the campaign of Georgia
and the CarOlinas with Sherman, said of Grant
that he was a soldier of great military capa-
city, a man of resolution, but withal very
ambitious man, and that if elected President
he would hold on to the office to the end of
his life, meaning thereby that in exchange
for the confidence of the people he would play
them the role of Louis Napoleon 1t must be
remembered, however, that General Blair de-
liVered this opinion on the stump as theDem-
Ocratic candidate for Vice President; that he
was hard pushed and had desperate battle to
fight against heavy odds; and that accordingly
he may be excused little fancy sketching for
buncombe.
But his testimony, under the circumstances,
| in behalf of General Grant as an able and
meTitoriOus soldier, and as man OF remark
| able decision of character, Is good. We may
rely upon it, coming from political adver-
sary, and in the heat of fiery canvass, and
from the close personal observations OF sol
| dier and lawyer wthal of keen perceptions,
touching the peculiar qualities OF different
men. We all know that one of the peculiar
! qualities OF General Grant in the field, and
most admirable one, too, was in his reports
Of battles, sieges, and campaigns to give the
highest praise TO his subordinate officers and
soldiers and to say nothing of himself, or as
little as possible He was not jealous Of
the lsulels OF Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan,
and other mertorious officers, but proud
of them and proud to stand by them
when under cloud. Quietly permitting the
inception of this and that campaign to be
given TO any other general, time has dsoov-
cred the truth that the campaigns of Vicks-
burg, Chattanooga, ''the great march to the
sea- and the crushing campaign from the
Grant. The honest and ohivalrous Lincoln
wrote to him after the capture of Vicksburg
substantially, "When you disclosed to me
your final plan l thought it a mistake.