The Republican journal., 1869-04-01
Chances at Greatness.
Grant the Smallest "Greas Man" of the
Century

Correspondence of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
WASHINGTON, March IA.
Rochefoucauld's maxim, "nothing succeeds
like success" though false as to many things,
IS true as to war and the generalshlp that leads
It, The man who puts ten thousands TO night
with a hundred thousand achieves renown
which will be sought in vain by the gallant but
unsuccessful resistance of ten thousand against
a hundred thousand; and while the people are
great fools to furnish the raw material for bat
lie. there must come out of every war between
thirty millions of people and ten millions one
or more "great generals" Especially must
this be the case in struggles which, like that
between the North and South, after victory
had fuctuated from side to side for three years
hnally became a question Of arithmetic, and
was decided on the principles of ''attrition."
But the time has passed. or else has not ar
rived, for a criticism upon Gen. Grants conduct
OF the war. 1t is sufficient for US to know that
he came out of the contest the recognized
champion of the Federal cause In the field, and
that the Republican party took advantage OF
the popularity thus acquired to make him Presi-
dent-and keep itself in power. For four years
we shall have to deal with Grant the man and
Grant the President, but not with Grant the
General.
The caption of this letter expresses my esti
mate of Grant, formed several years ago, and
HcN u CuduSeu SiuGt-uOl CNCu WITCH VIC A>Ol VI
was delirious over that triumphant "attrition"
which reduced Lee and his ragamuffins to capt.
ulation. Grant may be very great General,
but he is very small man" He is capable of
more petty malice and personal prejudice than
can find lodgment in the breast of true great
ness, intellectual or moral; and when men talk
with fear and trembling of military dictator
ship, or a Cromwell or Napoleon, tell them
there is perfect safety against Grants ambition
in (,ro0t'S mn0iOcrtV There is NOT NaOO-
leon to the square mile of such men, nor
Cromwell to fifty generations of them.
Eek pede Herculem." The ancients judged
81 the stature of Hercules from the size of his
feet. The moderns may Judge of the intellect
nal stature of Grant from the size of his Off
cial acts. God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform !" but when He wishes
10 develop tanner into Washington He i'm
plants within him a soul above the avarice of
dollars-too big to sell Cabinet offices for
houses and lots, and quite above the exchange
of Premier's portfolio for q five thousand dol
lar dinner. In fact there is so much difference
between Washington and Grant in this partic-
MAR that | cannot but commend the reader to
a letter written by the former on the Identical
subject which forms such just ground of com
plant against the latter One of the finest let
ters ever written by Washington was in denun-
citation Of the principle which guided Grant in
the selection of Stewart, Fish, Borie and HOare
When, few years ago, in an unguarded con-
versation, one Of Mr.. Johnson's Cabinet offices
said that "No man should eat the Presidents
bread and butter who did not support his pol
ICY" the Republican leaders were quick to
crystalline the remark into title Of derision
Tor the entire conservative party of the country.
And 1t was, after all, but homely translation
oi sentiment uttered hundred years ago by
Doctor Johnson, when, while living on pen
sion from the Hanoverians, some one rated
him on his remuneration of the Stuarts "Sir,
said he sit would not be good manners in me
to drink the health of King James in wine that
is paid for by King George" The ''bread
and butter" policy Of support, as condition
OF patronage, has entered into every political
administration in this and every other country,
until the present, which seems to have adopted
the House and Lot Brigade, that differs from the
Bread and Butter Brigade in the essential par
ticular Of making the President the receiver
instead of the donor, and in SO far l think it is
far from an Improvement upon it. 1t is certain
ly less Democratic, for all were invited to the
Bread and Butter Brigade, while the conditions
of enlistments are such as to render the House
and Lot Brigade select corps of the public
service, but feebly reinforced by the big Dinner
Squad These and Company A, of the Poor
Relations, from the Presidential body guard at
present. are the only force which ''the great
Captain Of the age has called upon to assist
in the administration OF affairs
But the particular feature of Grants charac-
ter which am trying to Illustrate is still bet
ter displayed in a small paragraph in this morn
ing's papers, which announces the removal Of
General Frank Z, Blair from the office of Pa
ctc Railroad Commissioner. The Office is
small and not very remunerative one. Blair
was as fit fill it as any other man. He has
Tiled 1t acceptably for couple Of years. If
Grant has all that soldierly magnanimity which
his friends attribute to him, why should he SO
soon strike down for political opinion man
who proved himself one Of the best officers in
the Federal army? The smaller the office the
smaller the act Of removal. The petty malice
Of Grant could not be better exempllhed than
IN the removal OF Blair from an obscure posi-
ton, at time when people supposed all the
Presidential attention to be concentrated on
the selection of Cabinet. Men with souls
larger than an oysters don't descend to such
things And the same day he removed Blair
from an office he appointed Longstreet to an
other and better one l hope the soldiers of
the West who fought under Blair on twenty
battle fields, and whose brothers and comrades
were stricken down by this new favorite Of the
Republican Administration, will appreciate
these two official acts as they deserve. Not
that Longstrcets appointment per Sc is wrong,
for believe the sooner we cease to prescribe
men for taking the wrong side in the late war,
the better it will be for the country. But the
objection lies in the fact that the office given
him is a reward for the betrayal of the people
whose cause ne espoused in the struggle. 1t
is an attempt to convert the federal govern
lnent into Magdalen Asylum for political pros
tituteS.
Why was Blair so soon made victim of po
ltical prescription? Simply because in one o
his speeches he said that Grant was danger.
GUS man, and if elected ''would never leave the
White House alive" Grant took great UNI
bragg at this at the time-iS said to have beer
highly indignant and unwilling even to speak
TO Blair since. | think Blair was very greatly
mistake, but his error was that Of overestimat
ing Grant-not of damaging him, as the lat
ter supposed. Grant hadn't brains enough tc
understand that, under the circumstances, ane
considering that it was made by political op
ponent, the speech was in the nature of com
pliment Since his muster of the House anC
Lot Brigade, there is not much danger of Its
repetition by Blair or any other sensible man
Grants conduct toward Johnson during the
closing month of the last Administration is ii
keeping with all the other acts which stam1
him az "the smallest great man Of the centu
ry." To avoid the New Years call upon tn
President, which army etiquette prescribed
he took the train for Philadelphia, and remain
ed there for few days greatly "fatigued, "as tn
papers told US. On the day before the Inaugu
ration Mr.. johnson wrote note to the incom
ing President inviting him to ride with him t.
the Capitol. To this Grant did not even con
descend to return an answer. He rode to tn
f,anitol in hiS own convaVanca-a carriap