The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-14
General Grant His Flood-Tide.

career. reached the food-tidc which oicrt
him all that o national ruler could ask II
the way of popularity and successful al,
ministration. &c has but to avail h'lnscii
Of this food to secure all that heart couIo
wish for . ruler. But the grand opportu-
oitv lost, this food "decayeth and dricth
Up"
There is rot g little p~c"plexity i'll the
public mind SO TO the exact position OF
General GRANT with reference to policies
and parties in the process OF the rcStoTa'
ton Of the southern States to the Union
The two mos. active mepbcrs OF Ills Caoi-
ret. Ne.srs. Boutwell, and CREswELL, arc
the most proscriptive and bisoted men III
the body OF his constitutional ADVISORS
They have openly declared their sympathy
with the proscr;ptivc party in all the Soa'a-
ern States-that party which lives upon lit
passions Of the val, and whose le1ceES
hone to retain Office and keep their hauds
in the public treasure by pcrpetuatlnS the
r~olit;c.l disabilities Of southern citizens
under the forms Of ~punishments for al
legged disloyal:y to the Federal Government
Now. this way OF maintaining power.
and monopolising the Official ~perGulsl'es Of
the southern States by the INSCRIPTIONS
and bloody proscriptivcs, backed BY NesSr'
boutwell, ard CREswELL, is at war Win
General GRANTS oft-cxpressed opinions
from December 1865 down to this day. Ii
i. against justice and truth; it is against
pr.cr-for which General GRANT has so
rcrs;stcutly and ~cmphnticaily declared.
And vet the active Cabinet officers, ana
tho illibcral leaders whom they sustain,
are using every effort to convince the
. nphlic that General GRANT IS ranged on
their side, fighting against his o'cn d5sTos
rirr,. Is thst yossible' Can General
GRANT so stultify himsclf' And what
earthly good would he achieve by thus de-
nying himself before the world?
We have not believed what these people
have said. We cannot think 1t possible
that General GRAST should be 20 grossly
inconsistent 50 infatustcd go blind to hls
own interests, and to the true n.y. OF re-
storinc pcsce and prosperity to tie nation:
as (vhilc himself sustaining literal vieWS)
10 throw bis influence and patronage III
behalf Of the party who would continue
;5c runishmcnts and the passions OF war.
lie has put his face against persecution
sud prescription, and said "Lct as hdcc
peGcs.'' viii he now change front, ana
snsiain the war Of the adventures n
the South, who ere cndeoyoring to proiong
the Affections. the disabilities, and the
csIsmitics Of the people, that they may
retain the Offices into which they lave been
thrust, against the public will and desire
Can General GRANT r~cpuli.tc the policy OF
these pcoplc, and receive them at the same
time into his favor!
Let us take Virginia for example. Il
will answer for all the southern States.
General GRANT last winter concurrcd
with, the committee O. niue tEst the IN
constitution vss ono that no peo-
ple ought to be required 10 live under. lie
was against the "test-oatl;" the dds
Embellishments, =" and the county orgsnlza-
tons" aud so most cmphaticolly declared.
At the same time Governor WELLS and his
followers appeared in Washington. The
matter was growing serious, and they went
into COUNCIL in the Federal city to deter
mine their course. At one Of their meet
inss il was confessed that the constitution
ousht to Ee amended SO General GRANT de-
sired. and timc was taken to determine
what yes best to be done-whether they
should acquiescc IN General GRAET's
views, which they acknowledged TO bo cor
rect, especially his opposition TO the county
examinations, and cooperate with the com
mi,toe Of nine, or fight both.
The result Of the reelection bestowed upon
the subject was exactly what might have
been expected Of WELLS, the trickstcr. lie
could not 90 a manly and just act and trust
10 consequences as long as he had the thin
blc-rigging implements in his hands. So
upon the assembling Of his satellites he an
r0unccd his plan to be to fight Genera
GRANTS policy and the "nine," frankly
declaring his unrillingness to trust the
rcoolo Of Virginis-they would not elect
linn Governor. HOY WELLS, WHlTTLEsEY
( Co. did carry OF their war in Washing
ton is fresh in the memory Of the public
Had they backed the committee OF nine
WELLS would have been elected Governor
lie could not have been defeated. But 6
great movement in favor Of justice ant
peace, warmly sustained By General GRANT
was subordinated by the WELLS party II
the small and contemplate personal int
rests of WELLs-his little pocket-hook q
the bottom # his little p0cket-and III
State vas kept for months in : condition o
anxiety and distress by the delay occa
stoned By the war between the interests o
this great nation and the wretched persona
ambition and a~varice Of II. II. WELLS ans
lis little ~wagon-load Of malignant and i'll
competent satellites.
True to his trade of thimble-rigger, al
though he fought against the "ninc" an(
General GRANT for many weeks, whel
WELLS found that the day had gone asains
him he changed his coat and affected I
favor the abolition OF the test-oath, though
Just out Of the committee-room in which h
had advocated the disfranchisemcnt o
Is, eco white men III order that he might b
elected, and had Furthermore declared tho