The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-05-07
THE COMPANIONS OF ULYSSES.
Translated for the Natiue Virginian fro
the Courier des Etats URiS.

/
Translated for the Ndtiue Virqiaidn from,
the Courier deS Etats Unis.
Names have their destinics. hdbent
suo .fatei, and this is why Ulysses s.
Grant reminds us of the King of Ithaca
and his legend. The modern hero, too,
entered Troy, that is Washington. car
rIed In the wooden horse OF radicslism.
He too is wise, prudent and reserved,
and yet has not enough of these good
qualities to make him safe from the
rocks that the enyious gods are placing
in his course. AS another point of re-
semblance. the winds have driven his
bark to the isle OF Circe, we'll repre-
scnted by the Presidency. But it is
here that the story. or rather the fable
| becomes interesting. Gree, the en-
chantress, is taken with ULYSSES, and,
to keep him in her arms, pours ont mag
| ic nhltre for him, and Tor his compan-
ions. ULYSSES does not drink of it, but
| his sailors drain to the bottom the per-
fidious cup. and are Immediately trans
! formed into swine. Whilst they are
seeking for acorns, the ship viii remain
moored to the shore, and cannot gain
the high sea, and carry the wandering
Prince back TO his faithful Peaelops.
| Have we not here the image OF the
| present state of affairs. seen in the
| Mvtholopic mirror? The ULYSSES of
| America and of the nineteenth centu-
rv. will remain sober. and will nut
| away from his lips the Intoxicating cup
of absolute power, but his companions
| Will drain it with deem drauahta. ana
will wallow in corruption. They will
| leeome swine, if they are not swine
| already. So it has been written, since
| Uouer's day.
That Grant has pure intentions. and
honest designs, that he intends that the
excessive no yer usurpcd shall be used
| to secure his eountry's liberty, as the
Ulysses OF old was planning how to see
his Penelope again while iavishing ca
resses on Circe and Calypso, none can
seriously doubt. The honesty OF Lin
coin Is not questioned, and vet, under
his administration, the internal spirit
of speculation took terrible advantage
Of the miGiortuncs of the country. and
there wss not one, not even the wife of
the President, who did not receive, Sc
cretly little presents at the door OF the
White House. so that the poor widow
regrets loudly the profits of the lost
place, and is for them sadder and more
inconsolable than Rachel.
The implacable hatred that Andrew
Johnson reused did not succeed in dis
covering in the successor of Lincoln
vulnerable point In regard to integrity.
and a violent and careful prosecution
could not sts;n the character of tIc Ex-
| President. Still the public fnnctions-
ries were as bad as ever before, and the
federal treasury was subjected to sys-
tematic pillace. Does Grant hold the
thunder which can purify the stmos-
phere. or the wand which can make
gush forth from the midst Of the bog
li,npid fountain?
Behold him trying his trembling foot
steps in his new and difficult field Of
duty. He names his Cabinet, makes it
up of unknown men, almost strangers
ITO party. The Keys of the treasury are
given to a millionaire. merchant who
| has devoted his lie to the worship of
the golden calf, and this is the guaran-
| ty offered to the popular masses. What
| nextg He chooses to govern the militia
nv districts, and SCI Dis 10 the conquered
| provinces, distinguished generals, some
| distinguished for their success in the
| war. others for their severity in the
| positions thev have filed since the es-
| tablishment Of peace. Further-Grant
| gets into trouble about the laws, being
| Ignorant of law, discovers that he can
not keep Stuars in the Treasury, and
that he is Obliged to change his base.-
lie takes Boutwell,, the representative
of Massachusetts, former democrat
converted, and one of the bitterest i'm
peachers of Andrew Johuson, Here
we have then the new President obliged
to reconstruct his Cabinet with no less
difficulty than that with which Congress
reconstructs the Southern States, and
casting himself upon the breakers OF
radicafsm, which he seemed to have
carefully sought to avoid,
ULYSSES is now given up to hls COM
panions, aud by companions of ULYSSES,
or political swine, we mean all the
blood-suckers, big and little, all of rad
icalism and Of what hangs to its car
As to himself; there's his enemy. How
can he avoid it? TO read the Odyssey
would instruct hun and gaide him bet
ter than wo.ld lesson from Wash
ply protected by Mlnerya, had escaped
from Gree, from Cal{pse, rom 10Y