The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-09-23
..na,a, Grant and Missouri.

General Grant aaAA
n.,a~st GRANT is an enigma.
s,,, q debt OF grati,ude-which We
49, s,,rs sbe acknowledgement having
"auoa her "a he did from the iron-clad oatn
~onsrass had LETT us without hope until the
sx,s 81 the adjournment. We had the best
reason TO believe that the submission Of tne
rnnvt;t,tion as a whole to the vote OF TIT
,,eonle would end in its adoption. The
people were wearied to death with the
nolicy of Congress---the talking one way
and the acting another by that bods-the
,,rom;ses of leading men outdoors tha'
were forfeited by the votes In the hail-'ne
hopes excited and blighted, and the sue
cessive alarms and terrors OF vlnd'ctiVe
majority. The people were ready ior any,
thing to relieve the State from tne a"'u'
territorial purgatory in which she naa oee"
se cruelly and ruthlessly detained. mere
fore they would have taken the uNpERW ooD'
R.ySx Const1tutlon-r"n-clada ana all.
General GRANT had freely declared tha'
Virginia ought not to be put under the
,ron.clad oath. General ScEoFrELD had
asserted that were Virginia subjected to the
iron-clad oath capable men could not b.
found to conduct the Government. 1t hac
been supposed that General GRANTS opin'
ions and wishes would be respected by Con-
gress, and they were elected and published
in such form as made them authoritative
Nevertheless, Congress, with icy indiflei
ence, left us to our fate until near the las
day of the session. 1t was then thought, IL
last expedient, that message from Gene
raj GRANT to Congress, urging that VIZ
ginia be allowed to vote on the Constitution
and iron-clad oath separately, might com.
mand the respect of that body. He was al
first somewhat disinclined to press the mat
ter upon Congress, but finally consented,
and his message was laid before the body. II
was promptly considered, and amongst tho
last acts of the session was law author
izing the separate vote in Virginia upon
the Constitution and two of its clauses.
This saved Us.
The question involved then was one Of
liberality towards the Southern people
whether the acknowledgements without
amelioration should be continued upon
themP General GRANT took the liberal
side. And yet, after the triumph OF the
Eberalists, he Immediately bestowed all his
fayors and his confidence upon the adven-
turers and their allies, who opposed him il
the Virginia election, and eXerted all theli
force to keep Virginia under the power o.
the awful government of malignity, igno'
rance, and dishonesty.
There were a plenty Of liberal Republ'-
cans who might have been selected by him.
They had all the honesty of the party III
this State and nearly all the talents OF
which it could boast. But his Virginia
policy looked one way while his Virgins
patronage was dispensed in the opposite d.
rection.
An interesting question has just risen in
Missouri, and we find General GRANT max
ing another singular and enigmatlcai move
ment. There the same question divides the
Republicans that divided them here. 1t l.
in Missouri question Of amnesty" tt
the Southern people. A part Of the Re-
publicans demand that the policy of "gen.
eral amnesty" declared by leading Repub
licans of the nation, and Ivy so many publ,
assemblies as indispensable to the peace anc
prosperity Of the country, should be car
ried out. Another part, led by the Office
holders, who fear that general amnest!
would sink them below the surface as in
competent and Enthusiastically, is opposed
to any relaxation of the vindictiye restrc-
tions that have deprived fourth Of the
people of Missouri Of their rights since the
war. On the side of general amnesty ar,
CARL ScRURz and B. CRATE BROWN, two OF
the most able and influential Republicans OF
Missouri. They are opposed by the office
holders and the narrow-minded, ignorant,
and malignant part of the Republicans.
And now comes General GRANT most
indelicately to meddle in the matter. We
published an extract from his letter to hs
friend in st. Louis yesterday, in which ht
urges his friends not to 60 with the liberal
lists there, as they are only following the
examples OF Virginia and Tennessee witt
the view Of carrying "a portion of the
Republicans over to the Democrats, ana
"thus give them control" This is sum-
mary mode of setting down such men Us
scHURz, BROWN, and their colleagues, i'll
the struggle for equality and justice to the
citizens of Missouri.
Time was when President of the United
States would not have dared to NEEDLE il
States. There is lamentable departure
from the proprieties OF former times; but
the improperly of Presidential interference
in this case is but aggravated by its incon-
sistency. General GRANT began his politi-
cal career as liberalist: he has changed
sides. We do not understand him. But
we have this coDsolation-that his acts are
often as enigmatical to his friends as to U.s.
Now, this question of amnesty is one that
will not sleep. The Republicans are as
blind as adders if. they do not settle il
promptly. 1t would have been infinitely
better for General GRANT had he sided with
CARL soHURz. He would then be on the
side of justice and generosity, and would
have touched that chord of nature which
makes the whole world kin, and which
would have greatly increased his popu
hrity. But he has chosen that ofilliberaiity
malice, and oppression.
We don't know what to make of Genera
GRANT, and we have never seen the maj
who did. He fills niche in the great pan
theon Of characters, most assuredly; bu
what 1t is, God only knows.
-------------.----- s.
The FIGHT OF THE BULLS AND BEARS
There was nothing particularly noticeable
In the operations Of the Stock kxchang