Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-03-01
MACK ONI. s. q.

BAD MANNERS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
There is an old proverb, full of truth
and force, which tells us that the offender
never pardons. 1t is very frequently ex-
emplified in the conduct of the present
Executive toward his predecessor. No
man was ever guilty of a more fragrant
| breach of the rules of friendship, honor
and integrity against another than was
shown in the conduct of Ulysses S. Grant
| toward Andrew johnson through the
whole series of events beginning with the
| appointment of the former to the tempo
rary charge of the War Department, and
ending only with the administration of
| the latter. 1t showed Grant as a colossal
statue of littleness, majestic mixture of
lies, treachery and deceit such as
| the world has seldom seen collected
in the person of aspiring greatness. One
would have thought that having served as
the mean tool of the Republican party,
and sold what little honor he had for the
cheap tinsel of a Presidential nomination,
Mr.. Grant would be content to cease the
petty exhibitions of his malice against
Mr.. johnson when the latter ceased to be
a public character. But not he. That,
though presupposing only the doubtful
degree of generosity which consists in
ceasing to bear malice, would be quite too
great display of that virtue for the small
soul of Mr.. Grant. 'The offender never
pardons''-and his present Excellency,
having sullied his honor TO defame his
predecessor, can never forgive the injury
he sustained. Andy! Il have been his
feeble defender often; his ardent admirer
never; yet how he looms up into the
greatness of honest 'erring,
vet noble"-when placed side by side with
the gift, gorged nincompoOp who succeeds
him
But l started this paragraph for the
purpose Of Illustration rather than homily;
and the incident relate is vouched for by
one who witnessed it, and whose veracity
has the voucher of long public service and
high public character. About q week
ago the President went TO an evening re-
ceptiOn at the residence of an eminent
'9Oyalist" of this city. While there he
was introduced to priVateroOm in which
a number of gentlemen-whitcsand black,
drunk and sober-were being amused by
choice extracts from the political doggerel
of Hosea Notwithstanding a tTifle
worse, if possible, than Nasty, besides re-
Quiring a Yankee twang to give Us vulgar
Jokes effect Most Of it related to the
administration of President johnson,
which, of course, is grossly vilified. The
President was delighted with 1t, listened
intently and laughed immoderately. Next
day there was State dinner at the White
House, given to the Trustees Of the Pea
body Fund. The character of the guests
may be Judged from the fact that Bishop
McIlvaine and lady were two Of them ;
ex-Gov Winthrop, of Massachusetts,, and
lady two more; and ex-senator q believe
he is EX-SENATOR Graham, of North Caro-
lima, and lady two more. There were
others whose names l can not recall. But
those have mentioned will indicate the
character of the assemblage. An polit-
ical parties-especially of the past, were
epresented-OldIine Democrats and sill
yer-gray Wings being in the majority
not one of them less than sixty or sew
enty years old. Well, after dinner, at |
the request Of the President, the company
withdrew 10 another apartment, and what |
do YOU think awaited the venerable Bishop |
and his venerable associates Why, as | |
live, the same elocutionise who had !
charmed Grant at the evening reception, |
with the same volume in hand, to read |
the same extracts. They all listened |
most of them in the respectful silence of |
suppressed disgust; and ali of them in
great wonder at the bad taste which had |
insulted them in this way.
That's my story. How does the reader
like il?