The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-08
Porter on Grant.

Jaunts 10 government vessels, pleasure trips
at the public expense all the sweets OF eX.
alted position are allowed to the high old
Admiral. During the secretaryship OF Mr..
Borie, the gallant Admiral was the actual
head OF The Navy Department, and, although
Mr.. Robson is now the Secretary, Admiral
Porter is understood to WELD despotic
sway in the diverse matters, ranging from
the equipment OF squadron to the purvey-
ing of pipe-clay and buttons for amphibious
marines. There is grumbling about all this,
of course, but the back of President Grant is
equal to the strain, and Admiral Porter
cares very little for san independent press"
while fe is pressing forward on the road Of
fame and fortune. What could show more
| clearly the determination of the President to
reward modest merit, and what could prove
with more certainty the disinterested char
acter OF the affection with which the Admiral
had always honored the successful General
in-Chief?
There were, however, some persons cruel
enough to suggest that Admiral Porter had
lively sense of favors to come, and had not
always been as devoted and true as be GER
tainly became when General Grant was
elected to be President Of the United States.
The malicious suggestion was hastily cough
ed down, but the wicked World, which
loves both Grant and Porter, has brought to
light q letter which the Admiral must find it
rather hard to explain. This letter is writ
ten by Admiral Porter to Secretary Welles,
and is dated in January, 1865. Admiral
Porter begins by assuring Mr.. Welles that
the country is indebted to the Navy Depart
ment alone for the success Of the Cape Fear
expedition. The expedition had ''neither
"head nor tai," so far as the army was con-
cerned, and on both occasions General
Grant permitted it to go improperly pro-
"vided" The letter throughout is vindi-
cation Of the navy, but Admiral Porter goes
a little farther and talks out very plainly
about General Grant This General Grant
is, he says, one ''who is always willing to
'take the credit when anything is done, and
'sequally ready to lay the blame OF failure"
on others. Without the help of the navy
che would never have been Lieutenant Gen.
''eral." There is more to come. 'Le acanLS
''n,og,animHy says Admiral Porter, "like
'"mosc officers of the army, and is 50 arari-
'.cious as regards fame that he will never, if
she can help it, do justice to the Navy De-
partment" Admiral Porter speaks of Gen.
eral Grants conduct as unhancls0me. He
says, besides, "Tdo not feel al all kindly TO-
srayW General Grant" Fie Admiral Por-
ter. And this is the summing up OF it:
':His General Grant's) course proves to Inc
sthat lie ocoulA sacrifice his best friend
''rather Maa let any odiuns jill on Lieuten-
ant-General Grant" We undertake to say
that President Grant was never better de-
scribed than was done in this letter by one
who had opportunities OF knowing the truth
of what he said What Admiral Porter
thought in lSG5, the whole country knows i'll
1870.
But the printing OF the letter put Admiral
Porter in a hobble. His first impulse, we
are told, was to denounce the letter aS Il
forgery, because he and his secretary remem-
bered nothing about it. There, however,
was the letter, written in indelible ink, and
circulating all over the Union. he waited
on the President, and "denied ull recollec-
ton Of the matter" This was getting deeper
into the mire; but President Grant, accord
ing to the Tribune, received Admiral Porter
very kindly, and treated him, he says, with
much more courtesy than he had right to
expect under the circumstances After this,
lie writes q letter in which he protests that
he had rather be the author OF the letter to
Mr.. Welles than its publisher, and suggests
that things would be awfuly mixed :" if all
"the private letters written in the past six
"years" saw the light OF day. Why is this
thus, Admiral Porter? Only because men
OF your stamp write their honest convictions
to-day, and give tue lie to them by their con-
duct on the tomorrow. Only because Presi-
dent Grant, the bestower OF honor and rank,
was very different person from the General
Grant who bungled up the Cape Fear eXpe-
dition. And the apology OF Admiral Porter
is both contemplate and lulicrous. He
did not write the letter; or, il he did, he has
forgotten all about it. He did not say these
naughty things; or, if he did, he did not
mean what he said. This reminds one OF
the quadruplo plea of the individual who
was invited to take Inatutinal julep: l. I
don't drink; 2. never drink except on my
wlfes birthday; 3. I am not married; 4. 1
have had four juleps already. We commend
this verbal quadraleral to the study OF Ad-
miral Porter 1t may be useful yet.
The long and the short of the whole thing
is this: Admiral Porter illuminated Grant
in 1865 to please Secretary Welles; or during
the last two or three years he has played the
hypocrite to hoodwink Grant and secure his
own promotion. Either horn will do. There
is no declaration that circumstances have