New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-05-22
GEORGE n. SANDERS.

Almost everybody knew George. We
knew him when he was navy agent at New
York under Buchanan's administration, and
passed much of his time IN Washington.
George WAS Douglas man at Charleston in
1861 and went back on Buchanan in long
and expensive telegram, which the latter
had to pay tor. Sanders landed in the Con-
federacy somehow.
"Gath, ," the Washington correspondent Of
the Chicago Tribune picks up this from one
of bis ex-Confederate friends:
"George Sanders" said his informant
sis still abroad mighty seedy. and
at the end of his iope, very nearly.
He never saved any money and had
no ability to do SO, although he has
been possessed of many thousands at a time.
While he was political jobber and pretty
low in his instincts, there were yet intellec.
tual parts about the man which are not now
given their due. While be made piles of
money out of politics, he threw it away
with lavish generosity, and l do not be
lieve that he ever refused to lend money
while he had a cent. If he had been q
wiser man, he would not have gone South
at the breaking out of the war, for every
time he came up for Office or favor under
the Democratic administration, the pow
erful men OF the South always opposed
him bitterly. He was once nominated
for foreign mission, aud was beaten by the
Southern Democrats, although we Northern
Democrats fought hard for him, ana Ben
Wade, at that time in the Senate, willingly
voted for his confirmation. while Chase staid
away, if remember rightly, 80 as not to Cd
pose him. Yet George Sanders, when the
war broke out, held on to his unfortunate
aileglence with the Southern politicians:
and when he bad Joined with them at Fort
Sumpter, some of them still wanted to send
him through the lines. And when he went
to Paris and England, without a portfolio,
to help the rebel cause. neither Mason nor
Slideli would speak to him. On the contrary.
they concerted together to ruin his influence
at both courts. And yet George Sanders
was the primary lnstigator and the real
author of the French occupation of Mexico"
could not help giving an lncredulous
shrug here. but my informant went on:
Well, if you have seen Old George, as he |
is now, loafng about the court of the Grand |
Hotel, in Paris. and playing the rnnner for |
any green American boys who happen to be |
over there, you will find it hard to believe |
what tell you, that George Sanders and |
John W. FOrney nominated James Buchanan |
at Cincinnati, pulling in concert ell the time,
and that, in 1860, Immediately after the cleo |
ton Of Lincoln, Sanders told me that he |
meantto go South, get accredited to Europe,
aud obtain the recognition OF the Catholic |
cause in Mexico by France, England and |!
Spain conjointly.
''Said he: 4 am going to try to make Ma
poleon put his cousin, Prince Napoleon, on
the throne OF Mexico, and the recognition
of Plon Plon by the Southern Confederacy
will lead to Napoleon's recognizing the |
south as the legitimate government of the
United States George Sanders stuck to |
hat most perseveriugly, and know reliably
What his Influence was in the subsequent !
OF Mexico. The EnDeror's mind |
lad been poisoned against him by Slidells
orerunners, and George had to manipulate
mighty shrewedly to get his proposition be-
ore Napoleon at al: but when he did get it |
here, he had 30 much tact, bonhon,r,ie and
address, that before the accredited minister
ould get to work fairly, the occupation was
foregone conclusion. For this they hated |
im the more; and George was euchred out
ad engineered it. The real fact, however, !
ccording to my judgment rs pretty old |
is, that Sanders had more ability |
S dIpomatist than any man in the South |
ot excepting Slideil who was the strongest
Id the deepest man among us.
81 have seen George Sanders, the Meter
lch of the South, at the Charleston conven-
ION. sitting in little room about as big as ;;
travelling trunk, and start fifty PROPOSE |
ions in the space of half an hour, every one
which he put in motion with as much | ,
nergy of action as of thought. He was to /
em ocratic politics what Leonard Jerome
r Jay Gould is to Wall street: and he filed |
hariestOn with such conflicting rumors, q
nd backed them up so adroitly, that the +
at last broke up, like the work
zen on the Tower of Babel, when they were
ruck by the confusion of tongues. d
George Sanders has no moral character, | r
ut good deal of that disposition TO stick 6
his friends which often passes current :
nong politicians for principle; and his
tellectuai endowments were so brilliant, g
'eaking politically, that they used to keep +
who were more fortunate in worldly
rift in amaZement. Bat he has had his g
y here, with Ike Fowler. Isaiah Rynders b
Id all that old set Of New York politicians
no fiourished anterior to Sickles and
God, and Hoffman. and the new Tammany ,
I; but when they come to sum up the big =
b in politics at the breaking out Of the war '
ey must count as among the biggest that v
imorist vagabond, George Sanders d