New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-11
The Last Democratic God-Scnd.

The Last Democratic GOd-Send.
The most talkative of our generals has been
making little speech in New Orleans in
which he said just what might have been ex
pected of him; that is, that be knew more
about the state of the country than anybody
| that he had more legislative capacity than the
| whole OF Congress f; and that If they would
| drop their attempts at government and give the
charge of affairs to him. he would restore order
and harmony in no time. This is no new theory
of the gallant soldier. He has always believed
| IN the government of the sword. He has never
affected to conceal his contempt for men who
wear black coats, and who paid for their own
education. He did noble and glorious work
during the war, when the fighting grew hard
enough to tame his hghtiness and keep him
down to bis pace, but be never had a political
idea which was not absurd and fantastic and
his convention with johnson, by which he sur
rendered all the results of the war, was a most
grotesque illustration of his incapacity to up
preciate political principle. Mr.. Stanton
never rendered the country greater service
than by his prompt and decided reputation Of
this surrender, and the vast personal populari-
ty OF General Sherman was not enough to pro-
tect him from the general condemnation his &C
ton received. He outgrew this blunder, seri-
Gus as 1T was, because every one recognized his
galantry and his good intentions aud merely
smiled at his innocent ignorance of public af-
lars. During the four years which preceded
the inauguration Of Gen. Grant rs President,
ms distinguished friend and comrade was kept
from any giarlng indiscretions, partly by the
strong influence which his chiefs good sense
and prudence eXerted upon him, and partly by
the natural hope and anticipation of succeed.
ing him in the command of the army in case
OF his promotion TO the Presidency. This bril-
liant prospect helped, at least, to make Gen.
sherman partisan of Grant, and consequently
sound and safe in politics
But now that the General has attained the
Legitimate summit of his aspirations. it is only
natural that his uneasy activity of mind should
sting HIM into occasional outbreaks of eccen-
tricity. As Richeleu thought himself better
poet than statesman and so wasted his leisure
In wooing an migrate Muse, our sanguine
soldier is not satisfied with the command Of the
army, but itches to show the world what
statesman is disguised in his uniform. There
is something fascinating about the Generals
political utterances. They are 80 honestly and
naively ignorant, so destitute of any connec-
ton with known facts, so confident and cock
sure OF his own powers and his own sagacity
that they have the same charm as the theo-
retical campaigns and conspiracies Of a loqua-
cious schoolgirl. I" Let US soldiers have charge
of the matter" says the outspoken chief " and
We will soon settle everything in satisfactory
manner" How wonderfully this sounds like "a
lady's " If | were President" which is always
followed by some deliciously absurd misappre-
hension OF the Executive sphere and function
General Sherman does not seem to remember
that the army only numbered million of men,
and that this was not a majority of the nation.
He Is equally unmindful of the fact that more
than two thirds of that army disagreed with
him, and held the same just and wise views of
government that were sustained and put in
practice by Lincoln and Stanton and Grant.
The glory of that army was that they were
citizens before and after they were soldiers,
and General Sherman is soldier, with no clear
perceptions of the dignity and worth of the
citizen character.
In view of these patent and notorious facts,
the Generals speech might have been passed
over with an indul gent smile by the country
which knows and honors him for what he is
foibles and all. But it has been given a sim
gular and unaccountable prominence by the
organs of the opposition. One morning paper
which changes its favorites oftener than Ha
rouu or Bigham seizes upon the General and
makes him candidate for the Presidency upon
the strength of this speech. As the same paper
will nominate dozen or so more before cleo
ton. wa cannot pause to discuss its merry
andrew pei ~. ,IdlIce eT yvoUrruay. we
feel bound to give one word of candid caution
ship in the Democratic party and which, as it
only changes position radically two or three
times year, may be considered as having
some regard for Its reputation for consistency.
1t also makes this rafting speech of General
Sherman's the occasion for delighted editorials
creditlng the speaker with more than human
sagacity and integrity. 1t does hot nominate
him for President, but on the contrary, timidy
suggests that he had much better stay where
he Is, at the head of the army--a good, perma-
nent plsce, &c. 1t holds up to him his prede-
cesser in the command of the army as an awful
example of what generals come to when they
begin to think OF the White House.
But these gentle homiies will have little eff.
feet upon the ambitious aud arrogant mind of
the brilliant soldier TO whom they are addressed.
lie will be Likely 70 accept as genuine all the
praise which is lavished upon his political
sagaclty, and will reject the rest as Imperti,
nent. The White House gadhy crazes when
it stings," and the dilletante schemers of the
Manhattan Club had better beware how they
make a candidate of Tecumseh Sherman. We
think he would make bad President for all of
us. de does not know enough of the first ele-
ments of political science to keep his despotic
and eccentric impulses in check. But he would
be an infinitely worse candidate for Tammany
than for us. His rigid honesty, his Eighty
notions of personal honor, his oyerweenng
self confidence, utterly unfit him to be the SER
want and fgurehead Of that gang of grOveing
rogues. He would smash into splinters any
platform they could frame before month of
the canvass was over and if by any inproba-
BILE luck he came to be President, we wOald ex-
rpect, before the cabinet was formed, to see Boss
Tweed kicked down the steps of the White
House, slate, diamond breastpin and all, by
the rash and splenetive soldier, whose civil
policy the ring could no more predict or follow
than the flight of a meteor, and whose hard in
tegrity they could no more mold to their scoun-
drel purposes than they could knead granite
to their daily bread.--N. Y. Tribune.