The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-02-21
THE PRESS.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, FEB. 21, 1872.
GEN. GRANT.
His Character and His Chances.
AS SEEN BY AN INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATIC
CONGRFSSMAN

AS SEEN BY AN INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATIC
CONGRESSMAN.
lFrom the New York Citizen, edited by Robert B.
Roosevelt, M. C1
1t is the mistaken idea of some persons to
belittle Gen. Grants ability, to run down his
qualihcations, and to underrate his mental
requirements. Instead of being the stupid.
senseless individual that these persons would
have the public suppose, he is one of the
shrewdest managers of the day. Not only as
leader in the war to which he first gave a
favorable turn, but as a manipulation in poll
tics he has shown remarkable skill. The reb-
els continually took the same view that the
Democrats are taking now. and denounced
the Union General as an ignoramus every
time he won victory over them; and the
more efectually he crushed their armies the
more clearly they proved that he was utterly
incompetent as a military commander, and
entirely unequal to the task which he had as
sumed. There are soldiers at the South to-
day who can clearly establish the fact that
Gen. Grant was the poorest officer the world
ever saw, that he ought to have been beaten
in every battle, and that he was only saved
from utter ruin by incredible luck. So also
with the Democrats; they prove conclusively
the Presidents imbeciity as a politician
every time he scatters their best laid plans
Tor ms overthrow, and while he has so de-
moralized his adversaries that they hardly
have candidate against him, they insist that
weaker politician never lived.
One OF the greatest of follies is to underrate
an adversary, and necessary as the defeat of
the republican party is to the welfare Of the
nation, it will never be brought about by con-
temptuous reviings of its candidate. or fall
ure to appreciate the desperate nature of the
struggle which must be won, and the re-
sources at the command of the great leader
VINO intends to be a candidate. That Gen
Grant VIII fail by any contingency of renom-
1nation, there is not the remotest likelihood:
he has entire and absolute control of the mat
ter, and he uses his power with a wisdom
and discretion which are sure to effect the
end in view. Opposition in his own party is
practically crushed. He never was favorite
OF party chiefs, who originally accepted him
only ON compulsion, but he had hold on the
people which they dared not ignore. He has
lost part of his popularity. Americans
dread mllltary usurpations and love constitu-
tlonal law; they have not forgotten the fate of
Mexico, and do not yet love sovereigns or per-
manent masters but as his popular strength
is diminished, his political strength has III
creased. Then he held the people; now he
holds the politicians. He has out-fanked the
latter, as he once outfanked the Rebel Gen
erals, and at present grasps them as firmly as
he held Lee in Richmond
People who do not know President Grant
intimately, describe him as Sphinx" a
wooden man." silent, unsocial person, and
deduce from this an underlying stratum of
stupidity. Nothing could be farther from
the truth, and here is where the series of
blunders commences. Surprising as the as
sertion may apear, Grant is eminently social;
he is jovial, merry, talkative, full of fun and
geniality, and right pleasant companion.
His reserved manner is his shield of defense.
His natural temper would leave him a hope
less prey to bores and place-seekers and other
enemies of public men, and herein comes
display of his peculiar tact; no sooner does
one OF these appear than Grant recognizes
him and retires into his shell of impassibility,
and like tortoise frightened by some noise,
never comes out till the danger is past. He
will stop in the midst of the liveliest CONVEX
sation if he finds that his il rterlocutor has
purpose under his pleasantly, and if he sus-
pect that some object is to be attained he as
sumes his air of stolidity at once. Before any
uiHiidhb SChtiCiuCu UcllttlcS Tie ITeSlue0G LOT
this habit, let him think how much annoy
ance it has saved him.
He is kind-hearted, and being totally unac-
customed to reserve, he would have had diff
Guilty in maintaining the dignity of his posi-
tion without resort to some such plan as he
has adopted. He was elevated suddenly by a
combination of accidents and the ability to
make the most of these accidents, until al
most at single leap he has advanced to the
highest position in the nation. To keep up
the decorum of his station it was essential to
change many of his modes of action, and to.
assume reserve which was not natural In
stead OF being an evidence of stupidity, this in
reality is proof OF his shrewdness. Out of re-
spect to the nation be was determined that
the office of president should lose none of its
prestige in his hands. and he has certainly
made good his resolution. If in doing SO he
has earned the name of sphinx, silent rid
die, dumb mystery, he has cut off the dan
gerous presumption of old acquaintances, and
has forced respect from all classes, high and
low, friends and enemies.
A further evidence of his appreciation of
the people, which after all is the essence of
statecraft, is to be found in his course of ac-
tion in reference to the attacks of the Demo
Gratis. The latter find some assailable point
in the conduct of the Republican party; they
address their batteries to it, and make capital
against the administration; they excite public
feeling and get the sentiment OF the nation
with them; their chances of turning the tide
ofpublic favor improve; they become jubilant
and see a brighter hope of winning the next
fight and recovering their long lost power;
thrill of joy passes through the entire party,
and their old energy begins to revive. Sud
denly the President, who has been silent
locker on all this while, committing himself
neither to one side or the other, studying
however most carefully the course of events,
reaches forth his hand, covers that particular
point, and takes to himself all the political
capital the Democrats have been so industri-
ously making. This has happened over and
over again. But take one Of the most notori-
GUS instances-the civil service bill. On this
point he seemed committed and especially
vulnerable; he had appointed relatives innu-
merable to office; his hopes of denomination
largely hinged upon his power to control the
ofice-holders; his enemies appear to have him
at a disadvantage; they were pressing the
case against him vigorously, although perma-
nency in office was never doctrine of the
Democrats, who, on the other hand, demand
rotation. But what does Grant dop Quietly.
and all by himself he adopts a system of civil
service reform which, while it satisfies the
people and seems to comply with their wishes,
virtually retains power in the Presidents
hands, precisely as it always existed.