Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-02-22
4 Democratic Opinion of General
Grant.

1 Democratic Opinion OF Generai
Grant.
Hon. Robert B. Roosevelt, editor ot
the New York citizen, at present repre-
sents one Of the New York city districts
in the national House Of Representatives.
Ho is a man Of much literary ability,
being the author of "Game Fish Of the
North" Five Acres too Much, and
other works. He il a ready writer a
keen observer of men and things, and
withal. a prominent Democratic politi-
cian
In leading article in the citizen, in
reference to the approaching presidcn-
tal election, aud the necessity Of hard
sork ON the part of the opposition if
they expect to accomplish anything, he
thus speahr Of President Grant:
s'It is the mistaken iAea of some per
sous 10 bcnttio Gen. Grants a0&SyN so
run down his qualifications, and to Qn-
darratc his mental requirements. IN
stead of being the stupid, seuseless ia
dividual that these persons would have
the public suppose, he is one OF the
shrpwdest managers of the day Not
only as a leader in the war to which he
first gave ii favorable term, but as
manipulator in politics iio haa sRown It.
inarllablc skill. The rebels continually
took the same view that the democrats
are taking now, and denounced the
Union general as ali jgnoramuS every
time he won a victory over them; and
the more effecmally he crushed their
armies the more clearly they proved
that he was utterly incompetent as a
military commander, and entirely un-
equal to the task which he had assumed,
There are soldiers at the South to-day
who can clearly establish the fact that
Gen. Grant was the poorest officer th'
world ever saw, that he ought to have
been beaten in every battle, and that he
was onlysave from utter ruin by incrcd-
able luck. 50 also with the democrats
they prove concluSivcly the Presidents
imbeciity a. Il politician every time he
scatt.rs their h~st laid plans for his over
throw. and while hp has 80 denoralihrd
hi4 ply,7saries that they hardly have Il
cludi laSe against him, they insist that
weaker politician never lived.
The RELGIors AMENDMENT, Certain
people, chiefly PennSylyanians, have at
tempted 70 organize a movement to Sc
Gu e" N an nument Of the national con-
stitu ion which shall affirm the exist
ence and government of God. TIL" con
stitu.ion already assumes even more
than this by appealing to justice cstab-
fishing the oath, and concluding with
the declaration that it was "done in con-
vention, that is, framed and signed lin
the year of our Lord one thousand seven
hundred and eighty seven Here is
recognition, not only Of God, but of
Christianity, also, in the words year Of
our Lord" so long as We do not mean
to establish either theocraCy or a state
religion, this will be enough for sensible
people. The movement to which we
refer ia nowise likely to accomplish
much We have supposed those engaged
in it to be good, well-meaning persons;
but this opinion is somewhat shaken by
the fact that they put the names Of Gov.
Washburn, of Massachusetts, and Gov,
Jewell, Of Connecticut, to their last call
for "conyention," without the knowl-
edge or consent of these gentlemen who
are both opposed to their movement,
THE PorE oN PCBMc EDUCATION. -- .
Pope Plus the Ninth is about to issue an
encyclcal letter on the subject of public
education and its relations to the Church
and to the State The matter is of tn"
highest Importance to the Christian
world. 1t was debated in the Vatican
Council and embodied in the Pontificial
declaration of the dogma of infallhility.
This announcement was accepted at the
moment as an authoritative definition of
the position of the Roman Catholic
Church towards public schools and the
system of mixed education as it i adj
ministpred by many, the majority. in
deed. Of the Christian governments. The
first view of this portion of the Council
manifesto did not produce any very
pleasing impressions on the mind of the
populations. Perhaps His Holiness will,
in his forthcoming letter, supply per-
sonal, yet Papal. explanation of many
of the points which remain still in dis
pute. If he can do 50 satisfactorily-to
his own conscience, to the College of
Cardinals and to the cosmopolitan lay
communities-he will have accomplish
ed noble work. Pho Mono is, however,
a great worker, and charitable, as well
as venerable, man.
ArsrRIA.-The past two years have