The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-04-11
Correspondence OF the New York World.l
.our-,noN prIl A

streets of Washington the dlgnltary who
was reported by the 1ribune to have been
.seeh5fa the Executive Mansion $50 drunk that
he could hardly stand on his legs;s' the Presi,
dent who. as a senator remarked the other day,
sometimes appears on the avenue I'm hrst-rate
Spirits" The phenomenon Of this little great
mans success engaged my thoughts during
my walk. Undoubtedly he Is one OF those
who have greatness thrust upon them. But
will the people continue to elevate and bow
down before 80 very common an ldol! " vii
they, awaking from the mesmerlc state ia
which they have been kept by potent politl.
clans, let him topple into obscurity among his
dogs and horses?
Could the people see this man as he really
Is, and not as vulgar success makes MN seem
toibe, they would need no appeal. Take the
.dirtlest beggar, unnot1ced 10 the. slreet; set
background, and he becomes picturesque and
interesting. So take; an ordinary man. With
lust wit enough to hold bis tongue; set him up
In the White. House, and you have g." grim,
mysterious, extraordinary" man for President.
It's all In The popular eye-netblng OF it ID the
man. The very. men, the very politicians
here, who are chanting Grants praises Wasn-
est opinion Of him. 1t Is the men who can
use him, and make more out of him than they
could out Of an able President. who are
bawlipg "Grant! Grant Grant !? They de-
ssss aSa i nto seef ,ss but pe sass hati ae hi is e sae els
man, and It. Is their interest to keep him N
oeRee..~His Cablnet-though it goes sorely
against the consciences of some OF the mem;
bers-are all pledged to him. The three OF
four men In Congress-Co1kltn, Carpenter,
Morton and company-who have constituted
themselves his special champions have thus
far been strong enough to lead by the nose
the majority of Republicans. In the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES there is no enthusiasm tor
Grant, and probably if both the Senate and the
House were polled and the question privately
put to every, Republican memoer OF ootD,
SsWoMd you prefer to have Grant or another
available candidate If he can be found Z" NOT
more than thirty would answer 'Grape" But
the big leaders have got their grip on the
Philadelphia Convention. They form a ring
around Grant which ls impregnable aud
which enables them to take part In the
control of that Federal machinery which
manufactures delegates. The weaker Rad
icals have no voice; Ponucs Is VIII
With Grant they rose; with Grant they
stand or fall. If he is condemned, so are
they, for they have done so much 'k0toW
business" before him in plain sight OF the
people, and demeaned themselves 30 abjectly
for the sake Of getting their share OF Federal
patronage, that their political fortunes are
absolutely identified with his. They desplSe
themselves for this as much as they secretly
despise. the President, and no man VINO mas
even a transient intercourse with politicians
here at this season can fall to remarkt the con-
temptuous estimation In which the Presldent
is held by the most paltry OF his so.calleo
sfrlends." For my part, I have yet to hear q
Congress praise Grant without some qualify
ing or apologize parenthesis. When you
come face to face with these men they refrain
from irving to gull you With absurdit1es. They
dislike being laughed at. Its only that great
impersonalily, the Public, that they hope TO
stuff with their windy nonsense ABOUT
ssGrant ~
The man himself inspires no ardor, no en-
thusIasm; for he does not seem to have q
spark of enthusiasm In. his composition. A
lady remarked n evening, HE Is such 9
aoooden man." I heard an anecdole to-day
which illustrates q way he has OF forgetting
or ignoring people, and which also brings out
fact in his career mol generally known. Dur
ing the war, while ADarew johnson was MIL
taryfoyernor of Tennessee, and General Grant
was at Nashville, a gentleman (my 1niormant)
was introduced TO him tor the first time at mis-
HEADQUARTERS. In the course ofthe conversation
the guest mentioned his Impression thaI tne
General had been q Douglas Democrat. Grant
responded that he had not taken much part IN
politics, and had only voted at one preslaen-
tial election, that Of 1856, 9Een ne voted 1or
Buchanan. After the war, when Mr.. Johnson
became President, the same gentleman was
entrusted WILMA mission 10 the South for the
purpose of examining and reporting upon Inc
Condition of the Southern States. His reports
convinced the President that the Southern PEG.
Die would behave themselves well enough II
more fully convinced Of this. General Grant
was sent South to form and report his opinion.
He came back saying October, 1861 !: There
ia such univeral acquiescence IN the authority
of the General Government throughout the
portions Of the country visited by me, tnat the
mere presence OF q military force, W,Gaout re- Re
eardt to Numbers; Is sufficient to maintain or
def:s: The gentleman alluded to called on MIN
soon afterwards In Washington, In accompany
with a friend. Grant had forgotten the meet
ing In Nashville and forgotten The genlleman's
name. Two or three years after The gentleman
happened to be q member Of the board OF tx
aniiners at West Point, where he encountered
Grant again In a private room WIN q numoel
Of mutual friends. General Grant gave no
sign that he had ever seen him before. Again,
not long af erwards, the same gentleman
paused In his walk through the rooms at one
OF: President Johnson's levees to pay Dis re-
apects to General Grant. and again ne encoun'
tered sthe stolid visage and lack-lustre eye
which assured him that he was completely Tor
gotten. Similar examples OF the Presidente
Soorkshness. are cited frequently In Washing
ton. where be is so unpopular that men VINO
respect his office have ceased to lit their hats
to him In the street.
Such is the mai who will be reDominated
twin hen by the packed convention at Phila,
delphia. Such Is the man whom the wicEedesl
wire-pullers tn the Republican party are II
favor of, and whom the people have acc1mn.
lated so many false, tol-de-rol Ideas about ron
the lips OF stump-speakers and from radical he
publican newspapers. This man never was
Republican at heart AT the outset OF the wal
he said: 81 ann a Democrat; every man In my
regiment Is q Democrat; and when / snail oe
convinced that this war has for Its object any
other than what I have mentioned. or that the
government designs using Its soldiers to prose,
cute the purposes Of the abolitioDisls, ! VIII
pledge you my honor as q soldier that vii
carry my sword on the other side and cast my
lot with that people," Doughty words! The
man who uttered Them has since turned bill
back upon the PROSTATE South and loaded hei
with the basesL i%ndignities.
It seems incredible that the delusion In re-
gard to this man can be except up much longer
It seems Impossible that the Republican poll
ticians and statesmen who have had the man
Illness to: declare against him can, under any
pressure of circumstances, relapse Into their
old; slavery. But the power Of party is fear
fhl,r not to be- estimated. The extent TO which
sordid motives iniest the chambers OF the
mjghliest brains can only be- judged of by
Aa-o han hrnf1nhf into fami1tQ