The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1872-06-05

a Senate ut his heels, l. not n fit model
for our Republic. King George the Third
of England, SO peculiar for obstinacy and
narrowness, had retainers in Parliament
who went under the name of the Kings
friends Nothing can be allowed here to
justify the inquiry, Have we King
George among us ? Or that other question,
Have we party in the Senate of the
Kings friends?
Personal government is autocratic, and
in direct conflict with republican govern
ment. A government Of laws and not of
men is the object Of republican govern
ment. Nay, more, it is the distinctive es-
sence without which it becomes tyranny.
Therefore, personal government, in all
its FORMS and especially when it seeks to
sway the action of any other branch or
overturn the constitutional negative, is
hostile to the first principles of republican
institutions and an unquestionable outrage.
That our president has offended in this
way is, unhappily, too apparent.
The president is a civilian. To oompre-
bend the personal government that has
been installed over US, we must know its
author-his picture is IA necessary frontis-
piece. not as a soldier, let it be borne in
mind. but ms civilian. To appreciate his
peculiar character as u civilian il is i'm
portant to know his triumph as soldier,
for one i the natural complement of the
other. The successful soldier is rarely
changed to successful civilian. There
seems to be incompatibillty between the
two. modified by the extent TO which the
one has been allowed TO exclude the other
One always soldier cannot late in life
become Il statesman; one always civilian
cannot late in life become soldier.
In modern Europe few soldiers have
been more conspicuous than Gustavus
AdulpnLs and Frederick, sometimes
called The Great but We learn that both
failed ANONYMOUSLY in their domestic poll
lev and showed themselves as short-sighted
in the arts of peace as they were sagacious
in the arts Of war. The judgment of
Marlborough is painted while por,raying
him as the greatest conqueror of the age
hero Of hundred fights, victor of Blen-
helm and Romulus. The same phil
osophicsl writer describes him as man
not only of most idle and frivolous pur-
suits but SO misersbly ignorant tina, his
deficiencies made him the ridicule of his
contemporaries; while his politics were
compounded of selfshness and treschery.
Nor was Wellington an exception
Though shining in the field without a RI
val, and remarkable for integrity OF pur.
pose, untlinching honesty and high moral
feeling, the conqueror of Waterloo Is de.
scribed as, nevertheless, utterly unequal to
the complicated exigencies of political
life.
Such are the examples of history, each
with it, warning. 1t would be hard to
find anything in the native endowments
or in the training of our chieftain to make
him an illustrious exception; at least
nothing Of this kind was recorded. Was
nature more generous with him than with
Marlborough, or Wellington, Gus,avus
called The Great, or was his experience OF
lite u better preparation than theirs
And yet they failed, except in war. 1, i.
| not known that our chieftain had AN expe
rence as civilian until he became presi
dent nor does any partisan attribute &
him that double culture which in anti
guilty made the same man soldier anG
| statesman. 1t has been often said that he
took no note of public affairs, never voting
but once IN his life, and then for Jane,
Buchanan. After leaving West Point hs
became "a captain in the army, but soor
| abandoned the service to re-appear at 6
later day as successful general There
| is no reason to believe that he employed
the intermediate period in any way cal
culated TO improve him as "A statesman
He was earning few hundred dollars a
year by tanning hides in Galena. b.
war ne passed to be president, and such
was his preparation TO govern the great
republic, making il an example to man.
kind.
STATIONS OPINION OF GRANT.
Something must also be attributed e
individual character, and here / expires.
no opinion of my own. ! shall allow an
other to speak in solemn words, echoed
| from the tomb. On reaching Washington
ut the opening of congress in Decem Der
1869, was panied to hear that Stanton
lately secretary of war, was in failing
health. Full of gratitude for his unsur.
friendship, quickened by common political
sympathy, l lost no time in seeing him.
and repeated my visits till his death, to.
ward the close of the same month. NV
last visit was marked by communication
bedroom, where found him reclining on
a sofa. piropPed bya pillow, he reached
out his hand, already clammy and cold,
and IN reply to my inquiry, "How are
YOU he answered, waiting for my fur.
iough.' Then at once, with singular sol.
emnity, he said, Il have something to say
to YOU When was seated he proceeded
withou. one word Of introduction 81
know General Grant better than any other
person in the country can know him. 1t
was my duty to-day when | saw him, and
when l did not see him, and row / tell
you what know: He can not govern this
country The intensity Of his manner
and the positiveness of his judgment sur
prised me, for, though l was aware that
the late secretary of war did not place the
president very high in general ca pacity, l
was not prepared Tor II judgment so
strongly couched AT last after some de-
lay in meditating on his remarkable state
ment, observed What you say is very
broad" at is as true AS It is broad" he
replied promptly. l added, You are
tardy; why did you not say it before the
nomination - He answered that he was
not consulted about the nomination, and
had no opportunity of expressing his
opinion upon it, besides being very much
occupied at the time with his duties ms
secretary of war, aud his contest with the
president. followed by saying, "but you
took part in the presidential election, and
made succession of speeches for him in
Ohio and Pennsylvania" IL spoke" said
he, but | never introduced tn. name of
General Grant. spoke for the repubi-
can party and the republican cause
Insisting upon reelection the president
challenges inquiry and puts himself upon
the country But even if his pressure for
reelection did not menace the tranquility