The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-03


Grant-A Tempest in n Teapot.
Senator Summer opened his batteries last
week upon President Grant, and the loud
! noise made by the discharge of his political
Paixhans has apparently alarmed some of the
timid republicans in the Senate Chamber and
caused much futtering and commotion among
them. On Saturday one after another rose
! to reply to his disappointed and disaf-
! fected associate /; and it was even limited
that an extension of the session might be
necessary in order to afford each an opportu-
nifty to pour out the walls of his wrath upon
the offending New England essayist. Senators
Flanagan, Morton and Conkling gave indica-
tons that they were spelling for fight, while
the gallant Logan, stirred rather with the
spirit of chivalry than by political con-
siderations, leaped into the arena and
did battle for his old commander and
brother in arms in right knightly
manner. They complained that Sumner,
after brooding the whole session over the
malice, hatred and uncharitableness he has SO
long cherished towards the President, who
failed to appreciate either Motley or his
patron, should at the last moment before its
close have delivered himself of carefully pre-
\ pared and corrected speech, full of unjust in
situations and unfounded charges, in the hope
that the final adjournment Of Congress would
cut off the friends Of the administration from q
reply. They charged that this TRADE Of the
! Massachusetts Senator had delayed the public
! business, given aid and consolation to no one
4 but the democrats, and thrown everything into
confusion, The uncertain Schurz, who seems
! to be at the present moment lowering between
Grant and Greeley, embittered against the
1 former and enraged at the latter, to whom he
attributes his Sedan at Cincinnati, came in for
a share of the denunciation, but Sumner was
regarded as the main offender and against
| him the fury of Flanagan, the thrusts of Nor
! ton, the eloquence of Conkling and the thun-
der of Logan were principally directed.
1t will strike oil persons outside of Washing
q ton that the administration Senators are very
4 unnecessarily injuring their digestions and
& wasting valuable time in working themselves
laup to fever heat over Summers silly and inef-
a fective assault upon President Grant The
4. them so much alarm contained nothing but
7powder, and hence could do no damage
the old soldier against whom
& they were directed, and who has
!! smelt smoke too often to be fright
Z ened by blank cartridges. Every person
3 Expected that, sooner or later, in the Senate
s Chamber or out Of it, Sumner would have his
! talk over the CALLING French arms fzzle, and
4 would repeat the stale story of General Grant
Q terrible misdeeds. This was looked upon so
much as a matter Of course that it could have
4 no moro effect upon the people than an anti
4 republican TRADE from jeff Davis or Dan
y Voorhees,. The speech came, as anticipated,
4 and the poison it was intended to contain
|, carried with it its own antidote. Tt
\ needed no reply from the Presidents friends,
z and no person outside Of the Capitol at Wash
q ington would have regarded it as more than q
3 joke. 1t was very well for Logan, as gener-
/, GUS comrade and loyal soldier, to fire up as
q he did against the man of peace who ven-
d tured to assail the idol Of the Union army,
& and his words have in them the ring of the
q true metal He spoke only the truth when he
q declared that Sumner would find response
4 to his malignant attack upon zone of
ethe most gallant soldiers that ever
/ lived in any nation on earth" inl
every crutch that supports q wounded soldier,
in every wooden arm and in the heart of every
mother who mourns the loss of q patriot son. !
But Flanagan, Morton, Conkling and the rest
could have well afforded to retain their tempers
and to laugh at the political effort of their un-
easy associate.
There are three points made by Sumner
against President Grant: first that he is in
competent to manage the affairs of the nation;
second, that he has given offices under the
federal government to his relatives and
friends; and third, that he has accepted
J gifts from certain citizens, to some
of whom he has offered places Of trust in his
/ administration. The first of these charges the
Senator seeks to substantiate by citing the
opinion Of Secretary Stanton, pronounced a
! short time before his decease. So far as this
Y quoted authority is concerned Senator Sumner
& is unfortunate in his production of witness
The late Secretary of War was known as a man
{ of strong prejudices and not too discriminating
judgment, and it can readily be understood
that, with his peculiar ideas of the propriety of
: conducting war in Washington instead
of in the field, he would not be
at heart favorably disposed towards a gene
raj whose ideas of the management of cam
paign were so directly opposed to his own.
But if Senator Sumner entertained a respect
4 for Secretary Stanton's opinion 1t is singular
that man of his professed political purity
and independence should have aided to place
( an incompetent man at the head of the
q national government. However, the reply to
both the living Senator and the late Secretary
\ lis furnished by facts, and not by
arguments. The capacity Of General
a Grant rs a ruler is established hv the