The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1872-02-28

appointed Secretary of State, un
der Mr.. Lincoln, he was in fact,
from his greatly superior States.
manship, the President. He was
continued in Office by President
johnson, and he has managed the
State Department for the last eight
years with consummate ability.
Recently he has made purchases of
territory for the United States from
Russia and Denmark, which shows
an enlarged Craftsmanship. In a
speech which he made nine or ten
years since, he assumed the bold
ground, that the United States
must have Canada and Mexico.
before the measure Of her ambi.
tion was filed. Like most of our
great Statesmen in the last half
century-Clay, Calhoun, Webster,
Douglas, and others-Mr. Seward
will never probably reach the
Presidency. The chief magistrate
OF this great Republic, it seems, is
destined not to be filed again by
the first Statesmen Of the country.
Men OF inferio" intellect, who have
not made themselves prominent by
originating any great measure, are
cons dered more available in a
Presidential race. They have less
weight to carry.
.... EDWIN NJ. STANTON.
was not favorably impressed
by MIR. Stanton, when | first called
to see him as the Secretary of War.
Governor Orr and five or six 9th.
er gentlemen from South Carolina
accompanied me in my call on Mr..
Stanton. President johnson, af
ter hearing my account of the con.
diiion of South Carolina, was SO
much pleased with it, that he re.
quested me to call on Mr.. Seward,
and tell him about the willingness
of the people of South Carolina to
abolish slavery. reform their consti.
tntion and return 10 the Union. 7
thought l would have the same
talk with the Secretary of War,
and that he wonld be equally in
terested with the Secretary of
State, in hearing good news from
the Palmetto State. He listened
awhile, and seemed Indifferent to
lny narrative. He stopped me to
enquire what had become of Frank
Pickens. | replied that Governor
Pickens was etill residing on his
plantation, near Edgefeld village,
in South Carolina and resumed
my statements as to the feelings
and purposes of the people of nv
State. He again enquired about
some one else, and | saw that he
was not interested in my report to
the War Office, and soon after
wards, we took our DEPARTURE
Twelve months afterwards, call
ed on him again, to settle nv &C.
eonnts as Provisional Governor
lie seemed more polite, and treat
ed me with more civility. / was
impressed, however, with his tai.
ents and ability as a man and an
officer. He is a stout, good look.
ing gentleman, very calm and dig
nihed IN his manners, and has n
fine head and face. lie managed
the War Department with great
ability, and Mr.. Seward said his
administration was almost Divine
Colonel Philips, of Mobile, told me
that he and Stanton we're law
partners in Washington, Just be-
fore the war broke ont, and that
Stanton was then more of o South.
ern man in his feelings than he
was himself. 1t is q we'll known
fact, that he said TO Senator Brown,
as he was leaving the Senate Cham:
ber to return to Mississippi after
that State had seeded, that he did
not see how he could do otherwise
w nat changes come over politi-
clans: How few are governed by
principle, and what small mum.
Der have any regard for consisten.
cyl 1t is always the case, too.
that political renegade is always
tfercer in his warfare against his
former friends and associates, than
an original and consistent oppo-
nent. In other words. new con-
verts in politics, as well rs in reli.
gion, have to show more zeal and
interest to prove the sincerity of
their conversion, which is general
ly doubted by friends and foes.
This has been remarkably the
case with Edwin M. Stanton. who
was originally Democrat, and
ATTORNEY General under President
Buchanan. He has prosecuted
and pnrsned with a tiery zeal,
those at.the South, with whom he
deeply sympathised whilst he was
a Democrat. The War. Depart
ment was the reward of his politi
cal apostasy. He remainded in the
Cabinet of President johnson for