Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-03-13
GENERAL GRANT.
AS seen by an independent Democratic
Congressman.

/ AS seen bY q n independent Dcm0Crltlc
Congressman.
From the New York Citizen, edited by Robert B.
Roosevelt, M. G.
| It is the mistaken idea of some per
sons to belittle General Grants ability,
to run down his qualifications, and to
underrate his mental requirements.
Instead of being the stupid and sense
less individual that some of the people,
would have the public suppose, he is
one of the shrewdest managers of the
| day. Not only as leader in the war
to which he first gave a favorable turn,
but as manipulation in politics he has
shown remarkable, skill. The rebels
continually took the same view that the
democrats are taking now and de-
nounced the Union general as an igno-
ramus every time7ho won q victory over
| them. and the more effectually he
crushed their armies the more clearly
they proved that he was utterly incom-
petent as a military commander and
entirely unequal to the task which he
had assumed. There are soldiers at
the south to-day who can clearly estab-
| lish the fact that General Grant was the
poorest officer the world ever saw, that
I hO oetSSolt W AdfC sUCCA OSdpCA LII OfOA,y
battle, and that he was only saved from
utter ruin by incredible luck. So also
with the democrats; they prove CON,
clusively the Presidents imbecility as
a politician every time he scatters their
best laid plans for his overthrow, and
while he,has 50 demoralized his adver-
saries that they hardly have candi-
date against him, they insist that a
weaker politician never lived. NJ NnE
One Of the greatest of follies is to un-
| derrate an adversary; and necessary as
the defeat of the Republican party is to
the welfare of the nation, it will never
be brought about by .contemptuous
revilings of it's candidate, or failure
| to appreciate the desperate nature of
| the struggle which must be won, and
| the resources at the command of til
great leader who pretends to be cam
didate. That General Grant will fail
/ by any contingency OF a renom nation,
there is hot the Fenlotsst likelihood he
! has entire and absolute control 6f the
matter, and he uses his power with a
wisdom and discretion which are sure
to effect the end in view. Opposition
in his own party is practically crushed.
lIC dCfCi lIcS % ldNOLIbC CI
who originally acEeptsa him only on
compulsion, but he had hold on The
people which they dare not ignore. He
has lost a part of his popularity Amer
leans dread military usurpations and
Hove constitutional law, they have not
| forgotten the fate of mexico and do
not yet love sovereigns or permanent
masters bit as his popttlar strength
has diminished, his political 5tfsnsth
i has increased. Then he held the peo-
pie; now he holds the politicians. He
/ has out fianked the later, as he once
i outaanked the rebel Generals. and at
present grasps them as firmly, as he
held Fee in Richmond. t-sun
/ People who IL, hst ktow President
I Grant intimately describe nifa &s q
=" sphinx, a. /" wooden man" q silent,
tunsoeial person, and deduce from this
an underlying stratum of stupidity.
| Nothing could be farther from the truth,
and here is where the series of blunder
commences. Surprising 80 the. asser-
! ton may appear Grant is enfneftly
social he is jovial, merry, talkatlve,
full of fun and geniality, and right
4 pleasant companion. His reserved
nianttes III his shield sf defense. His
natural temper would leave HitF fobe-
lIless prey to bores and place seekers and
other. enemies of public men, and herein
comes o display OF his peculiar tact /;
no soofieI d6}gss Etfs af these appear than
/ Grant recognizes him and retiIe5 into
his shell of impassibility, and, like a
i tortoise frightened by some noise, never
as. ,,,-f tho 1o,,rro, cts Ho
will stop Iii tbs trtast Of ths liveliest
conversation if he finds that his litter
locutor has purpose under his pleas
{ antry, gtia Y he. suspect that some OBJ
ject is to be attained. ~ aas1mes his
| air of stolidity at once. Before any
i brilliant gentleman belittles the Presi-
dent for this habit, let him think how
much annoyance it has saved him. ata
L. t+eia, hitidzheafted: ana beihg totally
Unaccustomed to reserve, ne WOULD h8Se
had difficulty in maintaining the dignity
Of his position without resort to some
such plan as he adopted. He was ele-
waited 6tittdsn1y BY combination OF
accidents and the ability to make most
.lof these accidents unit
almost at single leap he has advanced
to the highest. position in the nation
I TO feeb NIB. the dee9rl1m Of his station
it was essential to change I1aHy 6f bis
modes of action, and to assume a re-
serve which was not natural. Instead
of being an evidence of stupidity, this
in reality is proof of his shrewdness.
OH of respect TO, the nation, he was de
termined that the Office Of p<esiden
should loose none of it's prestige in his
hands and he certainly made good his
resolutions. If in doing SO he shat
learned the name sphinx, silent riddle,
q dumb mystery, he has cut off the
dangerotNpresumptio of old acquain-
tances aud has fereed respect from all
j classes, high and low, fli6nds sand sIe4
mics. -at.af z. i..sl ....f.
A further evidence of his apprecia
4 tion of the people, which after all is
the essence of statecraft, is to be found
4 in his course of action in reference to
the attacks of the democrats. The lat
ter find same assailable, point in the
eoildtict OF. the Republican party /; they
address their batteries to it, and make
| capital against the administration
ith8y eacite public feeling and get the
sentiment of the natitti with them
their chances of turning the tide Ct
public favor improve; they become
jubilant and see brighter hope of win
ming the next fight and recovering theil
long lost power; a thrill of Joy
passes through the entire party, and
their old energy begins to revive.
Suddenly the President, who has been
q silent looker-on all this while, com
mitting himself neither to one side or
the other, studying however, most care
fully the course of events, reaches forth
his hand that covers particulars point,
and takes to himself all the political
capital the democrats have been SO in-
dustriously making. Thishas happen
ed over and over aqain. But take one
of the most notorious instances--the
civil service bill On this point he
seemed committed and especially tvul-
nerable :; he had appointed relatives in
nu1nerable to Office; his hopes of re-
I nomination largely hinged upon his