The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-03-20
A. Us Opinion of Grant.

The Nashville correspondent of the
Courier-Journal interviewed A. J. the
other day ut Nashville. We extract.
He thinks the republic is "going to
the devil at railroad speed" His judg-
ment Of President Grant and his policy
was doubtless formed after mature de-
liberation, and he delivered it, apparent
ly, rather in sorrow than in anger, for
l am willing to believe his assurance
That there was no malice In it.
"GRANT Is A LITTLE FELLOW"
added MIR. johnson, with a pleasant
twinkle ofthe eye, against whom no one
could harbOr malice. He is especially a
small man-small of statue, of brain, of
morals. ] doubt If he ever read the
Constitution of lie United States I'm his
lite; he has certainly never read the
commentators thereon. His idea Of gov
ernment is exclusively personal, and of
low order ut that; it was conceived in
the field and modelled upon army rules
and regulations. He says to his cour-
iers, do this, or do that, and they obey;
beyond this character OF government
he knows nothing"
''But you will agree that Grant is a
great captain?"
Not bit of it would he. His opinion
of Grants generalship is only equalied
in contempt by that of his statesman
ship. He had the men, Mr.. johnson
continued, and followed the army, not
as ITS leader, but as an incident. What
fight did he ever win? Ask CT Belmont,
Shiloh, Vicksburg. He took the latter
place after eXpending millions of dol
lars and thousands of lives, BOqufRq
about in the swamps and burrowing
like a crawfish. He finally stumbled on
fln l.ipbf Ulun hapanCa fbnra u-oc moth
ing else to be done. Good luck seldom
deserted him; he is a creature of luck
from first to last, He happened in al
ways to reap the hOnors that others
merited. If Mcclellan had been let
alone, the war would have ended
two years before it did. He has not
even the poor merit of personal cour-
age. Where did he ever expose his
person? Where display any strategy?
1t was a simple question of brute force
with him. A pendulum of ten pounds
weight will drive one of five. He was
carried through by armies. He marched
against a foe greatly inferior in n.m-
bers; invading a country especially
vulnerable-Of scant resOurces-block-
AIDED, cut Off from both the sympathy
and assistance of Europe.
"Do you really believe he would de-
clare himself Dictator, if the oppOrtuni-
ty should offer?''
Il haven't the least doubt of it.
don't suppose he knows it by that
name,' but the idea is the same. He
loves power both for its own sake and
tor the recompense it brings. His ava
rice is boundless. He cares nothing
what becomes of the people, so he graf
ities his own ambition and love of lucre-
With CAESARS or NapoleOn's ambition he
lacks their greatness of soul. See the
former at the battle of Pharsalia, and
Napoleon at Lodi, where they rush to
the front and encourage their soldiers
with short, sharp, pitliy phrases that
have passed into history" My adju-
tant: 81 propose to move on youl
works ut once.' 81 shall fight it out on
this line if it takes all summer" But
his eX-EXcellency simply remarked,
"Rawlins," and went on: "Grant could
not possibly be a great captain, nor a
great anything else There is too little
of him. a great statesman-neveI.
He looks upon the Government as a
machine to be run in his personal inter
est; upon its patronage as something to
be dispensed to his friends and family
in return for services rendered in put
ting down the rebellion