New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-07-02

attack 10 be made a the mouth of river and said that
the bar low tide had 16 feet OF water on it. Grant
raised his head eighteen feet" said he and every
body held his tongue When ready TO depart,
gave notice the day before, the rule was That day.
after dinner the General who usually retired at once to
his tent did the honor to ask me to take short
walk with him. II almost evening, In the month or
January. "You brought me letter from Sumner"
said he "I don't myself with politics, but they
say 10 the newspapers that belong to the Democratic
party You may say to Sumner that am, before every
thing the OF the Union and of the Government
that for his friends and especially for him. have no
feeling but He does his work In the Senate
am doing mine, well as L can. here, and hope we
shall soon be in Richmond"
These words, spoken at a time when the Demo
Gratis based great hopes ON Grant, were pronounced
says Mr.. Laugel with the greatest simplicity; and
the anecdote, like many Others he tells, is contri
button to the history of those eventful days Grant
seemed to him cold at first, with a sort of timidity
contracted in the solitudes of the West austerc in
his life and Dress indefatigabe, impassive, with
every mark of command, an active, tenacious, in
exorable will. one of those men without weakness
or pliancy. born to put down civil war; and too
deeply imbued with the convictions of his race to
think of ending it otherwise than i'll the interest of
law.
Mr.. LaugePs strong progression in Gen. Grants
favor becomes more evident he takes up the I'M
happy story of his quarrel with Mr.. Sumner. The
position of the latter gave him. Mr. Laugel sees,
species Of control over the Executive in foreign
pointments and affairs, and he intmates that Mr..
Sumner abused somewhat the authority which he
possessed and wanted the appearance well as the
reality of power. Gen. Grant, on his side, was I'M
yielding. He had not the accessibility the untr-
ing patience, the openness of Lincoln, and Sumner
soon felt that an invisible hand was drawing him
81.
accustomed to certain familiar faces, and who hated
all discussion. Then came Santo Domingo as to
which Mr.. Lauge thinks Mr.. Sumner right but
that the President was Justly offended with Sum-
ners direct and personal attack him; that,
furthermore, though the Senator triumphed,
he had overrated his strength. and forgot that
the men who followed him in success would not
follow him in disgrace do not dispute
Mr.. Laugels right to take the view he
does Of the facts though they are certainly imper-
fectly known to him. But he is carried away by
his partisanshp on this question, and says OF MIR.
Sumner after his removal from his chairmanship,
that from that moment, he pretended to consider
the Republican party as the mere instrument OF
personal government. do not think Alr. Summers
worst enemies charged him in this or any other
matter with insincerty, and cannot but regret to
see Mr. Laugel who is not TO be reckoned an enemy,
an far forget himself and what is due to the memory
of his friend as TO let such word escape his pen.
He speaks of him in the next sentence as daring to
say that instead of repubcansm there no longer
ANYTHING but Grantism. Nor is Mr.. Laugel moro
bappv in his account of Mr. Summers connection
with the Presidential campaign of 1872. He repre-
sents him as reluctant to be drawn into It, asserts
that he wished to take no part in it, and remarks
that he put forward the state of his health as a
pretext for coming to Europe. Mr.. Laugel knows
better, On the very next page he speaks OF hlIn'
and speaks truly as obliged to hesitate about max
ing the least effort. taking walk, paying visit;
and further on as suffering from the most alarming
mains and unable to get repose. know, and Mr.
| aupel knows that Mr. Sumner came only too late
10 Europe and returned only too soon, and 1T Is IN
worthy of Mr.. Laugel to represent him as Sinking
duty, OF giving only halfhearted support to the
cause he espoused and the candidate for whose sue
cess his wishes were genuine and eager.
Bnt in all this part of his work Mr.. Laugel Is under
an influence easy to be traced. He writes of Mr..
Greeley in terms that betray both ignorance and dis
like He speaks of him as scandaizing the financial
world by theories upon paper money contrary to the
principles of political economy; plainly implying,
though not asserting, that Mr. Greeley, the earliest
and most uncompromsing advocate OF return to
specie payments. the advocate of an inconyett-
ible currency. An estimabe man, says tAir Laugel,
but wrong beaded; IAN esprit JaHr-all the evil sense
of which is but imperfectly conveyed by the word
wropc-headed) without energy, and the tool rather
than the leader of his party This is on par with
Cserets letter in the NarseIlaiSe representing Mr.
Greeley and THE TRIBUNE as the American props of
the Second Empire.
On the Treaty of Washington and Mr.. Summers
relation to il aud the question of Judicial Claims
Mr. Laugel is also astray lie conf0unds the history
of the Treaty with the history of the subsequent ne
qotiations, but ON that will only stopto assure Mr.
Laugel that Mr. Sumner was not an opponent OF the
Treaty. but it's energetic supporter and that 1T could
not have been ratified without his support. Beside
what Mr. Sumner had himself published in his
speech on the Duel of Two Nations, Mr.. Laugel
gives us what judge to be his remembrance OF con-
yersations with Mr.. Sumner about France, and his
knowledge of some of his experiences.
Alta time when the last French parliamenarans were
living in the shade untouched by the light OF the vic
tories OF sebastOpo Magenta, and socrino far from
the splepdors of court which attracted the Of all
Europe forgotten by people thirsting for glory, for
riches and for pleasure they were rt IN his eyes, the
representatives of France He bad received and pro-
tected French refugees his ancestors had welcomed
prescribed Huguenots and sometimes his generosity
had been siugularly misplaced He was always willing
70 see heroes in those who said they the victims Of
liberty Sedan he regarded the chastsement OF the
second OF December. He found France conquered,
paris stu bearing the marks OF double siege. He
visited the ruins Which bordered both banks OF the
Seine and meditated sadly on the madness
Of the new iconoclasts. The men whom
formerly he had known best whom he had seen united
in struggle undertaken in the name OF liberal IDEAS he
found separated Ill content with each other, accusing
each other Of desertion; He was surprised at soa
ton Of those whom he most admired az the solitude
about certain Names at the inaction and laDguor OF
some lie was distressed by our divisions. and could