Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-08-09
JOHN M'D0NALD,
The TX Whisky supervisor Fst. Louis
and Life Long Friend OF General
Grant. Eriticlzes the Ham
burg Table-Taik- and
Gives his
Opinion OF what ii Means and What IL
4. Intended FOr--The Third Term
a Cut and Dried Affair ana
the European TrIpbut
Dodge.

| Tins Akouf two piles east of this place,
| mon a noble fern. md surrounded by luxu-
| nos which only oy6 who has been dweller
| m lsrye cities, and q man of affairs and
| means know how TO provide, lives General
| Tobn MN, ,sald, formerly supervisor Of inter-
| oal rayer.fs at St. Louis, and the power be-
| hind u executive chair during large part
/ of q >ft's admInlstratIOn-untIl, indeed, GER
| tayIother factors IN that administration saw
| RItO sacrifice him for the benefit, real or sup
posed, OF the whole. In the course Of a long
and somewhat desultory conversation | had
with hun to day, which naturally led over old
fields, General NJ Donald referred to the in
terviews with Grant published within the few
weeks last gone. They are the first utter
ances of his that | have seen In a long while
that sounded ike Grants talk, said he
Taking up a copy OF the 2 iDies, which lay
upon a table near by, he locked at the inter-
view IN which Grant Is represented as having
spoken IN discouraging spirit Of Lees SOL
diership.
1T Is rather late in the day now to pass
such a criticism as that, said he. 81 never
heard General Lees ability as military man
called in question before"
Have you noticed, he asked, 1.-The diff
ference in tone between these talks and the
little speeches he made when he first went
over to the other side? At first, whenever
he made a speech, no matter if it was only
10 a street crowd that hurrahed him as he
passed. he would take off his hat and thank
them for the expression Of friendship to his
country never to himself"
What do you gather from that?' l asked
in return.
81 tell you, those first little speeches were
as much advertisements as these last long
ones are. It's an open secret now, and has
been for some time, that he Is In training for
a third race. There are very few people in
this country who know the general. He's
pretty much all for Grant. If he had it in
MS power to become emperor of this country
to day, by selzlng the relns of government as
Napoleon did, he'd do it quick as turning his
hand over. It is singular how continuously
be has been kept in the eye of the people as
the foremost man for so many years. He
was the teller during the war and after it,
and he Is to-day, notwithstanding another
man is President.
Isn't that an argument that he is a man
of singular individual force?"
"Well, yes It might be taken that way.
General Grant is very much the result of CIR
cumstances. He is one OF the most remarkably
favored men by fortune that | have ever
heard of. But no man could remain on top
for period of between fifteen and twenty
years by force of circumstances alone. Peo-
pie have never found him out. Now, l know
that an idea prevails to a considerable Extent
that he is a dull and stupid man. 1t is a
wrong idea. General Grant graduated from
West Point when be was a young man. He
has told me that he was forced into West
Point by his father, very much against his
will. But he went through there, and came
out with certain culture that he had to ac-
quire whether he liked or not. Then he has
had considerable experience of men and
things. And he has wonderful amount of
horse sense and he is full of cunning and
tricks as an egg is full of meat. But the
great secret of Grants success is in his way
of finding out things and keeping them until
he can use them. He don't forget anything
about anyone, and he never tells what he
knows. knowledge is power with him, liter
ally. Very few people become well acquaint-
ed with HIM. He meets a stranger with as few
words as he can get along with but among
those he knows well he Is as talkatlve as any
one. He'll let himself out, and be as lively |
as the Evliest of them
l asked the general how long he had known
Grant.
About twenty-five years. used to know
him when he was farming IN Missouri"
81 was associated with Grant quite closely
In the army for time, too" General M'Don-
aid continued, "when he told me he had
written on to Mr.. Lincoln and told him all
about it, and presented the alternative of in
dorsement or resignation, | knew what Mr. |
Lincoln would do. | offered to bet him a
equipments, uniform, horse
and all, that Mr.. Lincoln would sustain MIN.
He wouldn't bet, but he wasn't sanguine,
and we talked the matter over quite while |
and several times afterward. The outcome |
proved that | was right. He was Endorsed, |
though some time passed first"
Speaking little later of Grants general |
ship and almost uniform success, General |
NJ Donald said it was little wonder he seldom |
tailed. There was Mcclellan and Meade, |
and a lot of other men with brains, who were
really good soldiers, but they failed on the |
very ground Grant made his final successes
upon. The reason was that Grant had I'M
limited swing, while they hadn't. He came
On from the west and south, where he had |
been so highly successful, and the admins |
Iration had confidence in him. The secretary |
Of war had written instructions from Mr.. |
Lincoln to furnish General Grant whatever |
he wanted, whether it was equipments, men |
Or anything else. Whatever he asked for ne |
got, and beng provided with tools he would |
ait down and pound at place until he got it |
expense was no object. The other generals |
were interfered with and harrassed every day |
by the administration. There was the differ |
snce. Grant had every possible advantage. |