St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-12-05

|
soon after being appointed Secretary of
War in September, 1869 and from that
day Grants political fortunes began to
decline. Up to that time it is said that
RaWllns had been the master mind in
the cabinet as he had been on the Staff.
1t was now that Grants mental weak
ness became so apparent, no longer to
be guided by the wise councils of his
friend John A. RaWlins and the smoke
battle no longer to obscure and idealize
him, he became the tool of the most
corrupt and debauched party that ever
existed. Grants Presidency was the
most rotten, disgraceful, corrupted and
sectional ever clirOnicled in the annals
OF our national history, | may say with
the exception OF Hayes, as he allowed a
ringed clique of very dishonest, selfish,
vulgar and usurping political dema-
/ gogues to use him for their ambition
and their filthy greed. Being now
without the wise councils of bis right
hand bower Rawlins, Grant showed
| himself again to have been weak, un-
constitutional, .unpatriOtic, sectional
and laundering statesman, a man of
very short sight. narrow minded and
of no brains when he sanctioned the
electoral commission, that conspiracy
and usnrpatiOn which put Rutherford
| B. Hayes in as President, and deprived
popular suffrage of their rightful voice
in the election of Samuel j. Tilden.
Being now thrown out of Office and
having been such a poor manager of
the national household, lie handed it
over defiled, polluted, corrupted and
debanched to one who had no right to
receive it, After this he conceived an
| idea in his little Uranium to travel
around the globe and visit the great
potentates, kings, queens and emper-
Ors who, of course, received him with
the greatest hOnOrs, even making him
| presents, thinking him somebody,
| great man, statesman and hero, coming
/ from a great country, which SO highly
elated his weak, vain, COnceited and
| selfish head that be got beside himself
| like King Felix said unto ST. Paul, and
really thought when he returned to the
| United States he would be nominated
| for President by acclamation, without
! any opposition whatever, and dub
himself Supreme Dictator, or King U.
S. Grant the First, but was sadly disap-
| pointed and mistaken when he found
his own party had enough of his malad
ministratioD, and did not wish him for
a third term had tried him two terms
too many, already, his days numbered,
in King BeIsLazzar and Nebuchadnez-
Ears time. Thwarted, clagrined and
disappointed in his Presidential aspiFa-
tions he then became the easy prey, |
dupe, tool and partner of one swindler, |
embeZZler and charlatan, Ferdinand |
Ward who now lies in jail awaiting his
sentence. It's conceded by all biogra-
pliers that Grant displayed so little en-
ergy and intelligence before the war,
in the managementNf his private at |
fairs that he failed in everything he
ever undertook, and could scarcely exc |
out bare snstenance. After the war
he sQuandered and wrecked stupen-
dous fortune given him by admiring
friends. The grave can never obscure
his earthly failings no more than it can
his accidental military fame, planned
aud executed by his snbordinates.
Grant is said to have been an affection
ate husband, kind and indulgent ia
Their, a firm friend, brave aud stub
born fighter, but it is also said he took
special care to keeps safe distance in
the rear during battles. If Grant had
displayed any military greatness what
ever, the war would have ended much
sooner than it did. as the Confederates
were fighting under the greatest of dis
being mere hand full of
half starved men. The whole world
we may say were combined against
them, with all their money, men, ma
terial, munitions of war Of latest inn
with numberless ironclad
gunboats that blackened the rivers and
seas in every direction, having all the
southern ports guarded watched and
and gliding over the high !
seas free and nnmolested with their
men ships without any oppO-
sitiOn, with their already overwhelm-
ing and numerous armies increasing
rapidly in numerical numbers more and
more every day with hOrdes of vandals
from every quarter of the globe induced
10 enlist in the army from the large
Oounties promised them; while the
little Confederate army starved and
naked was rapidly dwindling and
diminishing down TO a mere skeleton
u rank and file from various causes.
Indeed it was one OF the greatest won
ters aud showed the greatest of mili- .
AIRY greatness on the part of the south
ern gents, and great endurance courage
Ind determination on the part OF the
Confederate soldiers to have held out
lnder such great disadvah tages with
'nch a small and shattered force as
ong as they did against one of the
argest armies and best equipped ever r.
upon the face Of the earth. II
The canse of some soldiers becoming
treat Genl's. and heroes in the eyes of :
heir friends is often times the most Z
occidental and undeserying. So it was
With Gen. Grant, the subject of this
ketch. These criticisms may crate
arshly upon the ears of his Over-rat-
1g Woulabe admirers and newspaper
rhapsody and hired eulogising friends
[ DR.. Newman's ilk. But the truth
annot be hid as it will shine forth like
he blazing sun until time immemorial.
rant is dead "Nihi1 4e0rtatis Risi geri-
1872 Peace to his ashes
G.. S. CHEv1s.