The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-10-23
risen, without political favor, from the
very highest tcommaud-notsecond to any
living commander in all the world!
AFrRR TnE WAR.

! AflEh lhA "HN
Having brought the long and disastroul
war to a close, in bis own heart Gran
would have chosen to have rested upor
his laurels, and lived retired military
life. 1t was not to be permitted. He was
called 10 the Presidency by universa
acclaim, and it fell to him to conduct a
campaign of Reconstruction even more
burdensome than the war.
Grant had in him the element Of great
statesmanship; but neither his education,
nor his training, nor the desperate neces-
stiles Of war, gave 1t fair chance OF de-
velopment in condition OF things winch
bewildered the wisest Statesmen.
The tangled akein Of affairs would have
tssked a Cavour or a Bismarck. The
Period OF Reconstruction is yet too near
our wnr.inAamed eyes 10 be philoso-
phically judged.
|. Game the disbanGing OF the army.
That wasso easily done that the world has
never done Justice 10 the marvel. The
soldiers OF three great armies dropped
their arms at the word OF command, dis.
solved their organizations, and disappear
ed. To-day the mightiest force on earth,
tomorrow they were not!--Asa a summer
storm darkens the whole heavens, shakes
the ground with its thunder, and empties
it's culver OF lightning, and is gone in an
hour. as II it had never been, so was it
with both armies. Neither in the Sonth
north in the North was there cabal OF
officers, nor any afray OF soldiers-tor
every soldier was yet more a cittzsn.
In this resumption Of citizen life, Grant,
accompanied by his most brilliant Cen
erals, led the way. He hated war, its
very insignia, and in foreign lands refused
TO witness military pageants. He had
enough OF war He loved peace.
When advanced to the Presidency.
three vital questi ms were to be solved.
l, The status Of the four million Euan-
cipated Slaves,
9. The adjustment OF the political reia-
tons of the dislocated States.
8. The restrainS and control OF that
gulf.stream OF finance which threatened
to wash out the foundations OF honest in
dustry, and which brought to the Nation
more moral mischief than had the whole
war itself. We are in peril from golden
quickaands yet.
HIS CIVIL LIFE.
We turn from Grants public life to his
unrestful private lie. After return from
a tour Of the world, during which he met
on all hands distinguished reception, he
ventured upon the dangerous roads OF
speculation. The desire OF largo wealth
was deep-seated in Grants soul. His
early experience oi poverty had probably
taken away from it all romance. Had
wealth been sought by legitimate pro.
duction OF real property, he would have
added more laurels to bis career. But,
with childlike simplicity oil ignorance, he
committed all he had TO the wild chances
Of legalized gambling. But 0 few days
before the huuiliadng crash came, he be-
lieved himself to be worth three millions
OF dollers! What service bad been rem
deY,d d for it? What equivalent OF indus.
try, skill, psoGuctiveuess, distribution or
convenience? None. Did he never
think that this golden robe, with which
he desigusd to clothe his declining years,
was woven OF air, was in Its nature un-
substantial, and no! reputable? His SUE
cess-Was gorgeous bH oble, redsclins on
its brilliant surface all hDes Of heaYer, hut
which grew thinner as lts%elIed larger.
A touch dispelled the illusion, and left
him poor,
His household love, never tarnished,
never abated, now reused him to one last
heroic achieyement-to provide fot the
future OF his family. No longer were there
golden hopes for himself. The vision Of
wealth had vanished. But love took its
place, and uudof weakness; pain and an-
guisb, be wrought out history at his re-
markable career. A kindly hand admin.
istered the trust. 1t has amply secured
his loSed household from want.
When the last l!aes were written, he
laid back upon his couch and bEeRthed
back his great soul to Goo, whom he bad
worshiped unoSentatiousiy after the man
ner OF his fathers.