Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-03-02
General Gran, ny ing.

The news that General Grant Is
dying win st%rtle the nation more than
else that could be announced.
There IL not a man, woman nor child in
IL Couutry Of proper feeling who will
not deeply sympathize Within afflicted
ex-Pres.fen The public has been par
posely deceived in relation to the dread
a disease which has been slowly for
many years eating away his lie. 1t
was announced from time to time that
the caucerous ulcer under his tongue
had been healed and that there was no
more danger from 1t. But instead Of
having been healed 1t proves to have
besn OF such malignant species Of
cancer as {, be incurable. We fail to
80 the necessity that existed for prac-
ticing such deception. 1t did General
Grant no good and lessons public con-
fdence in reports about public men.
However, the truth OF the matter seems
to be that General Grant has but q
slight tenure on life. In fact it Is now
but question of a few days. IL would
be late, but Congress eau yet partially
retrieve It's character by passing an act
pla,ing the old hero where he should
be- at the head of the honorably re-
tired list of the army. Malignancy and
hate. can do h1m but little harm now,
but little generosity on the part of
those who hate him would do his enc
mics good.
Gen. Grant is winding up glorious
career. His sun is setting in halo OF
glory. Other men might have success
fully led the great army of freedom to
crush the rebellion, but we know that
General Grant did do it. There were
others 1t the commencement Of the
great civil war who outranked him in
the service One great military hgh
after another was dimmed by the rising
greatness Of the Galena tanner. In thu
Colonel of an Illinois Regiment wa
found the future savior Of the nation
the leader and commander in chief o
the grandest army on the globe, and tn
browning act Of his military GREATNESS
was to receive General Lees sword a
Appomattox, and Immediately hand
back to the General as one who wa
his equal in bravery, but against WHOM
the fortunes of war had prevailed
Upon the tide Of popular opinion Ger
eral Grant was twice carried into th
Presidential chair. 1t could scarce
expected that the greatest warrior an
soldier Of the age should be the great
est Statesman. 1t is an honor to Ger
eral Grants exalted character that
he erred 1t was through the friendshi
he held for his friends. His confidin
nature was grand characteristic Of h
life. II designing men took advantae
of his confding nature and led him II
to transactions that. apparently cast
shadow over his path, this could not |
attributed to General Grant. In a
the exalted positions which he has hel
he has shown that he was honest al
faithful to friends who were unfaithf
to him.
But TINS great man Is near the clio
: of his eventful life, and while he stru
giles to prolong it few days more tt
nation is 80 closely interviewer with Il
Generals life that 1t too must feel Il
pain.
Ono of the latest acts of Gener
Grant was when Mr.. Cleveland was
New York some two weeks ago,
drive around to the hotel where he W
staying and send up his card. He W
too ill to alight from his carriage al
call on him personally. General era
was emphatically a man OF the mass,
though the greatest warrior in t
nation, and President of the nation
saved two terms, he was still one
the people. The hand that had be
shaken in tokens of respect and adn
ration by the Queens, Kings and E.
perors of the greatest nations on t
earth, never felt more honored til
when grasping the hand of an humt
soldier of the great army of which
was the leader. There is power 0,
which mortal man has never prevailt
and with thai power General Grant
struggling. He cannot much Ions
proiong the unequal combat. Dei
will prevail, but the name of Gene
Grant will live in history while b
tory endures.