St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-09
GRANTS CRowNTNG GLORY.

The GLOBE publishes this morning dis
patch from ex-Secretary STANTON to Gen.
JOHN A. DIX, who was in command at
New York at the time, in which is included
the full text of the correspondence between
GRANT and LEE at Appomattox in relation
to the terms Of LEES surrender. The dis
patch receives additional interest from
the fact that it is furnished to
the GLOBE by Mr.. RANSOM PHELPS,
at present register of deeds in
Wilkin county, but who was then chief
telegraph operator in the main Office of the
Western Union company in New York, and
who now has the original telegram, as it
was taken from the wires, i'm his possession.
Gen. GRANT crowned his reSplendent
military career with two deeds of high
quality of wisdom and humanity. One was
the dictation of terms of surrender to LEES
army. Absolute submission and absolute
clemency to those who would 90 home and
obey the laws were the features of that I'M
eXampled act The other was the COM
posure of the difficulties between STANTON
and SHERMAN, when the latter general, on
receiving the surrender of JOHNSTON, had
marked a policy of reconstruction
behind conditions Of recapitulation.
STANTON intended such an over
throw of SHERNAN's policy as would
have Inundated that chieftain. GRANT pre-
served the uuiTy of the policy of the adj
ministration and saved the suSceptibilities
of the most sensitive soldier of the army. 1t
was an achievement of military politics of
the first rank.
Soon after the close of the war Gen.
GRANT performed two other services to the
country of extraordinary value and charac-
teristic quality. When the policy of re-
construction was first preached Gen.
GRANT wrote letter as the result
of q journey through the South, in
which he favored civil government taking
the place of military establishments. This
letter was written in the spirit of his cor
respondenee with LEE, in which was ex-
pressed an anxiety for peace, and the in
cident is well remembered. An unrecOrded
act Of his, however, should here be CRATE
fully recognized. When ANDREW JOHN
son, in a vengeful temper against the
South, desired Gen. GRANT to arrest all the
principal men of the South, to be tried for
treason by military commissions TO be
organized to convict, Gen. GRANT remem-
bered the terms embodied in his correspond
ence with LEE, in which he said the Con-
federate soldiers should be allowed TO
return to their homes, not 10 be
disturbed by United States authority so
long as they observed their parole and the
laws in force where they may reside" He
said to the president They surrendered
on promise of immunity if they OBJ
served the laws. l will not violate
my promise. You can court-martial me-
will appeal to the country" His person.
atty was so large and his moral courage
so firm that the Infatuated executive was
cowed. AT another time when President
JoHNsoN's fury was directed against con-
gress he wanted Gen. GRANT TO use the
army to disperse that body. On this Occa-
sion JOHNSON was told by the soldier TO
his face that the army would recognize the
congress and laws of the land and no other.
Thus after the war was over GRANT twice
saved the nation, once from a wholesale
butchery of men who had surrendered IN
good faith and once from a revolution de-
signed from the inside of an administ IA
ton.