The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-07-23
GRANT, THE MAGNANIIfoUs.


Globe Democrat: Death comes as an |
avengeT, sometimes as an infinite sor.
row, sometimes as the divine intercessoF
tho remover Of the brotherhood be
tween aforetime parted friends. Every
utlerance that now comes from the sol
dier whose victories redeemed the Union
and made freedom still possible in the
world will be treasured in aftertimes az
the dying statement of sage and . pa
triot. While the war was raging only
Grants own soldiers understood hum
after the flow Of blood had been assuaged
only they and the foes who had felt his
strength and his msgnanimity did him
full justice. The politicians Of both
sides knew .naught of the great simpIicI-
ty OF his character. Those Of the norsh
took him up as q winning card in the
subsequent strife for political power aud
patronage, those OF the south
cursed him as the arch
demon who had defeated thsir designs.
Calmly, sedately, ne accepted the Eespon-
sibilIties thrust on him, and with equal
calmness and sedateness he dIsregarded
the vilificaiion that he heard coming I'D
from the foul lips Of those who had
never dared TO risk a chance not In
he utmost rear Of the battle. Lincoln
made Grant possible; but what pos
sibilityl Picture the scene at Appa-
mhttox. when deadly hate, engendeTed
by deadlier strife, would almost have
exhausted the deadliest vengeance
When valn-glorY, or even what some
cali legitimate pride Of conquest might
fairly have palliated degree of scorn
for the conquered. What happened
A quiet business meeting; the utmost
courtesy that could be shown to the
conquered commander, without any
Frenchitied magniloquence in speech or
tragic expression in action; an agree
ment OF mercy drawn up and
| sigued. and Interpretations for the de-
teated and an assurance OF safety if they
would return peaceabIy To their homes
The world has seen nothing like il il
fact Such thing has been suggested
in poetry, but sober history records
nothing 50 simple, SO powerful, SO pa
thetic. Now, what says the great man
on what we must ali regard as his dying
bed! 81 have witnessed since my sick
ness" says he, "what have wished to
see ever since the war-haTmoDy and
good feeling between the sections. l
have always contended that If there had
been nobody left but the soldiers, we
would have. had peace within a year"
"Peace within year." namely,
peace twelve months after the
surrender at AppOmGttox! This
is what Grant says might
have been II only the soldiers on each
side had had the settling of Affairs. 1t
took nearly twenty times that long to
bring real peace, the peace of brother
hood. Grant understood that this re
public was alone in the world, the ex-
emplar and champion of sound popular
government, of freedom at its best. The
war was necessary to accomplish the
full birth of this freedom. He fought
with no Ill will toward his foes, but with
supreme purpose to win in the cause
of freedom. Bis sayings, now he is
dying, show this, show how busy in
thought was that brain behind the silent
tongue. There are thousands Lying who
almost worship the man tor his Prov
ess; when he dies there will be hun
dred million who will begin to appre-
ciate him at his true worth, begin to
understand the magnauimity of thought
that brooded silently behind his brain
1 of action