Omaha daily bee., 1885-10-21
HELD BY A HERO'S POWER.
The Part Grant Played Daring the Dark
Days Of Reconstruction.
Observation-Disclosures AMBITION
The Nations Sturdy Patriot Badies
Plans which Mi ght Have Reopencd
the Civil War-A Piece OF Un.
.-..- written History.


Del ew has furnished to the press the follow.
ing open luter to Col. F, ID. Grant:
NEW YoRR. Uct. l2. 1sSj.-MY DEAR Cor
oNEL:--In answer to yOar request for partic.
ulars of the conversation had with your
father, and 10 which alluded in n speech he.
lore III, iamber of commerce, the following
IL my best recuii,c iOn: About four years
ago 4 sat beside ncn. Giant at dInncr.
There were many courses slowly served and
The Entertainment lasted several hours.
We discussed many matters suggested by his
travels around the world, and among other
things he SAID to me that when in China,
Prince kung, who was regent and real ru cr
during the minority of the emperor told III n
Of their controversy with Japan.
War was to be declared, and the
prince said it would Ike a long and
bloody one. and asked General Grant If he
would act rs arbitrator. The general declined
for want ot time, and principally because he
was a private person and had no power to en-
force his decision. lie suggested however
the terms of the compromise.
When in Japan shortly after the mikadO's
ministers tod their side or the trouble and re-
Scalcd the fact that several of the European
governments were actively stirring Il StrlIe
on both sides,
HOPING 10 BENEFIT BY tine WAR.
The same request WI s made to him on the part
oil the Japanese government to act as arDtra
tor, and again declining, he stated the sub
stance ot the compromise he had ADVISED for
China. The two nations adopted sub,tan
italy the terms proposed by General Grant,
and disastrous conflict WAS avcrtcl.
The conversation driftCd into his relations
with Pre-, idcnt Andrew johnson. The mar
ratiNe of this period was one of the most
granhic descriptions 10 which ever listened
aid II is unfortunate for history and pros
purty that it cannot b. preserved a. IL was
told. IL had local coloring of the cUnyerSa-
ton with and statements b. the chief orators,
and of the situations of the parties and per.
sons events occurred, invaluable as pOr-
traiturc and estimate of the times. | said
In my address
GENERAL GRANT PERFORMED SERVICES.
to his country which were unwritten and
qalto As Important as any that We're Ic-
corded, and think this narrative will bear
mo ont. This Is the substance of the story.
johnson hcgan the day after the association
Of Lincoln tOlOudly proclaim at all times and
places with constal treiteiation the shibboleth
or 'truason is odius and must be pun shed
and the rlicf rebeis shall be hung 70 give
eie,t to the sGntn ent as soon 4s he was in
a,tsuratcd he,inSst, d upon the United States
courts IN Virginia nnding indictments
against al leading mem bcrs of the conftd-
eracy. He also wanted The officers in the
rebel army who had lett the regular army to
join the I, balion 10 be su,nmarly dealt with
by court martial. These movements of the
president produced the greatest consterna-
tion throughout the south. The confederate
leaders
APPEALED TO GRANT
TO protect them on the parole he had given.
He saw johnson on the subject, only to be
lDiOlUttl LlIdl lUt bJtSlUtllI WAS DN fIlp con-
stitntlOn commanders in-chef of the army,
and that nnythingbv the commanding gen
eral on the leld was done subject to his APP
-proNal OF rejected, and he rejected the
terms. General Grant urged that they had
surrendcrcd on these conditions, disbanded
their 0rgnni2ation submitted to the situation
and were carrying out in good faith their
part of the parole, and every consider
ation of both honor and eXpedicncy de-
nianded good faith on the part of the gov
ernment. The other course would have led
to endless guerilla warfare, conducted in a
country admirably adapted for II by desper
ate and hopeless men. johnson o6stinatey
adhered TO his view and assumed the author
ity of commander, when Grant ilatly said
that II there were to he any court martials
that he would by every. means in his power
protect his parole. and appeal to congress
and the country. I'm tine halt called by this
attitude of General Grant very remarkable
change occurred in the views of President
d, johnson. General Grant discovered that the
MOST FAVOEED VISITORS
TO the white house We're the men whom the
president had prescribed. In the generals
opinion JOhhson's loyalty was subordinate
to, II not entirely dependent upon his in
tense hatred of the slave holding oligarchy.
He was a poor white who had been Jour
tinguished public positions he had he'd he
could not break through the close barrier and
was treated socially with contempt by this
proud arstocracy. When they plunged into
believed in the mower nr III, cavern mont
and thought flat the time had come when hc
could defeat Ills enemies connscate their
Droneriv hlmiIiota their urde and nossihIy
iesirov them The ahsorpinS ,mhit,om an;5I
nossio1 nf hi: Hfn boI ban,, 40 Ia ,iu
and treated AZ one Of Them nv II the 1 oIi%aychv
HAVING faiIed in hat and s,ytrernJ inssiiniS,
In The Stfort he heramr one of the mn,t ni,S
Iictiye of men iin saw tHan, ,afaatai ~ -,
their rehaliinn and imnnvnrished a,'d ~ M
he wanted 10 xiii them. Whi'e bc
was devisinp the means IN oyrrrome HenornI
Grants resistance tn Ills last nmrnose th.
leaders of the old feudoIism co Ind mon him
Tney admiIt,d their former treatment Of
lin and iustined il. They said that in ali
ares and countries wherc cnstr nXistcI rnnIi.
tions were aIWnvs nossihlr which nr,,nniad
man who had achieved sucrrss iiroim H..
iowor into the nob,er order AZ nr.sidnnt nf
The JJnited 81 ties he Became r. Snr,i 'ess "f
birth or ancestry. NOT only n inemher of thnir
order hut their leader '' '''''
IolISsoy WAS WI n WITH nrt,our
Amhitjnn and n,idn ware hntn Satiliea
iin became ns apxious in sus ain and ner-
nntuote IN Snn,o f",an tho sys,.," 'yhinh Ihot
p;ven he hiyhest sncia and noIitc"i stinc. nav
pom IN a fnw families NJ he had h.an 10 d.
stynyi, Grant did not have lom% IN ,,ait tortnn 70
fornyn,atiun M "f his Nan T6n InresiJ"nt ',,f nf
for him and snid th,r rnIicaI me,surrs of con
press were revolutionorv and womid dastrnv
fhc eomntrr Tie Var Was aver and tSss
riuuhIic won,nd neonn and yboI ,yns nnSoihin