The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-16
sEATrLE. MONDAY, MAI I6.


Mr. Chauncey Depew, In MS eulogy en-
General Sherman at Albany, March 20,
said: II shall never forget dramatic
scene, at notable gathering in New
York, when Charles Summer indirectly at
tackled President Grant as failure in
civil affairs by ridiculing Miles standish."
and the orator stated that General sher-
man Immediately arose to meet this un.
expected and surprising attack"
Edward l.. Peirce, the biographer OF
Sumner, replies to Mr.. Depew and shows
conclusively that Mr.. Depew's charge has
no foundation in fact and is the coinage Of
his own brain; that Mr.. Sumner did not at
the New England dinner at Delmonico's,
December q. 1873, or at any other time
after November, 1872, ever make the
slightest reference in public to General
Grant, and even in private he avoided the
subject.
Mr.. Peirce goes further and shows by
citations from Mr.. Depew's campaign
speeches of 1872, when he supported
Greeley for president, that he was a most
industrious and bitter assailant of General
Grant as failure in civil affairs. Depew
In 1872 made forty speeches against Grants
reelection, while Sumner made but two,
one in the Senate and one in
Faneuil hall. Depew presided over
the anti-Grant state convention, was
the Democratic candidate for lieutenant
governor in 1872, and attacked Presi-
dent Grants political action all along the
line, not only as to bad appointments,
sympathy with rings, neglect of duties,
ETC.. but also his course concerning civil
service reform. the Indian question and
foreign affairs.
He denounced Grant for driving from his
councils such men as Sumner, Trumbull
and Schurz. He described Grant as "a
person Of negative powers, wholly unable
to comprehend the simplest principles of
government. People do not hire a parson
10 shoe horse, nor blacksmith to preach
sermons; and government needed at its
head a man of ideas and one capable of
expressing them. Greeley beside Grant
was a giant compared with a pigmy, ETC.,
etc"
From the beginning to the end of the
campaign of 1872 Depew arraigned Grant
for "his lack of civil ability and his neglect
of his duties" This is the fluent ''profes-
sional" orator of New York city who in
March last denounced Sumner for his in
dictment of Grants craftsmanship, and on
the 9th ult. stood over Grants grave and
praised without stint the craftsmanship of
The great soldier.
There is nothing in all this that will sur
prise anybody who has read Mr.. Depew's
speeches for the last twenty years. He is
. very fluent professional" orator in re-
quest on every occasion. He has a good
voice, a fine presence; can tell good story,
but his speeches are distinguished by the
peculiar defects of the professional"
orator, they are exceedingly cheap and
superficial in thought; invariably desti-
tute of historical accuracy. and are as ut
terly lacking in sincerity or moral earnest
ness of convictions as those of successful
"criminai lawyer" Mr.. Depew is a
fiippsnt, popular Jury lawyer" on all
occasions, political or social. Whether he
speaks at Yale alumni banquet, adj
dresses the New England Society, makes a
memorial address. Republican party
speech, addresses the Chamber of Com
merce, pleads for the Worlds
Fair, or talks at social club, he
is always the same cheap, superficial,
inaccurate, insincere, amusing, entertain
ing man in sharp distinction from an
able, impressive, accurate, earnest, in
structive man. He studies simply 20
please; he bids for applause; he is kid
glove charlatan orator. W tousr f. Ills
best quality, but that is rass,s es.4
broad, and his funny St
chestnuts redolent of
iish-liko smell. He repr,
road corporation, whose
was for many years hefot
president, and of course
half his powers OF public b.
in request on ali public O,
OF course Mr.. Depew ast a.t - a-l al
solid talents for business aa& anna
or no could not have -.a .-.. -..
place he occupies in the
great corporation he rt
place any higher estir
Chauneey" as political
than We have made
cheap. sur~rscial "pre .-l
be possible only { rss..-s .......
I nokat rsesaaas aud small t. -sr--
Bsfs1 6siuap 10 sse ... r., .....
rs6ndial pc,isiaal orassas a3..e us--,
W. Crafty. u os<nA. with ,a.s set
difference tina. ts-sex wss vastly
higher quality as an Gator, fer ba IS
-man of genuine e!oQue Sc aad r7aer q.
expression which endsrs tse tess Cd.
print: there was poetic ss-e.- sud ls--
matte force IN Grsdy's .-s-.f.. rs.a /,
never eloquent. fsrvent 5 hr ia
only fluent and "funny.' srssr.-s5 SO
The top of the class. ami . .
above "our Chauncey"
Mr. Marat Halsiead b .Asv
put 10 confusion by Gs8l..
the hiographer of S;aaton as
by the 9iographer of SGmue fz rs
Gently wrote aletter 70 the C4..slznagf t7...s-
sscYcial Gazette defending fhc terms granted
by General Sherman 10 General John-
ston, which Secretary SsAaton chcislgy