Year: 1872

HIS Character and His Chances as Seen


by an Independent Democratic Con-


gresham


I Prom the New York Citizen. edited by Rob-
ert b. Roosevelt, 8f- c.


I It is the mistaken idea Of some per
/ sons to be little General Grants ability,
I to run down his qualifications, and to
| underTate his mental aequirements.-
| Instead of being the stupid, senseless
/ individual that these persons would
have the public suppose, he is one OF
/ the shreWdest managers of the day
/ Not only as a leader in the war to
/ which he first gave a favorable turn,
/ but rs a manipulation in politics, he
/ has shown remarkable skill. The reb-
els continually took the same view
/ that the Democrats are taking now,
and denounced the Union general as
an ignOramus every time he won a


victory over them; and tine more eff
| fectually he crushed their armies the


more clearly they proved that he was
utterly incompetent as a military
commander, and entirely unequal to
/ the task which he had assumed. -
| There are soldiers at the south to-day
who can clearly establish the fact that
! General Grant was the poorest officer
/ the world ever saw, that he ought tn


have been beaten in every battle, and
| that he was only saved from utter
ruin by incredible luck. So also with
| the Democrats; they prove clearly the
Presidents imbecility as a politician
every time he scatters their best laid
plans for his overthrow, and while he
/ Is
that they hardly have a candidate
against him, they insist that weaker
politician never lived.


One Of the greatest of fOllies is to
underrate an adversary, and necessary
as the defeat OF the Republican party


is to the welfare of the nation, it will
never be brought about by contempt
uous revilings of its candidate, or a


failure to appreciate the desperate na-
ture of the struggle which must be
won, and the resources at the COM
mand Of the great leader who intends
to be a candidate. That Gen. Grant
will fail by any contingency of a re-
nomination, there is not the remOtest
likelihood; he has entire and absolute
control of the matter. and he uses his
power with a wisdom and discretion
which are sure to effect the end in
view. Opposition in his own party is
practically crushed. He never was a
favOrite of party chiefs, who originally
accepted him only on eOnpulsiOn, but
he had hold on thepeople which they
dared not ignore. He has lost a part
of his popularity. Americans dread
military usurpatiOns and love cOnsti-
tutiOnal law; they have not forgotten
the fate of Mexico, and do not yet love
sOvereigns OF permanent masters; but
as his popular strength has diminished,
his political strength has increased
Then he held the people; now he holds
the politicians. He has Outfianked
the latter, as he once Outflauked the
rebel generals, and at present grasps
them as firmly as he held Lee in Rich
mOnd.


People who do not know President
Grant intimately describe him as a
Sphinx" "wOOden man, a silent,
unsOeial person, and deduce from this
an underlying stratum Of stupidity
Nothing could be farther from the
truth, and here is where the series of
blunders commences. Surprising as
the assertion may appear, Grant is
eminently social; he is jOvial, merry,
laxative, full Of fun and geniality,
and right pleasant companion. His
reserved manner is his shield Of de-
fense. His natural temper would
leave him a hopeless prey to bOres and
place-makers and other enemies of
public men, and herein comes a dis
play of his peculiar tact. No sooner
does one of these appear than Grant
recognizes him and retires into his
shell of mpassibility, and like a tor
tOise frightened by some noise, never
comes out till the danget is past. He
will stop in the midst of the liveliest
conversation if he finds that his in
terlOcutOr mas f,---r-~~@- -Ilrdar- his
,,i1es5s.Irtry, and if he suspect that some
object is to be attained he assumes he
air of stOlidity at once. Before any
brilliant gentleman belittles the Pres
ident for this habit, let him think
how much annoyance it has saved
him.


He is kind-hearted, and being total
ly unaccustOmed to reserve, he would
have had difficulty in maintaining
the dignity of his position without re-
sort to some such plan as he has adopt
ed. He was elevated suddenly by a
combination of accidents and the abil-
ity to make the most of these acci-
dents, until almost by a single leap he
has advanced to the highest position
in the nation. To keep up the decor
um of his station it was necessary to
change many of his modes of action,
and to assume q reserve which was
unnatural. Instead of being an evil
dence of stupidity, this in reality, is
a proof of his shrcwdness. Out of re-
spect to the nation he was determined
that the Office of President should lose
none of its prestige in his hands, and
he has certainly made good his resO-
luton. III in doing so he has earned
the name of sphinx, a silent riddle, a
dumb mystery, he has cut off the
dangerous presumption of old ac-
quaintances, and has forced respect
from all classes, high and low, friends
and enemies.


A further evidence Of his apprecia-
ton Ofthe people, which after all is the
essence Of statecraft, is be found in his
course of action in reference to the at
tacks of the Democrats. The latter
find some assailable point in the con-
duct of the Republican party; they
address their batteries to it, and make
capital against the administration;
they excite public feeling and get the
sentiment of the nation with them;
their chances of turning the tide of
public favor improve; they become
jubilant and see a brighter hope of
winning the next fight and recovering
their long lost power; q thrill Of joy
rpasses through the entire party, and
their old energy begins to revive
Suddenly the President, who has been
a silent locker on the while, commit
ting himself neither to the one side
nor the other, studying however most
carefully the course of events, reaches
forth his hand, covers that particular
point, and takes to himself all the pO-
litical capital the Democrats have been
so industriOusly making. This has
happened over and over again. But
take one Of the most notorious in
stances-the civil service bill. On
this point he seemed committed and
especially vulnerable; he had appoint
ed relatives innumerable to office; his
hopes of denomination largely hinged
upon his power to control the office
holders; his enemies appear to have
him at a disadvantage; they were
pressing the case against him vigOr-
Ously, although permanency in office


was never a doctrine of the Demo-
Gratis, whs, on the other nand, de-
manded rotation. But what does


Grant do? Quietly, and all by him.


self, he adopts system Of civil ser
vice reform which, while it satisfies
| the peODIe and seems to comply with