OCR Text |
Show MURAT HALSTEAD OX WAR HEROES. In another column will be found a letter let-ter written by Murat Halstead to Governor Gov-ernor Chase, in 1863. The letter will bring back the days of the war w hen things were not looking particularly bright for the Union armies, but those days were soon to pass away and others filled with hope and success were to come. The thing most remarkable about this letter is the very uncomplimentary manner in which Grant and Sherman are spoken of by one who is a Republican of the Republicans. Murat Halstead and his journal, the Cincinnati Com zettc can see no good in any Democrat or anything Democratic. . He is one of those men who are fighting fiercely and again the battles which were fought and won years ago; he is one of those men who live by inciting passions which would have died long ago but for such men as he. Murat Halstead is also one of the leaders of the Republican party, and is a power in it. Grant grew to be the idol of his party, and in the last j-ears of his lifelie was looked upon as belonging to the nation na-tion rather than to any party. All admit that to him and Sherman -more than to any one else was owing the successful issue of the war. How did Halstead speak , of Grant on February 19, 1863? He spoke of him in these terms : "'Our noble army of the Mississippi is being wasted by the foolish, drunken, stupid Grant." This was pretty strong language to employ about Grant, when it is re membered that Donelson and Shiloh had been fought before this time, but he continues con-tinues instill more severe terms : "He can't organize or control or fight an army. I liave no personal feeling about it, but I know he is an ass." This letter is truly a rara avis, and in it are many opinions of leading men of the time that are anything any-thing but high tributes to their worth. Halstead speaks of Lincoln, and speaks of him in a way that will surprise everybody. every-body. He says "the President's weak, puling, piddling humanitarianism is death and hell to the army. Can't you take him by the throat and knock his head against a wall until he is brought t his senses on the war business?" That is rather an uausual opinion of Lincoln, but what follows is far worse. Wilkes Booth killed Lincoln, but if Halstead is to be believed, others anticipated him in the idea. He says : "I do not speak . won-tonly won-tonly when I say there are persors - who would feel that it was doing God service to kill him if it were not feared that Hamlin is a biffger fool than he is." Among other things that he thought were essential to the success of the Union army was the shooting of deserters by the order of deparment commanders. He also wanted Henry May and Wendell Phillips arrested and tried for treason, and thought it . would be a good ' thing to suppress the New York Tribune and the New York World. The suppression of these papers might have helped the Commercial Gazette along at that time, too. It is safe to say that if he could have his way to-day, the chief thing he would,desire to have suppressed would be this letter to Governor Chase ; and . when this was done, perhaps he would think , it better for the country if the Plain Dealer correspondent correspond-ent who unearthed the letter were arrested and tried for treason. Halstead's party will find the letter very entertaining enter-taining and wholesome reading, and if they will read closely, they will find that after all the Democrats are not the party of progress even in the matter of vituperation. vituper-ation. - |