Among the influential public men who were wild in their
unreasonable prejudice against Grant and cried aloud for his
dismissal, was Col. Alexander K. McClure, of Philadelphia.
He could not see how the President could sustain himself if
he persisted in retaining Grant. So he went to Washington to
counsel with Mr. Lincoln, and urge him in the name of the people
to remove Grant without delay. I will let the Colonel tell in
his own way the result of his visit to the President:
“I appealed to Lincoln for his own sake to remove Grant at once,
and in giving my reasons for it I simply voiced the admittedly
overwhelming protest from the loyal people of the land against
Grant’s continuance in command.... When I had said everything
that could be said from my standpoint, we lapsed into silence.
Lincoln remained silent for what seemed a very long time. He
then gathered himself up in his chair and said in a tone of
earnestness that I shall never forget: ‘I can’t spare this man;
he fights.’ That was all he said, but I knew that it was enough,
and that Grant was safe in Lincoln’s hands against the countless
hosts of enemies.”--COL. NICHOLAS SMITH, “Grant, the
Man of Mystery.”
(18)
See WORK VERSUS WORKER.
=Accounting=--See BALANCE, A LOOSE.
=Accuracy=--See PUNCTILIOUSNESS IN LITTLE THINGS.