The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-11-15

III Ouc VI tuoSo Ht5 duu SUsrB OA INSPIRATION
which seized poor old afflicted Job, as he
lay groaning In the ashes, he exclaimed, 3Oh!
that mine enemy would write book" That
enemy was doubtless candidate for some I'M
portant Office, and Job, before the election.
wanted to have crack at him. So 1t Is with
these impudent questioners Of General Grant,
radicals and copperheads As Pat said OF his
pet owl, "He hasn't spoken yet; but from that
quizzical look out OF the corner Of his eye
rather guess he Is treating me with silent
contimpt."
Let the country rejoice that such is the posi-
ton of General Grant towards all these imperii-
nent, self-appointed, cro,s-examining and pipe
laying politicians who want to know whether,
on the niger question and all other gu sstion,
he sides with Ben Butler, Sumner, Wendell
Phillips, Chief Justice Chase, "Old Ben Wade."
"Old Buck" Vallandigham or An ~ Johnson
Silent contempt is the proper treatment for
all these presuming interlopen who com, to
ask for tho precise opinions of General CIR int in
reference to the issues OF the next Presidency.
This thing OF bringing to the witness stand and
to the test oath OF this faction or that
faction every Presiden ial candidate is
vicious innovation in our party politics, which
crept in with the beginning Of the decline
and downfall Of the old Jackson democracy.
Suppose such fellow as Forney or ono Of the
Blair family had called upon Washington in
his day as Presidential candidate, and had
said to him, "Jones procllms it. General,
that your opinions are so and so. We, on our
side of the house, don't believe It I; but to end
all doubts on the subject, have coms to ask,
General, what are your oplnionsi Are you
with Jones. or Smith, or Johnsonr What
answer would Washington have giveni Simply
th.s+"John, show tais gentleman the door,"
Nor do we think any old bookworm can pro-
duce any report OF any such visiting loafer to
old John Adams, or to Jefferson, or 70 NJ ,di-
son, or to Monroe, or to John Quincy Adams.
General Jackson was tortured by all sorts Of
CAD flies, but when he was first taken up for
the Presidency by popular spontaneous COM
bustion his New Orleans record was deemed
enough. II developed the man and the char
acter in which popular instinct detected the
practical, resolute statesman wanted at the
White House.
Van Buren, was . trimmer. He came into
the Ja ksonian succession by promising to
"t-ead in the footsteps Of his illustrious pro
decessor !" but a. candidate for another
term new. questions confronted him,
and the politicians began to bother
him. So II was in 1910. when cunning in
qusitor, Williams by name, questioned him by
letter on slavery in the District Of Columbia,
Van Buren, looking to the South, pledged him
self to veto any bill ~ Presi lent that might be
presented him abolishing slavery In the Dis
trict This was shrewd move, but. unfortu-
nately, IN that campaign the niger was
swamped In the great money question of that
epoch, and Van Buren, was swept OF In .
financial whirlwind. He turned mp again In
1874, however, and then, the money ques' ion
being settled, the niger ON the Texas question
loomcd up into bold relief Here VIC have .
curious bit OF inside political management As
We remember, to get this thing out OF the way
Il was agreed between Gay AMI Van Buren,
early in 1874 that both, II questioned, should
oppose the immediate annexation Of Texas rs
involving q war with Mexico, and when called
upon by letter writer they both did take this
ground; and what was the RESULT Van Buren,
was shelved in the democratic convention by
the Southern slaveholding oligarchy. He had
. majority vote, but they reached him by Q
new dodge--the two-thirds rule and Clay was
swamped in the election by Polka man who
wrote no letters, made no speeches, and Of
whom the people only knew that he was the
democratic nominee.
In ls4s General Glass; a. tho democratic
candidate, was crippled South by his letters
and speeches on squatter sovereignty and
killed Of in the North BY Van Buren, with his
free soil movement against the slave oligarchy.
The tide on the niger question was beginning
70 turn. Still, General Taylor did much to
help himself by refusing to write letters or
mako speeches on political affairs. All that
they could get ont Of him was tina. he was -
whig, but not IN ultra whig"-the very ticket
for General Grant ~ republican.
In 1852 General Scott, the conqucror OF
Mexico, the arst soldier Of the land in that
day, was literally buried out Of sight by q
second rate militia general and county court
lawyer, poor Pierce, In consequence Of Scots
fool sh letters and speeches The scurvy poll
ticians pluckcd him and skinned him and cut
him into mince meat with the weapons he was
kind enough to furnish them Grant IL wiser
in his day and generation than Scott
In 1856 "Pennsylvania's favorite son"--the
Lord have mercy upon him poor "0id Buck
came in on an al5i-yes, an clbi He was not
responsible for the blunders Of poor Pierce,
for he was over In England oil the tins, and II
"Old BuckD wrsts any campaign letters he
wrote them on the ely, aad kept we'll on ths
south side Of Mason ed Dixea cad orsttS