The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-16
General Grants Position Defined.
Prom, fbe NJ Y QornLd


From the ". Y. Herald.
In one of those fits and starts of inspiration
which seized poor old afflicted Job, as he lay
groanipg in the ashes, he exclaimed sob
that mine enemy would write a book" That
enemy doubtless candidate for some
important Office, and Job, before the election,
wanted to have crack at him. So it 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 con-
timpt,"
Let the country rejoice that such is the posi-
ton of General Grant towards all these imper-
tinent, selfappointed, cross examining and
pipe-laying politicians, who want to know
whether, on the niger question, and all other
questions, he sides with Ben Butler, Sumner,
Wendell Phillips, Chief Justice Chase, "Old
Ben Wade,' "Uld Buck" Vallandigham, or
Andy Johnson. Silent contempt is the proper
treatment for all these presuming interlopers
who come to ask for the precise opinions of
General Grant 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 Presidential
candidate, is vicious innovation in
our party politics, which crept in with
fall of the old Jackson democracy. Sup
pose such fellow as Forney or one of the
Blair family had called upon Washington in
his day as a Presidential candidate, and had
said to him, Jones proelaims it, General,
that your opinions are so and so. We on our
side OF the house, don't believe it !; but to end
all doubts on the subject, have come to ask,
| General, what are your opinions Are you
with Jones, or Smith, or Johnson P What
answer would Washington have given1 Simply
| this:-"John, show this gentleman the door,"
| Nor do we think any old booiwOrm can pro-
| duoe any report Of any such visiting loafer to
| old John Adams, or to Jefferson, or to Madi-
son, or to Monroe, or to John Quincy Adams.
| General Jackson was tortured by all sorts OF
| gad-flies but, when he was first taken up for
the Presidency by popular spontaneous COM
| bustiOn, his New Orleans record was deemed
enough. 1t 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 Jacksonlan succession by promising TO
"tread in the footsteps of his illustriOus pre-
| decessor;" but as a candidate for another term
| new questions confronted him, and the poll
| ticians began to bother him. So it was in
1910, when cunning inquisitor, Williams by
| name, questioned him by letter on slavery in
| the District of Columbia Van Buren,, looking
|
as President that might be presented him
abohshing slavery in the District. This was
shreWd move, but, unfortunately, in that
campaign the niger was swamped in the
great money question of that epoch, and
Van Buren, Was swept off in a financial
whhlwnd' he turned up again in 1914,
| however, and then, the money question
being settled the niger on the Texas ques-
tion loomed up into bold relief. Here we have
a curious bit OF inside political management.
AS we remember, to get this thing out of the
way it was agreed between Clay and Van
Buren early in l844 that both, if questioned,
should oppose the immediate annexation of
Texas as involving war with Mexico, and
when called upon by a 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 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
! lat he was the Democrats nominee.