Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-07-13
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.

Power and distinction are very good
things to have, but, no more than money,
do they prevent q man from making q
fool of himself On the contrary, If the
individual possessing them be one OF that
large class upon whom they have been
thrust by some happy accident, they
merely serve to make him play the fool
before larger audience than he could
possibly draw on his own merits-to
make him wear the ass head on the
public stage instead of in the private
home circle.
The pasture for Presidential csndi-
dates is now filled with quite goodly
batch Of asses--with q greater number
than at any previous time of the coun,
try's history. The late war was fruitful
of accidents, and accidents give birth TO
biped jackasses They, who ten years
ago, were fully aware that they possessed
not one quality Of those requisite in the
Chief Magistrate Of the nation, when
they find upon their backs, much to
their astonishment, small pack of
greatness, begin snuffng the breeze that
blows from the White House, and siding
up in the direction Of it to the sound OF
loud braying,
There is Gen. Pope. One would think
that after the ridiculous part he played
in the late war-the combined parts OF
Munchausen and Bombastes Furioso-
one would think he would wrap a sheep
skin about his loins, dig hole IN the
side of hill, and live there on white oak
aeorrs, stunning the sight of meu for the
remainder OF his life. But not he
Blessed by haturo with stolidity that
approachesto the sublime, he is perfectly
indifferent to the fact that he has stood
once in the pillory to be pelted by the
whole world, and actually seems inclined
to plant his celebrated headquarters in
the Presidential chair. There he sits
with q clean napkin tucked under his
chin, while barber Swayne stands by
lathering his face with soft soap under
pretense Of fixing him up for the White
House White House, indeed That
cunning barber has other designs, and
when he expends the last brush full OF
his soft soap, we shall see him draw his
keen razor across his victim 9 throat and
rnsh ent into the street, as the conspira-
tors did after the slaughter of Cesar,
crying, Make way for Salmon ?. Chase
for the Presidency, and dust down the
bench of the Chief Justice for my hon
ored sirel" That is the way the case
stands in the United Kingdoms Of Ala
bama, Georgia and Florida.
Glancing at the neighboring kingdom
of Louisiana, we see General Sheridan
pushing his way to the White House
through crowd Of State officials, as a
reaping machine goes through a field of
whest-building up pyramid of human
skulls after the manner Of Tamerlane,
the Tartar. g
God preserve as for never did poor
people stand in such need Of the inter
position of Providence. Here we are in
the hands of men, who, at one and the
same time, are kings, military chieftains,
legislators, and candidates for the Presi-
dency-made to change our gait without
a moments warning, as our riders take
it into their heads to play king or the
other things
Thoughtless persons may think that
kings sitting on well established thrones
are not apt to jump down from them and
Join a foot race for the White House.
But history shows that men never fail to
act in that way. When Alexander died,
from mania a pota, he left several Of his
Generals virtually seated on thrones,
and what should the fools do but get up
a free Gght among themselves. for supre-
macy. Every one wanted to be Alexan-
der-to go to the Macedonian White
House. AUt Cesar, AIT RikiI
1t is strange that King John and King
Philip are both so blinded by their self.
Importance that they do not see that the
sleepy looking individual with the cigar
in his mouth, who knows nothing but to
obey orders, is going to arouse himself
in time and slip into the White House
before any of them. The greatest evi-
dence of brilliancy ever displayed by
Grant is the assumption Of stupidity
that is, if it is assuined-and keeping
his mouth stopped up with cigar all
the time. Ii he will come out and de-
clare that he is going to run-a thing
perfectly apparent to all but his little
rivals-he will lift load from the
shoulders Of the Southern people-will
make the petty Presidential candidates
stop riding as, and leave us time to
reconstruct. Mobile Tribune.