The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-22
ANrI-RADICAL ARGUMENTS FOR GRANT.

Apart from the mad dog cry about another
Southern rebellion" all the arguments re-
Gently advanced by the leading Republican
papers, and especially by those in the West
in favor of Grant for the presidency, are such
as rest on anti Radical grounds. In fact
most of them are only thinly disguised plagia-
risms from the Democratic Indictment against
the whole Radical policy of Congress. The
Chicago Tribune roundly AYERS that the entire
revenue system which has grown up under
this policy is crude, cumbrous, inefficient,
foul and rotten, and needs to be thoroughly
purged and remodeled and the Inauguration
of Grant, it argues, would be the signal for
this sweeping reform to commence. Here is
one of the pictures which that journal draws
of corruptions in the financial department
which have been fostered by the policy of the
party whose candidate for President the same
paper is zealously supporting:
During the last four years over $500, 100000 Of
revenue from spirits and tobacco have been
diverted from the national treasury by dishonest
pay for keeping gang Of mercenary politicians
in Office. At present, Office IL sought to make
money by corrupt practices. The inquiry is not
as 10 tne amount OF bdldfy 30 MUCH as 10 = now
much can be made out Of it," Men are recon-
mended for Office, and are appointed. upon the as
surance that they will " divide" with their back
ers. Men do not expect to remain In office but
while the opportunity lasts. The corruption of
the superiors is initiated by the subordinaes, and
the service is degraded to the actual condition Of
being paid by the government for duties upper
formed, and BY outside parties for connivance IN
frauds upon the government amounting to hun
ese feVes and p to put n Their places men who
will expect to hold Office only so long as they are
faithful, and who will not be appointed that they
may be swiDdlers, nor be protected in their dis
honesty 30 long as they hand over portion OF
their fraudulent gains.
Tho NAw York Times puts in still broader
shape, the idea that Grant, if elected, would
make his administration somehow subversive
of the policy of the party by which he was
nominated. when it says "We shall have an
administration based on party less, and on
not welded to party discipline, nor does he
regard party organization as a substitute alike
for wisdom and honesty in the control of pub
lie affairs Reform in every department and
branch of the civil service will find in him q
jealous and effective friend"
~
go Tribune, signalize his administration by
setting his face against all the partisan cor
ruption and thievery which have been fos-
tered under the revenue laws of Congress,
and if he should pursue the general course
predicted by the New York Times it is very
plain that he would not be Radical or a
Republican President according to the signi-
fcation which the history of the dominant
party-the party running him for President
has given to those terms. For has not this
party insisted, as fundamental dogma, that
wisdom, honesty, patriotism, loyalty, are all
included in blind and INSCRIPTIONS devo-
ton to the policy of the party as expressed in
the votes of the Radical majority of Congress-?
Did it not impeach Andrew johnson for dar-
ing to dispute this dogma and did
not its organs stgmatize as traitors the few
Republican senators who had the temerity to
say, under oath as judges, that the impeached
President had not, by the recusancy mem
toned, forfeited his Office? No one can deny
either proposition; and hence the arguments
of the Republican papers referred to bring
to view the incongruous and contradictory
spectacle of party running candidate who
is pledged by leading journals of the party to
make war upon cherished features of its
policy, and upon one of the fundamental dog
mas of its creed. There must be snare in
all this for somebody. Who is to be disap-
pointed, entrapped, betrayed?