The Portland daily press., 1868-02-07

PORTLAND.
Friday Morning, February 7, 1868.


|
| Whatever Is done by the Republicans al
Chicago on the Goth of May, let them select
| good man for Vice-President. The error o.
1864 has been pretty fully realized by thi:
time. Somebody blundered," but, as in case
OF railroad accident or badly managed bat
tie, that somebody escapes with only his share
Of the general denunciatiop. Unhappy some
body, If your responsibility for Andrew
johnson could only be brought home to YOU!
If the street in Baltimore, where with per-
suasiye finger cunningiy inserted in button
hole, conciliating taps on the shoulder and
large discourse OF post Office and custom
house, you wheedled the delegate from some
where into pledSing himself for johnson,
could only be pointed out! In that event it
would delight the people to bling you out
from your obscurity and give you peculiar
place in the American annals
tailor may make a good President. even
IL he lacks the advantages of early training;
but fhe is at the same time man OF ungoy-
ernable passions and incorrect habits, who
has never made up the defects of his early ed
ucation by the discipline afforded by his sub
sequent experience, the result is-Andrew
johnson. intoxicated on the fourth of March,
1865, mad on the 22d of February, 1865 and
thereafter till date, making pot house speeches
on his way to Chicago, consorting with WELL
known public enemies, no evidence of the es-
sential vulgarity and baseness of his charac-
ter has been lacking, no measure of infamy
has been untitled. ~'t .
1t was, therefore, strangely superfiuous for
Mr.. johnson to furnish further testimony
against himself by conspiring with newspa-
per correspondents to bring discredit upon the
unblemished character OF Gen. Grant. The
question of veracity raised by the late cores
pondenee which has attracted so much pub
lie attention we do not propose TO discuss.
1t is circumstance fatal to the crcdibilitv of
the President that hardly q month passes
which does not see a question OF the same
kind pending between him and persons with
whom he comes in contact. To truthful and
honest man such thing will rarely happen
more than ouce in lifetime Either Andrew
johnson is false; Or the scriptural declara-
ton that salt men are liars must be taken
with breadth OF meaning never before sc-
corded t., it. y atea.ao-- .L.E-.s-If
There are SO many things in this cores
pondeDce discreditable to Mr.. johnson that
1t is difficult to decide which is the most inta-
NOUS With all due Difference to those who
think differently we incline to give his dealings
with the newspapers that bad eminence. On
Tuesday, January 14th, Grant retiled from
the War Office and Mr.. Stanton took his
place in compliance with law. On the same
day was Cabinet meeting to which johnson,
almost apopectic with rage, SUNNI oned
Grant. Atthat stormy meeting, during which
it appears that Grant did not for single mo-
ment forget the respectdue to the exalted posi-.
ton OF the enraged Tennesseean, the President
and his subordinate gave their different YER
sions of the circumstances attending the REIN
statement of Stanton. The very next morning
the Presidents organ contained an article
giving version of the controversy. which
could have come from no other source than
himself When his attention was afterwards
called to this base attempt to prejudice public
opinion, he affected TO become aware of the
existence of the article for the first time But
the lntelligencer was not the sole recipient Of
his favors; the correspondents of the New
fork World and other Democratic papers
were made shareholders In the grief of the
Executive. Into their sympathetic, bosoms
was poured the tale of his woes. The specta-
Gle of the Chief Magistrate of great nation,
iniulging in paroxysms of rage against one of
bis principal officers, and Immediately closet
ing himself with a select company of uewspa-
per correspondents, Tom, Dick and Harry,
and soliciting the aid of their envenomed pens
to aid him, is not pleasant subject for con-
temptation. . -s3-
But there is great scope for the exercise of
critical acumen here. Ifit should appear to
some that the Presidents assertion of personal
proprietorship of the different Offices of the
government is the most unpleasant feature of
the whole affair, there is much that could be
said to support their views. "The Office
which you received from me"-''return the
office to my possession"-these are the phrases,
not OF statesman or patriot, but of third
class ward politician elevated to the Pres-
dency. But, thank Heav we are to have at
most only fifty-six weeks more of this most
inauspicious reign.