The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-08-05
The Presidency and tho Candidates.


The political parties before the country have
varied their differences with singular SINH
larity in one respect Each presents for popu-
lar favor one national man and one nullity,
80 that of the four candidates there are
two men of vigorous character-good heart
and brain-and two nobodies, whose histories
are simply contemplate in view of the offices
for which they are proposed. In the republi-
can ticket the efficient quantity stands In its
proper place-the figure is before the cipher,
the man leads, the nonentity comes after. In
the democratic ticket it Is the other way.
There the cipher comes first and the number
stands behind it, 80 that the democracy begin
their campaigning with start in inverse
order and are likely to 60 on as If it were
sum in fractions-the more figures you get on
the paper the less is the represented value.
In this respective distribution of the material
of their tickets we see something of the ten
dency and disposition of the parties. Grant,
the republicans saw, was the peoples man, and
Colfax they knew was their party man. But
the peoples man got the first place. They
recognized the propriety of giving way in party
inclinations in obedience to popular impulse.
They saw the folly of daring the people, and
they put up man they did not like because
he was the peoples man. They never thought
OF putting their party peg in the first place.
But the democrats, in the very breath in which
they claim to be the peoples party, refuse to
receive an impulse from the people or to con-
form to popular thought. The whole mass of
democratic voters, desiring to make this cleo
ton practical fight, and one in which they
would have some chance to win, wanted to see
a national man at the head of the ticket but
the party plan prevailed and they have instead
figure something worse than poor Pierce,
while the only recognition the ticket makes of
the claim of national services is in the second
place.
Grant is an able man, a man of distinct con-
victions and of firm and positive quality. Such
man cannot be dishonest cannot be an in
triguer and cannot readily be made any mans
tool. If he have any vagaries of conduct they
will be outright violent ones, but such as will
afford opportunity to indicate his strength of
character in overcoming them if occasion re-
quire. Honest, clear headed, resolute, of I'M
comparable will-such is the very man we
want in the Presidents chair to give its ancient
dignity and force to that sadly compromised
office. Andrew johnson is small in his ami
mosities and politician. He lowered the dig
nifty of his position to the prosecution of polti-
cal quarrels. lie had an opportunity at the
close of the war, when, by taking up the Mex-
can difficulty and making it, with the army
then in hand, the occasion of grand assertion
of the Monroe doctrine be could have kept
thus diverting it from our internecine strife,
have directly secured the return to domestic
peace. But he could not see that great occa-
sion. He could see only the small strife of
small politicians, and engaging in this gave
reason for the assaults of his opponents, and
even for those assaults that, not stopping with
him, aimed at his Office. 1t is through the oc-
cupancy Of man of mean caibre that the Ex-
ecutive has lost the respect of the people and
is even crippled in the laws, and we need
man like Grant in the place to remove the re-
proach and the cobweb impediments with
which the foolish Congress, with Cofax at its
head tied down the pigmy Johnson.
We want Grant, but not Coltax Colfax
might go with Seymour. Both are mere poll
ticians-men of no weight or value beyond
their acuteness in the management of caucuses
but Grant and Blair will do admirably. That
would be ticket to command the respect and
suffrages Of the whole people, and the people,
h.. Il q,
conventions, should scratch and make that
ticket for themselves. Popular will may
readily enough make itself felt in this manner,
and thus the people may rebuke the impu-
dence Of the politicians who count on the blind
obedience of the masses Such ticket as we
indicate would be one to unite the people and
make the country great-not one to enrich
politicians with the plumber of Office; and
with government headed by such men we
might go back in our national record and start
again where the close of the war left us,
uniting the people of all sections in the
struggle incident to the assertion Of our posi-
ton as the arbitrator-the dictator, if need be-
of the peace of the Continent, even against
Mexico herself, now that there is no disturber
from beyond the Atlantic. twas Grants idea
three years ago that our civil war was to he
ended in Mexico, and it is not too late to end it
there yet.
Justice TO ireland by Peaceful Revolution.
The Royal Commission appointed by Queen
Victoria to inquire into the condition, resources
and episcopal labor Of the Irish Church estab-
blishment has reported to Parliament over the
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