American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-04-10
Senator Sprague and his Pre- 5identia,
Programme for 1872.

From tie New 70 K Herald
Senator Sprague, the independent
Rhode Island millionaire, made on
Wednesday last another speech on
the tenure-of-office law. which only
a man who has no favors to ask and
no trownS to fear could afford to
make in the Senate Looking at this
speech simply as an argument against
the law i'll question. it is rambling
rigmarOle, without head, body or tail,
system or purpose but if we assume
that Sprague's candidate for the
Presidency in 1872 is his worthy
father-in-law, Chief Justice Chase,
this otherwise incoherent discourse
becomes as clear and luminous as the
Egyptian hierogiyphies under the
Interpretation Of the Rosetta stone.
Mr.. Sprague il this remarkable
speech opens fire upon the body q
lawyers vino rule the Senate as not
fit body to exercise control over the
Presidents removals and appoint
mentS; i'll ether words, the Senator
| is getting tired of the Republican
oligarchy OF the Senate. He next
trains his batteries upon the galleries
! for their idiotic laughter at serious
things, and their " frivolous, thought
less and senSeless disposition" He
VIII repeat his warning, however.
/ that 1.-THE affairs Of the country are
/ being mismanaged and ruined by the
class of men have spoken Of" mean
/ ing the lawyers. They could not
hold candle to Gladstone or Disraeli
in affairs of State. lie next argues
that the Republican party has failed
! to restore peace to the South, and
has signally failed generally to Sc
cure the rights and liberties Of the
citizens i'll this boosted land of free
dom. Moreover, immigration from
Europe is falling off because the
farmers in the West can 30 longer
make both ends meet, andimmigrants
cannot find paying employment.
The lawyers, bankers and capitalists,
in short, are running the Govern
ment and country to destruction /;
NOR can it lie denied that in this there
is more truth than poetry.
But, touching the general demon
aliZation of American society, Mr..
Sprague's opinion is positively start
ling. He says, and from observa-
tons abroad and at home, he says,
and emphatically, too, that there is
less virtue and morality in American
society to-day than in any other civ
ilized society on the face of the earth.
What mother can trust her son
abroad? What husband can close
his door I? The country, he believes,
is on the brink Of a precipicc, and
unless the people can be reused from
their apathy all is lost.
And now we come TO the pith Of
the matter. Mr.. Sprague had aided
in the election OF Gen. Grant, be
cause lie believed Gen. Grant was
not and could not be contaminated
by the politicians, but when he (AIr.
Sprague) had read the passage in
the inaugural on the Sacredness of
the public debt he had gone away
disheartened and sorrowtul, because
it had shown him that the canl,eI
that possessed the American body
polite had got possession of the
Presidon also. But still he was not
without hope"
What does this meanl II means.
and this whole speech on the LAWYERS
, bankers, capitalists. finance, indus.
try, immigration, American political
and social decentralization, politicians
and the cankcr Of the national debt
means that Senator Sprague is pre-
pairing for split in the Republican
party, and ready to bolt, and that
Chief Justice Chase is his candidate
for the succession against even Gen,
; Grant himself. And why not! Had
Horatio Seymour played the tail
, game would not Mr.. Chase have
been the Democratic candidate i,
the late campaign? Is it not ap
parent, too, that as things are now
going he viii of all men be the mar
e. for all the odds and ends Of the on
position to the administration candl
date in 1872 ! Let The politician dis
posed to chuclile over this eXtraordi
nary speech Of Senator i5pTaguc reat
it By this light, and he Will end i
t wonderfully consistent and to TIL
= purpose.