The Portland daily press., 1869-06-12

Unless the Democracy have Grant assassi-
mated as they did Lincoln, nothing that they
can do will prevent the perpetuity Of Repub-
lican rule in the Uuited States. The ,nfu-
sion attending the first few weeks of the new
administration and the cloud that was raised
by the disappointed office-seekers and once
brokers, obscuring the general direction whlch
the new government was taking, served to Gre
ate an impression in some quarters that a
short time would find Grant and his Cabinet
and his management of public affairs as un-
popular as the most inveterate enemy of the
reform administration could desire. But the
last month has witnessed wonderful change
in the current of popular feeling. The change
has been brought about by state of facts that
must prove gratifying to every thoughtful citi-
zen of the United States.
First. the promise that Gen. Grant made on
the first day that he stood before the people as
their Chief Magistrate that he would endeav-
or to make integrity the characteristic feature
of his administration has been fulfilled with
the most scrupulous fidelity In the selection
OF subordinatesi it is now universally acknowi-
edged that the President has made honesty OF
purpose the qualification of primary import
ance. No one suspects Boutwell, OF being in
the gold ring, Delano in the whskey ring, or
Cox or Parker in the Indian ring.
Second, the same persistency in good pur-
pose that was so noteworthy in Grants militia
ry operations is equally observable in his ad-
ministration of civil affairs. To make the gov
ernment the best possible protection and as
sistance to the people-that is the Alpha and
the Omega Of the new policy. Accordingly,
If mistakes have been made and have after
wards been discovered to be SO, they
have been corrected; if bad appoint
ments have been made, they have, in
instances already quite numerous, been revok-
ed. No pride of opinion, no egotistical sense
of personal dignity and no jealousy of coordi-
nate branches of the government have with
held the present Executive from making such
corrections of his own acts as seemed necessa-
ry. l
Third, the system of indscriminate pardon
ing inaugurated by Grants predecessor has
been entirely abandoned. If man steals
public money at any time within the next
three years, and hc is detected, he may be
quite sure that he will suffer the penalty of
his crime. The good effect of this reform is
already noticeable. Probably there has never
before been time since internal taxes were
levied when collections were so faithfully made
as now air
Besides the praiseworthy characteristics Of
the new administration that we have mention-
ed, there is disposition towork for the pacifi-
cation of all our more dangerous domestic
quarrels. There is no class Of American citi-
zens that has not reason to be kindly disposed
toward the administration. The negro, wrong
ed by every previous administration, has been
placed exactly on a par with whites by this;
the Rebels cannot complain that there has
been shadow of vindictiveness in the policy
adopted toward them; the laboring men have
found an efficient champion in the Chief Mag
istrate; foreign born citizens complain of no
injustice. Se A e gls
On the whole, Grant gains strength as time,
passes. His administration wears we'll"
In fact, it has SO many elements of strength,
it is SO generous in its feeling SO broad and lib
eral in its purposes and SO firm in its action,
that there is more than an even chance that it
viii yet prove to be the most popular adminis-
tration since Washington's.