Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-11-11
2nlitifal.
Grants Policy.

4 1t is doubtful whether General Gran
7 would accept a denomination. He ha'
small taste for political life. and small
love for politicians. His Indifference tG
| their wishes has not increased the mum
| Der of his admirers, or created profount
enthusiasm in political circles The
philo>ophyjoi. the wholesome miller. wht
cared for nobody, and was as well salts
| fed that nobody should care for him, AZ
that they should make themselves un
cay ou his account, will not answer in
political life.
| 1t was a saying among democrats that
/ Grant had made himself necessity te
the Republican party. He WASH only
| the strongest mau that could be selected,
butthe only one whose nomination might
he regarded as equivalent to an election
What If it should happen that his,ad.
! ministration turned out to be such a
success as to make him as strong and
available in 1872 as he was in 1858? We
| do. not predict it, and the signs SO faI
! have been against the fulfillment of such
a prophecy, should it be ventured.
| But it is worth while to consider the
| chances. In his military career Grant
was remarkable among all the Generals
of the army for directness and simplicity
of purpose. He had one grand object
before him, and nothing could divert
him from it till it had been accomplish
ed. He persisted, and he won Every
campaign had definite ending, and he
left no field of operations till he had
| DESTROYED the power of the enemy. He
not only opened the Mississippi, but he
so crippled his foe that he was unable to
close it again. He gave impetus to the
army which, under his able Lieutenant,
did not pause until it reached the sea
and. transferred to the East, he began a
movement which hardly had pause
from the Wilderness to AppOmattox
Court House. 1t was directness, simplic-
| ity, boldness, tenacity with him, and
because he did not envelope himself in
| mystery and cloud his purpose, he was
| accused of a want of military policy, as
| he is now accused of want of civil ad-
| ministrative policy.
Those who make this accusation should
be certain they are not talking without
| fullness of information. Grants ad-
ministration has been in existence only
six months. What is the best, the most
| valuable result? The increase in rev.
| enue from customs, internal revenue
| and miscellaneous sources, for the two
quarters ending with the 30th of Sep
tember, as compared with the same
period of the previous year. has been
SIS, $3.50, 143. and the decrease of expendi-
lures in the army, navy and civil cervice
amounts to S36, ,S01 ,0l3. As dollar saved
is dollar earned, we have but to add
these sums and we have the enormous
aggregate of fifty-six million four hun
dred and siXty-one thousand and odd
dollars saved to the Treasury, and this
corresponds very nearly to the reduction
of the public debt since Grant came into
| Office. The actual gain in receipts of il =
ternal revenue during the six months is
S21 APO, 1877, ard the cost of collecting
this revenue, as compared with the cor
responding period of 1868, has been re-
duced S799, 1856, or a saving of about fif-
| teen and halfper cent.
These are results which the people can
understand, and they develop the policy
of the President, which is, briefly stated
to reduce expenses to the minim.m,
collect the revenue honestly. and apply
the amount over and above the sum
needed to satisfy current expenses to
the reduction of the public debs Possi-
bly, a statesman of Andrew Johnsou's
proportions would regard this policy
with contempt. a President so feeble
as to give precedence to such policy in
his Administration. and leave great
Constitutional questions to the care of
themselves, or to find their way into
the Supreme Court for settlement, must
look small in his eyes. Grant should
plant his foot upon the Constitution,
| wind the stars and stripes about his per-
son, and make a tour of The States as
the expounder of the one ami the de-
fender of the other. He should have a
Constitutional crisis ou hand all the
time, and keep the people alive to the
imminent danger of loosing their liber-
ties by Congressional invasion of Exc
cutive prerogatives. So dOicg, he wonld
be a statesman and patriot, and the
worthy successor of Andrew Johnston.
1t is Grants misfortune that he sees
things in their relative proportions. and
is somewhat Indifferent to miner affairs,
while he aims at the achievement of a
great purpose. He proposes, to be sure,
to preserve the public peace and execute
the laws; but. greatly to the grief OF
ardent and earnest people who consider
political questions of foremost impor-
lance, he allows reconstruction to take
its course, does not press an active or
aggressi We foreign policy, and does not
distinguish himself 10y conspicuous in
reference whenever the party that made
him President is put upon trial, and a
Governor or a member of the Legislature
is to be elected. .---r-
Let us suppose, now, that the course
pursued during the past six months, is
adhered to, with equally gratifying re-
suits, and that each year of the admins
tration shows reduction of the public
debt of one hundred millions of dollars,
without any increase of taxation, and a
possible relief from the burdens imposed
upon articles that enter into general
consumption that, in the mean tim e
the laws are vigorously enforced hoEest-
ty and capacity in office made para
mount, peace M iintained at nome and
abroad, the people left free of Admins
trative interference in political action,
and in the development of their indus
trial and manufacturing enterprises /;
let all this happen, as it may happen, is
it at all likely that the President would
have to beg far the Endorsement of a re-
nomination p Gin. Commercial.
Great Reduction In the Expenses of tho