The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-30
MIR. GRANT TAKEN TO TASK.

h.
Plain Talk to Him from Two Leading
Republican Papers-Nepotism and APP
pointments to Office OF, Friends to be
stopped-Strong Opposition Hinted mt.
From Cincinnati Commercial, October oS.l
General Grant seemed to be necessity to the
Republican party when he was unanimously
nominated by the representatives of that party
in convention assembled for the Presidency.
He could have got along very well as General
Commanding Of the Armies, but the party
could not get along well without him In the
Presidential campaign. Upon becoming Pres-
dent. the General seems to have had full and
| clear appreciation of the independence OF his
| position. So he made up the Cabinet, not OF
| distinguished Republican politicians, but OF
his personal friends. They were all rather Re-
publcans than otherwise, but the Cabinet was
| fearfully and wonderfully made. The charge
| ments occurred because the gentlemen ap-
pointed had made presents to General Grant.
| We do not believe those presents had any
! influence with the President. They ought to
have had an influence, and 1t should have pre-
vented the appointments. 1t happened that
several among the valued personal friends of
| the President gave him money, and that he,
careless and Indifferent as to that, placed them
| high in office. Not only in regard to his Cabl-
| net. but throughout the country, the President
displayed the vividness of his remembrance and
| the keepness of his gratitude to his personal
| friends. When we come to count up the rela-
tives he has appointed to office, they are not
very numerous. But he has appointed person
al friends and the friends of friends and the
favorites OF relatives to degree that Is not
credible to his sagacity as man OF the people.
In his announcement that he did not intend
to have policy in conflict with the Will OF the
people he seems to have been entirely sincere.
His conduct in Office has given testimony TO
the strongest kind. to that effect. Whatever
may have been his shortcomings, he has not
been burdened with policy. So easy is he on
the duties of his office that he has abundant
leisure, which he spends at the seashOre and on
the mountains.
SOME PLAIN TALK.
Some matters, however, seem to demand the
serious attention of the President He mas
lust received loud warning of the perils by
friends-the dangers of family Influences
the exceeding great hazard of familiarity with
New York sharpers.
In this part of the country the influence of
the Presidents father has been absurd and in
furious In New York we find Mr.. Corbin,
known long ago in the Washington lobby and
in Wall street aS shrewd and INSCRIPTIONS
operator, who, few months since, assumed
the position of brother-in-aw of the President,
and began presently to speculate In that rea-
tionship. 1t was his stock in trade. 1t gave
him familiarity with Gould and Fisk, the most
notorious of the Wall street gamblers. He as
sumed to be able to control appointments in
New York There is too much reason to be-
lieve that he did control some OF them-per
haps that of General Buttertleld among Others
When the President passed through New
York. as he was in the habit of doing on his
excursions, he was the guest of his brother-in-
law; and this was entirely natural and proper,
for Mrs. Corbin is his sister, who Is most like
him. and who has more influence over him
than any other member OF his family. rms
was Covington gossip before she was married,
and her influence was felt here in important
appointments previous to that event.
PLoUGHING WITH A HEIFER.
Failing to get his brother-in-law committed
in Wall street speculation, Corbin's next pro-.
ceeding would, Of course, be to influence Mrs.
Grant to allow him to make a little money for
her. If the President and his wife dabbled u
little in stocks and gold at the suggestion and
under the direction of their brothcr-n-law
with a brown stone front residence, evidently
they were presently apprised that the transac-
tion was not SO distinguished by innocence as
it had been represented to them by their bril-
liant and persuasive relative.
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.
Messengers to Washington, Pennsylvania,
and arguments by Jay Could, and inquiries by
Jim Fisk, meant something more than any as
sociation of the President and his family in
Wall street speculations and was simple, ,ordi-
nary business affair. If the President was in
he took care to get out, and 1t is quite possible
that the consciousness that there had been an
elaborate effort to use him had its Influence in
causing the peremptOry order that he gave.
hao in fl,..D ar
gold.
AND boutwell, TOO.
While the bulls were at work with the Pres-
dent, the bears seem to have had the Secre-
tary of the Treasury in hand, and gave him
fine dinner with the view Of plying him with
overwhelming arguments why he should sell
gold and crush out the rascals. These were re-
formers in the same sense that the late re-
formers in Hamilton County were. so. They
bin or Butterfield. They were in another ring,
that was all. The game was to steal as bears
instead Of as bulls.
THE MORAL.
Now we hope that in a this the President will
learn one useful lesson. 1t Is in brief: that not
only is personal government played out In
monarchies, but that family influence will not
serve any good purpose with q Chief Magls-
tlate: that in this position all families of hon
est people must be on the same footing; that
the Grants are not in the least better than
other folks because he is President, but are
rather to be Disseminated against; that his
personal friends must be judged by their fit
ness rather than their friendship. If he can
learn this lesson speedily, and give evidence
of his increase of knowledge, the people will
be swift to forgive the errors already commit
ted: but IL he remains in this particular dull
scholar, the degree of popular impatience that
he must encounter may at least surprise him
good deal.
The Case OF General Butterfi eld-Grant's
Reputation Involved I'm the Matter
A Limit to the Patience OF the People.