The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-28
rs GENERAL GRANT a FALLUREP

A GOOD many people are EXERCISED over Ine
momentous question whether General Grant,
AZ a President, is failure. The bulk of the
professional politicians have little hesitation
in fatty affirming that he has greatly disap-
pointed them. They charge upon him igno-
ranoe of civil affairs, accompanied by indif-
ference to the advice of the multitude of sage
oounsellors who would gladly direct his erring
footsteps in the true path of Presidential
.reatness. eff he would only listen to that
yreat statesman Snooks, says one, che could
yet redeem his administration" or eff he
lad followed the counsels of the illustrious
Sprippins." says another, che would have
avoided all the mistakes that have diminished
his popularity" The greatest trouble about
.hese speculatons is that, as we have thou
$ nd Snookses and Sprigginses pulling in
ousand different ways, and with thousand
title axes to grind the surrender of the
,sident to any particular adviser would
,use the ire of his nine hundred and ninety
ne rival would-be advisers; and it is barely
lssible that, on this account, it is better
.or Ulysses to plod on in his
e.. way, even if he does blunder
casionally. Grave errors in the matter of
pointments are also alleged, and in some
ies with show of justice 1t could scarce
be expected that soldier fresh from the
mp, where patriotism was measured by
steady devotion to the national service or
valorous deeds, would be able to pass impair
tial Judgment, in all cases, upon the conflict
ing claims of the heroes of the hustings, the
controllers of caucuses and conventions, the
chairmen of executive committees, and the
rag-tag and bob-tail of the grand army of
oflice-seekers who would gladly devour every
green and living thing in the land. 1t is
highly probable that occasionally the place
which should have been given to Smith, as
a due reward for party services rendered has
fallen into the possession of the less deserving
Jones, and that the new edition of the Blue
Book for 1869 will record distribution of
salaries and emoluments decidedly distasteful,
not only to the whole body of the Democracy,
but even to many magnates of the Republican
organization. This calamity will occur, how
ever, to some extent, even under the rule of
Presidents who have made a Judi
cious distribution of the spoils the
great study of their lives, and
it is impossible to avoid disappointments and
mistakes when the applicants are ten times as
numerous as the positions. The gravest
charge against the President, in this connec-
tion, is that he has shown desire to bestow
official favors upon his relatives, and upon
those who have rendered personal services to
himself. Like true Scotchman, he stands
by his friends and his clan; and even if the
truth of the accusation, in its broadest sense
be acknowledged, we cannot see that any
great harm will necessarily result to the nation
from this feature of his policy. The most
damaging imputation that can be made
against an aspiring politician is, that he is
not true to his friends, and it is scarcely Just
to condemn Grant for the readiness with
which he has learned one of the first lessons
of the class that is now disposed to condemn
him. Another charge is that he is so averse
to display as to be positively awkward on
grand ceremonial occasions But painful as
it may be to the butterflies of fashion, or the
lovers of ostentation, to witness his short
comings in ballroom etiquette, or his steady
avoidance of oratorical demonstrations we
think the people can easily be induced to
pardon these deficiencies. 1t matters little
to the thirty y-eight millions of toilers scattered
through the land whether he wears his hat or
takesit off in the presence of the dashing bellies
of the seaside, and Andy johnson did enough
IN the line Of commencing the Constitution
and thirty-six stars to the protection of his
countrymen, to exonorate his successor from
all forms of stump -speechifying. Fora time the
N. Y. World bitterly assailed the President for
his alleged connivance at the schemes of the
Cuban revolutionists and his apparent neglect
to enforce the neutrality laws The recent
action of the administration, however, has so
thoroughly vindicated its vigilance in this
respect that its assailants are obliged to
change their tactics and to accuse it of undue
subserviency to Spain. Meanwhile the ex-
cess of the receipts of the Treasury over the
expenditures constitutes crowning glory of
the Presidential policy. 1t is due, in a large
measure, to the resolute determination of the
new Executive to infuse economy, efficiency.
and honesty into all branches of the revenue
service; and in view of the increasing i'm.
portance of financial questions, there could
be no better claim to the confidence of the
people than that which is being steadily
established by the rapid reduction of the ma
tional debt
THE "HUABLE JUDGMENT" on