The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-03-29
Our Washington Correspondence.


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have given 50 universal satisfactionlas That
of Mr.. Moses IL t,rinnell to be coilsctor of
the port Of New YORK. There is pregnant
meaning in this general popular approba.
ton. The truth Is, the country Graves re.
form In the personnel of Its revenue ma
chinery or system. 1t looks anxiously for
the collection Of the many more millions
than were collected under the johnson
regime, which, through inefficient and dis
honest customs subordinates. have found
their way either into the pockets Of surh
persons or, by their eonnivance, have re-
mnincd in the pockets of dishonest importers.
coon ATTRIBUTES.
Mr. Grinnell, n man Of large wealth and
thorough knowledge Of the business of i'm
porting and all the ways Of the customs de-
partment, IL known by all not only to be In.
corruptible but competent, through his en-.
ergy as well as his qualifications, to carry
out Grants purpose of effecting thorough
reform In the collection of tho revenues.
Besides he has no political followinr-no
army OF drones and leeches TO whom he Is
under obligations for worse than questlona-
bic services to himself, 10 be paid OF by af-
fordlng thcm opportunities to p,under the
Treasury by participating In and compound
ing fclonics. Nor WIN he permit any pollt-
clan to tasten upon the puh.ic service such
characters Us subordlnates. The public re-
joice at his appointment because II means
that those to hold Office under him will owe
their places to their personal character effi-
cheney and integrity far more generally than
has been the case in the New York custom.
house since the 'spoils doctrlnc' has been
the received basis Of appointments to Office
by all political parties.
THE RESULT To FLOW PROM oRISNEIL's
APPOINTMENT.
~. 'ess he can reduce the conduct Of the
the New York custom house to n
.,.,o Immensely greater integrity and
-. ,,,o.o ran be no substantial reforms
~ ~ rororro Collecting system elsewhere
~, IN an o,hcr branches Of the Govern
mantle rcvsruc affairs. Success on his part
at the great business cen 'fo Will DC followed
by similar success every Fhero else, even
though those to be the instrr non'S through
which It Is to be effected may be iar inferior
men to Mr.. Grinnell. Examples a. o catch
ing'' In good as well as bad thlngs' Cor
ruption at the centre is not more sure TO
lead to corruption out to the cxtremide
than are reforms and efficiency at the centrc
to lead to like reforms and increased cill-
cheney In all directions.
HOPEFUL BEGINNING.
Already, in all branches Of the Govern
ment's revenue transactions, looseness is
greatly decreasing. So much for Grants de-
clared purposes. This is certainly an eN-
rellent beginning. Grinnell's prompt re-
rorms In the New York cnstom-house will
,cep the ball In motion, until Its increasing
Impetus will secure to the National Treas
~ the attainable hundred or hundred and
NY addivioual millions of annual revenue
nth existing haws.
USREAsoSISG DEsPoSDESCY.
find not few earnest Republicans In
,ublic life Responding over the prospect Of
he contamination of the fifteenth amend
nent to tho Constitution. Appalled, by the
folly, if not madness, Of the Republicans of
the Georgia Legislature who betrayed their
trust under bad influences In this matter,
they fear Its rejection by Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois. do not share in the lack Of con-
hdence In the intelligence, liberalism and |
patriotism of those States which the view |
they take of the condition of things there In |
wolves.
THE WARS LESSON NOT TO De LOST.
The terrific lesson of the late civil war |
cannot be lost upon those communities as
full of the spirit of Americanism as they
certainly are. They must realize that all |
the war cost them is but payment for their /
share of the wrong of permitting the Gov
crnmcut Of the United States to turn Ito |
back on its original principles, and on Its |
great mission among the Governments and
peoples Of the world. Based wholly on the
doctrine Of mans capacity for self-govern-
meut and his divine right to entire coequallty
with all before the law, 1t lapsed under the
influence of the (alleged) better philosophy
of special privilege and preferred rights on
which slavery can alone be attempted TO DO
justified
Az UNFORTUNATE ABANDONMENT OF PRTS-
CIPLE.
II was a great fall indeed from high ma
tlonal purposes. All the States were respon-
sible for it; some through commission, others
through omission, as In the cases of Ohio,
indiana and Illinois millions of whose |
money and thousands of whose citizens paid
for the failure of their fathers to check the
growing power of reactory ideas In this
country before Ii became strong enough to
seize the United States Government by the
throat and attempt Its strangulation.
PLAIN FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE.
Surely the people of the States mention
above know enough of the history Of modern
times to be aware that there can be neither
peace, contentmcnt nor reliable progress
under any government over an enlightened
people with liberalized minds in the latter
half of the nineteenth century, that falls to
do exact justice to all classes Of its citizeus
and subjects.
THE ESFRASCHIsEMEST QUESTION IN RUSSIA.
Even Russia has been compelled for the
safety of her ruling dynasty and the develop
ment Of her resources, to elevate her millions
of late serf-slavcs, every whit as Ignorant
! and lar more stupid ana deDascu than the ne
grocs of the United States, to participation
in all the rights of Russian citizenship. She
has done this, too, under more violent
storm of opposition from the ignorant and
therefore anti-progresslve and bigosed of her
population who previously enjoyed the rights
they would deny to others, as well US from
the owners of the serfs and the classes who
voluntarily sympathlze with or pandcr to
the interests Of the latter.
THE ENFRASCHIsEMEST QUESTION IN TURKEY.
This movement, despite the fanatic
hatred-centuries old-of the Ottoman
masses towards the christians Of the empire,
is habilltating the latter with all rights of
citizenship.
Prejudice against negroes In the United
/ Stntes ia not n 1.-THE as stTOng-as unTea-