Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-03-17
The Republican Party and Gen.
Grant.

The Republican party was saved
| from defeat at the last election sole
ly by the prestige of Gen. Grants
| name and character, and the stupid
| ty of the Democrats.
As that able and upright states
! man Gov. Boutwell, remarked the
other day in Congress-, the restora-
ton of the Southern States and the
/ fifteenth amendment of the national
| Ccnsti.ut ton complete the history OF
the party. 1t was born from hostil-
| ity to the extension of slavery. II
| came into power in 1861 by the con.
nivance of the Southern fanatics
Its career has been memorable, glo-
| rious. 1t has killed secession, buried
| rebellion, abolished slavery, and
raised the reputation and influence
or the country to an unprecedented
Importance before the nations of the
world
This being done, the party has to
take new departure, and set up fol
itself new objections and new poll
| cy. Its situation is like that of the
Democrats, after they had whipped
the FederaliSts, or again after they
had overthrown the United States
Bank. 1t often happens that such
| transitional periods in the develop
ment of parties are marked by lheil
defeat and the incoming of the op-
position. Such an event was quite
| in the natural order of things for the
Republicans last fall, but they es-
| eaped it through the operation of the
| causes we have mentioned.
In some respects the present cir
| cumstances of the Republican party
| are promising; in others they are
| unfavOrable. The long contest with
Mr.. Johnson has indeed given the
| party the advantages of resisting a
| weak, blundering, and contemplate
| antagonist, doomed in advance to an
| extreme unpOpularity but, on the
other hand, it has imbued Congress
| with the love of exclusive power il
has suggested to the Senate that it is
| the natural centre of the Govern
| ment and by fastening on the Pres
| ident the shackles of the Tenure OF
| Office act, it has rendered the sue
| cessful administration of the Gov
| ernment and the honest collection OF
| revenue well nigh impossible
I These are difficulties and dangers OF
great magnitude; but they are coun-
| terbalanced by the fact that in Gen.
Grant the Republicans have elected
| a President of extraordinary firm
| ness and discretion. Though not a
politician, and though his primary
object will be to perform his duties
| wisely, faithfully, and for the good
of the entire conntry, the building
up and reinforcement of his party
viii be a sure consequence of his sue
cess.
That Grant will make mistakes is
more than probable. No man could
Il I... l,r .t1. III
most experienced statesman is some
times led astray. But Grants mill
tary record affords an assurance that
| he will not often err either in the for
| nation of measures, or the selection
of agents. And, however that may
be, while the masses of the people
give him their confidence, the Re-
publican party cannot deal with him
on any narrow or grudging terms
/ The existence of that party as gov.
| erning power depends upon him. II
he fails, it collapses. Ii he wins, the
glory is his, but the profit will go to
the party. The interests and the
| life of the Republican organization
are bound up with his official for
tunes to Il degree almost without eX-
| ample in our history
1t is indispensable that Congress
should lay aside the extraordinary
authority it has maintained during
the struggle with Mr.. Johnson. We
do not find fault with its original as
sertion. Under the circumstances il
was natural indeed let US say il
was necessary. But the exigency
has gone by, and the normal condi-
tions should be restored. The differ
ent powers of the Government
should be brought back to their un-
questionable limits.-[N. Y. Sun.