The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-01-26
From the y, Y, IIerald7
A Flank Movement Of the JaCO-
tefcss

bins.
Andy Johnson for the last three years
has been under the care of Congress
sional Committee of Safety-the joint
Committee on Reconstruction. On mo-
ton of Mr.. Wilson, in the Senate, the
case of General Grant has been referred
to the joint Committee on Retrenchment.
This is 4 grim joke. The SdnScuEottes OF
the great French Revolution were fond
ofsuch jokes. They began with poor
Louis XVI. by making him wear the cap
of Liberty, and they finished him at the
guillotine. The House passes bill for
the repeal of the Tenure of Office law by
an overwhelming vote. The repeal is
known to be desired by General Grant,
although recommended by johnson and
introduced by Butler Hence, on being
''called to the scratch there are only
forty seven Radicals in the House who
have the moral courage to risk the sus-
picion of suspecting Grant. We like
their pluck, but fear it means mischief in
the party camp.
The bill of repeal goes over to the
Senate, when it is referred to smother
ing committee, together with substi-
tute in the way Of compromise. They
cannot venture upon a blind presumption
to give the incoming President fullvote
of confidence, but they will 60 half way
They will release him from the shacl1les
of the ofliceholders' protection law n
reference to his Cabinet, and they will
not require him to give his reasons fol
the suspension of any officeholder in the
absence Of the Senate, but that is ALL
If any such suspension, when laid before
the Senate, shall not be approved it shal
not hold good. There is some comfor
in this to the whisky rings. President
Grant may turn. their chief engineer:
out, but the Senate, with the assistance
of the lobby, can turn them in again
The retention Of this check upon "tht
man at the other end of the avenue" i:
urged by the editor of the radical organ
upon the plea that in 1872 Robert E
Lee or some other "old line democrat
may come into the White House, in tha
event the only security of the Office
holding radicals and carpet -bagger
against q general clearing out will b.
this needed consent of the Senate 4
poor excuse, they say, is better thai
none; but the Jacobins are apprehensiv,
not so much of the election of Genera
Lee in 1872 as they are of the detection
of General Grant in the interval
This half way repeal of the Tenure of
Office law proposed in the Senate is
therefore, only an adroit flank move
ment against Grant. The real design
no doubt, is to smother the bill in tn
committee and to let this Congress ex
pire without any definite action upon il
The Jacobins want General Grant t
show his hand. If johnson proteste,
too much in advance Grant has proteste,
too little, and that was the game of Cap
tain Tyler. To be sure, Grant has bee
the salvation of the republican party
Upon any other candidate, even agains
= Seymour, they would have been swamp
ed last Observation-Disclosures, Congress
and all. But while Grant as the denfe
cratic candidate would have beate
Chase as the republican, Chase as tn
democratic candidate would probabl
have beaten even Grant At all events
the republicans are indebted to Genera
Grant for their success in gaining tn
Presidential succession and the mex
House of Representatives. He did no
seek the Chicago nomination; he di
not want it. AS General in Chief of th
Army he had the best office in the coun
try. Moreover, to the radical leader
he was Hobson's choice. The editor Q
the radical crgan, for instance, CAV
signs of following Chase even into Tam
many Hall.
"The devil is fond of fishing in mud
dy waters" SO says the Rev. Fathe
Weems in his Life of Marion;' an,
his Satanic Majesty, we fear, has discoy
cred the weak points among the Jaco
bins at Washington-whisky, tobacco
petroleum, gold gambling, railroad job
and spoils and plunder in every shape