The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-05-06
President Grant Viewed through Re-
publican Spectacles.

lated Republican journal III the West. Its |
frankness and sincerity are creditable to |
the paper in which itappears, and graft
fying token of the growing independence |
of the newspaper press, which dares TO
speak out on subjects that concern the
public interest, in cases where a tlmlu
sense of party fealty would restrain a
manly declaration OF the truth. Seeing
that General Grant is a Western man, that
he was nominated for the Presidency Dy
the urgency of Western sentiment ana
Western pride in his military reputation
seeing that he is citizen of Illinois, and
that the paper in which this plain speak
ing criticism appears is the foremost Re-
publican organ in that State, there is no
quarter in which the mirror could be
held I'D to his mistakes with SO great
likelihood of compelling his attention, as
in this influential journal which has been
so devoted to his interests.
The article which we republish is not the
assault of an enemy, but the counsel OF
disappointed friend. "Why," says the
Chicago Tribune, "do we say these
things? The answer is two fold. In the
first place, they are already known
everybody is talking about them, in the
streets, on horse-cars, in the railroad
trains, in the club rooms, around euchre-
tables, everywhere except IN the
Executive Mansion. In the second
place, it Is necessary, as we conceive, that
'there should be change" To disguise
the truth that the new administration IS a
Notifying failure is not possible, II IL were
desirable; Republicans are as universally
talking of il in a tone of depreciation and
regret, as Democrats are In spirit OF
scOrn. General Grants blunders receive
4 ~, q 10
versions of Republican newspaper and
as the Chicago Tribune thinks it is
not vet too late for him to mend, il deems
itself justified in telling the new President
what everybody thinks of him, and
everybody out of the White House says
of him. 1t tells him that in two short
months the moral power of the admins
tration "has been FILTERED away by alb
surdities;" that there was never an adj
ministration " with less aptitude for car
irving good intentions into effect :" that
I" since the evil which exists is not able to
'cure ITSELF a remedy must be sought and
found elsewhere :" that General Grant
is too great and too good man to be al
lowed to fall into popular derision for the
want of friends courageous enough to
acquaint him with his errors" The read
ers of the Chicago IIibune's article will
see that it includes in the catalogue of
General Grants plumbers all that have
been most prominently charged upon him
by the Democratic press. 1t thinks he
ought not to be permitted to proceed in
the road to ruin " for the want of little
plain, unvarhished truth
While it is impossible to dispute the JUS
tice or the timeliness of our Chicago con-
temporary's structures, it is by no means
hot ~ off 10 uHvyin
1t tells General Grant that he ought to dis
miss his present Cabinet and fill their
places with statesmen,-a piece OF advice
which anybody is competent to give, but
which it requires President of very diff
ferent order from General Grant TO follow.
On what ground can he ask the members
of his Cabinet for their designations? They
have, as yet, committed no egregious
plumbers; it is not what they have done,
it is what he has done, that shocks and re-
volts the public sentiment of the country.
The Cabinet, bad as it is, is less incapable
than the President; and if anybody is to
resign on the score of incapacity, it ought
to be the blunderer-in chief. The inc0m.
petence of the Cabinet is no more con-
spicuous now than it was when they were
appointed; and they Eight turn upon the
President and ask why they were trifled
with and selected, if they are to
be summarily dismissed when they have
done nothing to disappoint his reasonable
expectations? Some of them have given
up other valuable positions udgeships
seats in Congress, commissions in the
army-to accept his appointments some
of them have sacrificed their inclination
and taste for private life; and there is
none of tnem who could not Justly com
Of Of mir eli Nf t,1ot1
they have been lifted into a conspicuous
position to be suddenly dashed down and
branded with incapacity, when they have
in no respect crossed his wishes or belied
the reputation with which they came into
Office. They would have no ground oil
complaint if they had been left in Their
native obscurity but they would be most
shabbily wronged if made the sport of al
incompetent Presidents caprices Even
if he could restore Mr. Boutwell, to his
seat in the House, M Hosr to his Judge
ship in Massachusetts, and General Raw
Inns to his place In the army, he has he
right to infiict upon these gentlemen the
gratuitous modification of bestowing
hOnOrs upon them to be converted into
disgrace by a prompt cancellation, with
out any new disclosures respecting theiI
capacity or character.
But even If General Grant could honor
ably get rid of his present Cabinet when
they have scarcely, as yet, entered upon
their duties it requires no small credulity
to suppose that he would select a better
one. What reason is there for imagining
that he would be more successful In hi,
third attempt than in his two first? Ht
has grown neither in stature nor wisdom
since his inauguration, and has sunk i'm
measurably in the esteem of his party
Even if he could be suddenly endowed
with the political sagacIty which nature
has denied him, and his dull mind were SC
lllumir ted that he could make better Sc
lectlOns, men of character and ability
would be unwilling to serve under him
How could they know that he would not
in some new fit Of caprice, drOT
them as suddenly as he had dropped
their predecessors? What reputa
ton could they expect to gain in serving
under such a vacillating blunderer? They
would be likely TO feel resentment tha
their claims were not sooner recognized
and to spurn his tardy tender of offices fol
which he deemed them unfit in his origi
Dal survey Of the field At tho GU; set
there Is no statesman in the Republican
party who would not have regarded
the proffer of a Cabinet appointment a.
an honor but after the marked slight ht
put upon them in his first two Casts of
Cabinet, and after the bitter severity will
which they have commented on his folly
they would feel themselves precludeC
from linking their political fortunes with
an administration which has so quickly for
rf.A