The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-06-11
Probable Death OF President
Grant.

The Radical party nominated for Vice
President the man Colfax, in anticipation
of the removal, by impeachment or by
death of U. S. Grant. 1--WE want no more
doubtful Vice-Presidents," was the warn.
ing of Wendell Philips. The party denied
that Wendell Philips was authorised to
issue the word of command, and then pro
ceeded to obey it. circumstances com.
pei us" they reflected, to head our ticket
with q speechless sphynx; but even
sphnyxes can be removed, and NAV die
We must have for the second place, man
of our own choosing. And SO the choice
fell on poor simpering Colax.
moved by Impeachment are diminishing
in proportion as the probabilities of his
removal by death are increasing. Private
advices from Washington indicate that
Grant is failing in health very rapidly. 1t
is even doubted if he will live to perform
the presidential function year, although
he may not before that time be in his grave
The malady under which he is suffering is
Of a kind that kills the mind before the
body dies, although the death of the body
inevitably follows.
The symptoms in Grants case are both
mental and physical suffering. He has
had to "shut up shop" six times already in
as many weeks. He is losing flesh. Wis
itors complain of his brusqueness, and
many of them ofhis temper. He has Who'll
ly ceased to receive visitors at night. The
few who see him with his family speak of
him as apparently TO be thoroughly tagged
out by each days round Of work. He
smokes necessarily, and sits for hours with
his little girls hand in his own, not utter
ing word, and never rallying except
when his wife, whose anxiety on account
of his condition is ill disguised, makes it a
point that he shall.
Medical gentlemen will even from this
brief description of the symptoms, readily
recognize the malady which is rapidly
uniting Mr.. Grant for mental effort of any
kind, and fastening him surely to his
grave.
Insanity, in any of the more common
phases, is probably not hereditary in the
Grant family. But that loss of reason
which results from what is called softening
OF the brain is not, properly speaking, a
form of insanity; but rather the effect of
a physical disease, that may result from
great many different causes. Excessive in
temperance in drink, or in any habit that
exhausts the nervous system, is a very
prolific cause. The Incorporate use of
opium or tobacco has the same effect. Or
dinarily, the effects of using these poisons
are not visible, or perhaps do not exist I'M
til some other element is brought into
combination; just rs the element oxygen
is necessary to the combustion of phospho-
rus In Mr.. Grants case, the vast respon-
sibility of the Presidential Office, and the
unusual exercise of his mental faculties
which it involves has doubtless supplied
the element which in system already pre-
pared for its entrance, has developed the
fatal disease AS writer tersely express.
es it, the Presidency has proven "too much
for him."
Such is Mr.. Grants state of health that
the country need not be surprised if he
should be disqualified to perform the du-
ties of President before the next meeting
, Of Congress. Whether in that case, Con-
gress would proceed Immediately to in
augurate Mr.. Colfilx, or not, would perhaps
depend upon the medical experts as to the
possibility, of Grants recovery. The rea-
sonable presumption, however, is that the
only hope of recovery is his retirement to
a private and perfectly quiet life AS Pres
ident of the United States, the indications
clearly are that he cannot live to the end
Of the term.-,C4icago Times.