The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-13
GENERAL GRANT AS PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES AND AS HEAD
OLE THE REPUBLICAN, PARTY

IHE UNITED STATES AND AS HEAD
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
From The NJ Y. Herald.
General Grant in the White House, has
two important parts to play-that of states
man and that of politician; that of President
of the United States and that of head of the
Republican party. In other words, he is
charged with the duties of the Queen of Eng
land and the labors and responsibilities of
her Prime Minister. He is the head of the
State, and the head of the party in power.
His tenure of Office, too, as head of the
State depends materially upon his course as
head of the party responsible for his admins
tration. Elected for one term of four years,
and candidate for another term, as the re-
preventative of the Republican party, it is his
policy, and is clearly his purpose, so to con-
duct his administration as to maintain the
ascendency of his party in order to secure his
rec election.
AS President of the United States, General
Grant has proved himself, to the satisfaction
of the country, careful, thoughtful, honest,
and conscientious public servant. His last
annual message amply illustrates his desires
and his purpose to give in every department
of his great Office a good account of his
stewardship. We see that he has fixed his
mind upon reform in the collection of the
revenues, upon retrenchment in the expendi-
lures of the Treasury, upon the reduction of
sible, consistently with an encouraging re-
demption of the public debt; and we see,
too, that while not insensible (St. Domingo)
to the universal American idea of manifest
destiny, he wishes to maintain peace with
all foreign nations, in order that with the
largest development of our aboundng
resources of wealth and prosperity the pub
lie burdens may be lightened and the public
confidence in our national credit, faith, and
surplus revenue upon still diminishing taxes.
This is General Grants policy, clearly de-
fined in his late message as President of the
United States; and, as the policy OF the chief
executive officer and guardian of all the
States and all the people, it is very good. In
word, the country is satisfied from the in
trinsic evidence of the message that in Gene
raj Grant We have good, careful, and honest
President, zealously deyoting himself to the
interests, the honor, and the peace and pros
perity of the country
AS the head, the emb ediment and standard
bearer for 1872 of the Republican party, we
have only, then, to consider the nsrits and
| deficiencies of General Grant. In the outset
it was apparent that he had resolved to try
the experiment of running the machine"
without the aid of the politicians but the
experiment soon proved failure. With the
! failure these important facts appeared-that
the President must be the organ in his Office
of the party electing him; that the party
| electing him is controlled by numerous local
leaders; and that they, in the distribution of
the spoils and honors of the Government,
must be harmoRized, or that the
party machine must soon get out of
gear and break into pieces. With
these discoveries General Grant began to
consider the claims of his party politicians,
began the active apprenticeship himself of a
politician, and, of course, as a new beginner,
he has made many mistakes. The negro
question being settled in the fifteenth amend
ment, there is no great issue or great idea to
hold the Republican party together. The
offices, too, are distributed 30 that ''the cohe-
slve power of the public plunder" with the
outsiders has lost its force. The disappointed
local party leaders, therefore, are breaking
away; and wrangliDg cliques aud factions
upon side issues and personal griefs are
spreading disorders and decentralization
Throughout the party camp.
Where lies the remedy? In a general re
construction of the party machine, beginning
with the Cabinet. Since Jackson we have haC
no President fully equal to the management
of his party. Van Buren was master politi
clan, but he failed because he was only po
litician Harrison fell martyr to the rush O
the hungry Whig party for offices; Tyler, il
attempting third party, fell between the tw,
stools to the ground; Polk was brought in anC
went out as a temporary exPedieht; Taylo
was a military availability, but Taylor, in
leaning upon the strong men of his party
promised to do well when he was cut OFF. Fill