The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-09
General Grant and tho Politicians Of the
Republican Party.

| mere seems 10 Dc purpose IN inc repupA-
can party TO belittle tho administration OF Gen.
eral Grant, as if the politicians were anxious
| TO kill him off in the interest Of some one Of
their number, and measured their acts moro
by that thought than by any consideration Of
the national advantage Of lending hearty,
honest support to the Executive In the dis
charge of its duties. At the beginning Of his
Presidency Grant certainly had some grand
ideas of the relations of the republic to its
neighbors and to the world at large, and was in
full sympathy with every truly American pur-
pose and every honorable tradition Of our his
tory. He was true type of the people in the
unpretentious energy with which he stood
ready to assert the rights, the dlgnities and
the better destinies Of the nation. 1t cannot
have been forgotten with what electric enthu
siasm the people accepted his opinion of the
| attitude Of France in Mexico at the close Of
our war as the best utterance of the general
thought. II is equally well known that his
views in regard to the necessity Of making
good the Alabama claims against England
were not qualified by the tmorous thought
that weighs the issue of contest involving
the national honor. Nor can we doubt that
Cuba would now be free il the President had
acted from his own sense of what Ia
just and right on our part. But yet,
thus takes a large and far-sighted view of
national affairs, il is not to be denied that our
national councils and conduct are reduced to
the smallest consideration of the smallest
topics, and that while in Europe we see the
statesmen Of each nation taking always a con-
tinental view Of every topic that comes up,
here all discussion is reduced to the level of
ward politics, and all expediency is measured
by the standards of the ward politicians.
What is the reason of this? II is because
the line of conduct that General Grant laid
down for himself in his inaugural, and to
which he rigidly adheres, involves a mon
strous mistake, and the politicians take advan-
tage of that mistake. Grant declared that he
would have no policy as distinguished from
the policy Of Congress. Now the fact is Con-
gfess has no policy at all, or rather the policy
of Congress Is that each representative
endeavors to secure the greatest number OF
fat places for his constituents, political sup
porters and personal relatives That is the
policy of Congress, and has been from time
immemorial, and will be so long as Sena-
tors and Representatives are chosen. From
the nature of the case the individual repre-
sentative is small man. 1t is his function to
know what Buncombe county thinks, and he
weighs the whole world on the Bun
combe county scales. If one should
ask his opinion of the Alabama claims
the answer would be that Buncombs county
wants Jones to have good Post Office.
1t is, therefore, exactly because the national
policy is accepted from this sort Of inspiration
that the national councils are pitiful with the
error to suppose that the Executive must thus
put itself in leading strings to Congress and
control its course by all the small clamor and
mean dispute that Congressman suppose to DO
the current of political wisdom. The Execu-
tive, also, is epresentative--only it represents
no part but the harm0nized whole. It is not
supposed TO know the little grievances out Of
which small cliques draw sustenance, but to
give effect only to the wise purpose that flows
from an enlarged view of every case.
General Grant will be recreant to his high
trust if in his hands the Executive is reduced
to meaner function. 1t will be drawing very
left-handed wisdom from the errors of Andrew
johnson If the fear Of collision with Con-
gress-the fear of having policy-shall sub
stitute the small local view of every
question for that which is large and
national Congress, also, may be wrong,
and when it is collision with Congress may be
the Presidents duty. 1t is clear that just
now Congress Is politically an assemblage Of
clques, and these cliques each assume to
control the Executive on some special subject,
from the annexation Of st. Domingo to the
appointment of Collector for the port of New
York These cliques must be broken down or
the administration will become ridiculous in
the eyes of the people, and the now dominant
republican party will split into fifty factions
with afty Presidential candidates. Andrew
johnson differed with Congress, and the
disastrous results to him apparently stand as
a bugbear in the way. So do demagogues
make examples for tyranny But Andrew
Jackson differed with Congress also, and
Presidents must prefer his plan. The folly of
johnson led him to make issue on points that
necessarily arrayed the people against him,
and thus he strengthened the hands Of his
enemies. But strong Executive that keeps
in view the dignity Of the nation and holds the
views of the people against the factions. the
place-holders and the malcontents will put
them down at the polls, and thus give the only
effectual deathblow to the forces that operate
against it. An issue with the cliques is what
the Executive must desire rather than fear
SILVER FROM CANADA.-The New Dominion
In nddi4iosa "a