The New York herald., 1870-12-19
General Grant and His Disappointed Party
Leaders.

reaSOuaDi6 OF men, biIRularly uispVocu w
avoid quarrels and to cultivate peace and
harmony with all men, and particularly with
the magnates of his party, is threatened with
all sorts of disasters by his disappointed party
leaders. Universally recognized as the repub-
lican candidate for 1872, it would be supposed,
according to the elementary principles of COM
mon sense, that all the leaders and managers
of the party, looking to their own interests,
would be harmonious in his support, however
discordant among themselves. But the truth
petty personal disappointments, are resolved
upon revenge against Grant and his admins
tration, and as each of these local leaders has
his band Of followers, the whole republican
camp is becoming demoralized.
Senator Fenton, for example, wished to be
recognized by General Grant as the Viceroy
of the republican party of New York-a sort
of Pacha of Egypt-absolute within his
jurisdiction, and more an ally than
subordinate of the Sultan. Hence when
General Grant nominated "Honest Tom
Murphy" as Collector Of this port
an independent sort of republican who
had made himself obnoxious to Fenton-this
nomination on the part Of Grant was an
offence to Fenton which must be punished
How, then, could Grant expect to escape,
when, adding insult to injury, he was charged
with the defeat Of Fenton's man, Greeley. in
the Republican State Convention for Governor,
and with the nomination Of Murphys man,
General Woodford? Could Fenten overlook
such outrages? No. And so, while in the
heat Of the battle Greeley went off on lee
turing tour on farming to Colorado, Fenton, in
disgust, went off on pleasure excursion to
California. What were the results? The re-
election, first, Of Governor Hoffman by thirty
thousand majority, and, secondly, an opinion
from Fenton that Grant is a failure.
Next, take the case of Senator Sumner.
Mr. Motley, of Massachusetts, the historian,
somewhat roughly treated as our Minister at
Vienna by Mr.. Seward as the Secretary of
State of President Johnson, is appointed Min
lister to England by General Grant. Sumner
is delighted at the success Of his proteg6; but
Motley, neglecting his instructions, is recalled,
whereupon Sumner becomes indignant and, as
chairman of the Senate Committee of Foreign
Relations, seizes his first opportunity to declare
war against favorite project of the Presi-
dent, the annexation Of the splendid tropical
island Of st. Domingo, which may be ours for
mere bagatelle, but which would be bar
gain at fifty millions. OF course Sumner
agrees with Fenton that Grant is failure, and
that it is necessary to fix things in order to cut
loose from his administration.
Then we have the case OF Carl Schurz. A
recent political adventurer and squatter in
Missouri, he contrves to be elected as Ger
man and as supporter of Grant to the United
States Senate. Having secured this position
he next assumes the right to dispense the
patronage of the President Throughout. the
State, and because the President declines ab-
solutely 10 surrender his authority over these
Missouri appointments to Schurz we find
Schurz boltng with other disappointed ofice-
seekers, and turning the unsettled political
elements Of Missouri all into chaos. Substan-
tally other disappointed and ambitious politi-
clans had played the same game among the
turbulent and unsettled political elements Of
Virginia. North Carolina and Tennessee, and
with the same results of defeat and disaster to
the administration party.
And yet again, among the disaffected party
leaders there is Senator Trumbull of Illinois.
What private griefs are his we know not; but
it is said that he is ready to join new party
% free trade and civil service reforms, or on
anything else, in order to have his satisfaction
against Grant and his administration. Evi-
dently Trumbull thinks his claims as the big
man Of Illinois have been overlooked, and
therefore is he likewise ripe for revolt.
The history of the old Jacksonian demo-
cratic party and of the old whig party is full
of such cases; but a case or two on each side
will serve to show the mischief which one of
these soured and disappointed party leaders
may work if not taken in hand in season.
Martin Van Buren, as the favorite of Old
Hickory, was made the democratic candidate
and elected President in 1886. He thought,
however, that, although run again in 1910 and
defeated, he was still entitled to another term
and, betrayed, as he held himself to be from
the manner in which he was cut out by the
two-thirds vote of the Democratic Convention
of 1884, and provoked beyond all forbearance
in being ignored by the Convention of 1913,
he ran that year as the Independent free soil
candidate and thus carrying off halfthe demo-
cratic votes of New York from General Cass,
he defeated Cass, elected General Taylor, and
had his revenge. On the whig side, Fillmore,
becoming President by the death Of Taylor, was
ambitious to be President in his own right,
and made a very good fight for the whig nom
nation of 1852, though General Scott was too
much for him. In 1856, however, failing to
get the republican nomination, Fillmore ran as
the candidate of q third party, and had his
satisfaction therehY In The deiaat of Eram ont