The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-11-15
Republican Opinion of John A.
hogan.

NSS@A
The Chicago Republican thus objects to
the elevation of Logan to the position OF
repres nting this gres. State in the Senate
OF the United States.
That MIR. John A. Logan should be HE
own t-mpestuous%c champion In the Senatorial
contest Is nos q matter Ut surprise TO the
attentive student of American politics, since
e experience leads 10 the conclusion that
qualification and candidacy are generally i.
al inverse ratio each to the other. When b
man is wanting in every essential element
of character which should enter into the
makeup OF q suitable candidate, he fluids IL
necessary 10 atone tor his deficiency by d
large amount of personal e%xertion AND
hence, while men of the Trumbuil type are
content to let the problem of political pre-
ferment work itself out, believing that
selection will fall where fitness is found, the
stern wheel statesman of the Logan pattern
betskes himself TO personal solicitation snC
individual trunpetIng. 1t remains to b.
seen whether the forcing process will b,
successful in eievatiug to the highest offie.
in the gift of the people of Illinois a man
whom nature aud education seem to have
uuited iu recommending for a moder att
share of public honors.
That MIR. Logan will be elected to the
United States Senate we certainly do not
b.iieve !; that he ought not to be elected ",
are very confident tha, the honor would be
up worthy bestowed, and the State aud PEG
pie of Illinois infinitely belittled in the
%bestowal, we assert very positively. Once.
upon a memorable OCCASION, In presence OF
the Grand inquest of the Nation" he
esssyed a conspicuous part on the floor OF
the Senate chamber The humiliation oil
the failure would have checked a moderate
ambition. A man in whom the cancer o.
egotisn had not eaten out all sense of pro
priety would have been content with one
IgnomiDy, so great. so pslpable, and etselt
sought, Forcing himself, then as now, above
and beyond his bstters, he intruded himsel
into a high office, and failed ingioriously OIL
the threshold.
For the present it is sufficient that We
point out three substantial reasons why Mr.
Logan should not be elected to the Senate
The first is moral; the second is intellectual;
and the third is economical. Morally he ID
unfit, because the public career has teen
that of a political" MISUNDERSTANDING ever
on the strongest side, without any regard
whatever to the considerations viii h should
govern the actions of Q conscientious man.
Ever ready to advocate to da
what he denounced yesterday, and
to espouse Tomorrow what
he condemns to day, he has been in turns
traitor to everything and everybody from
whom he has ever received honor to reward.
His faithlessuess to individuals has been q.
notorious as his faithlessness to principles ::
he mas never been on the alert for an op
portunity to desert the one or the other,
whom greater rewards beckoned him to the
treason. Sep by step he has made mis- way
into public favor by dishonoreble betrayals.
backed by unblushing effrontery Aud now
that the people CT this great stste have q
high office to hestow, must it be given to
this petty demagogue and must the United
Ststes Senate be converted into a Magdalen
asylum for political harlots?
intellectually, he is unfit to be the 1850
ciare of such men as Trumball and Carpen
ter and Schurz, aud others of more or less
ability who occupy seats IN the higher
branch of congress. 1t is very true that
the intellectual average of the Senate is NOT"
greatly below what it was twenty years ago;
but the deteriorations is perhaps no greater
there than in other departments of public
life. If there are no Clays, no Bentons.
and no Calhouns in the Senate, so there are
no Websters in the Cabinet, and not even a
Fillmore or q Tyler in the White House.
But because we cannot find q giant for the
successor of Douglas, We are not, therefore,
compelled to go to the other extreme, and
accept a pigmy. Illinois has more than
one states share of public men capable OF
hfiing any great office with credit,
II not with distinction, to themselves,
and with honor to the people. Among these
however. We cannot include Mr.. Logan, IN
less we are willing to exalt lungs above logic,
and to mistake the loud-voiced babble
ments Of the stump for the matured utter
ances of the forum Certainly we have q
right to expect in a man who aspires Z,
ming'e his name with the great ones that
have made the United States Senate con
spicaous in history, at least the rudiments
of a good education. Not that he should be
cap ,n-crammed with useless literature, like
Sumner. or able to discourse in the dead
lan1uages, as they say of Mr.. Patterson, of
New Hampshire. But in these days of
civil service reform and competitive exami
nations for $1,000 clerksbips. it is not ur-
reasonable to ask that the Senatorial stand
ard shail involve the abiliy to speak and
write the English language correctly. :
moderate acquaintance with history. and 8