The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-11-16
pailp Ar9us.
OFFICIAL CITY g. COUNTY PAPER
GRANT.
The President Skinned by Rad
ical Paper.
a Terrible Drubbing It.

From the Missouri Democrat, Nov. II, 1870.
TO THE PRESIDENT.
You, choose, sir. to convert the vote of
Missouri into "a decision upon your merits
as a candidate for reelection One OF The
two parties turned from the legitimate ques
tIons of state campaign, and, with Ian
gusge so sickening as to disgust any ordi
nary President, deolaridg your re election
one OF the objects of its campaign. You
At once proceeded to make that party and
i:s avowed object peculiarly your own. A
sslf respecting and dignifed President OF
earlier times would have deemed it unbe-
coming to seek re election at ALL every
President, except Buchanan and johnson,
has deemed shameful to use federal patron
age to control state elections in his own
interest. But IL seems to be your wish 10
make your conduct in civil affairs as dis
creditsble as your career in the army was
glorious. The author of the resolution
nominating yourself for re election you sp.
pointed to a lucrative office, having re-
moved, to make room for this fawning
courtier, a gentleman of high character and
distinguished services to tte public. Other
worthy men we're deprived of Office BY you,
solely because they did not sustain the fac.
tlon which nominated you. A letter from
yoa, calling upon Office holders to support
your little party, was published
with tho significant words, ''Show
this to Ess ton, Smith and Newcomb." By
your consent, blackmail was levied upon
o3ice-holters throughout the state and they
were told that unless they paid the sums
demanded, TO sustain your hstterers here,
they should be removed from Office. Some,
refusing to submit to such pluuder, were
actually removed for that reason. II is no,
possible for any president to identify him
self more completely with faction THAI
win ths little band led By Drake. McClurg,
Fox and Sheppard. They forced upon US
the lesIious whether yonr adminissr on
snou.d De approved in all its acts, and you
sustained them in doing so. The result,
thea, is verdlc: Of the people upon the
issue forced upon US bv them aud by YOU
Ia 1864, Missouri gave forty thousand
majority for Abraham Lincoln. 1t has now
given about forty thousand majority against
you, and had not colored voters been added,
and mainly controlled by your followers, the
ma 0-ity would have been over fifty thousand.
What IA 1t that the people disapprovs
We can inform you, sir They deem i. an
outrage that you have tried to control q
state election by gross abuse of your power
OF removal and appointment They main
tain that it is wrong for a president to use
that power to force himself upon the people
for second term. They desire YOU, in
future, 10 paw better attention to your own
duties at Wsshington-the duties which
your masters, the people, assigned to YOU.
and not to spend your time in meddine
VI state elections. 1t seems to the people
that you deserve severe rebpke, alike for
ueg!ectIng your legitimate affairs, and for
abusing the power entrusted to you, and
being freemen, neither awed by your name
nor seduced by your Offices, they give you
rsbuke very plainly.
The first duty of q president is TO keep
the pledges made to the people when q
candidate. This you have not done. You
promised to give the country peace, and
pledged yourself to platform in which the
removal of political disabilities Was q most
prominent feature. Soon after you became
president you meditated compliance with
this pledge by proclaiming amnesty, and
again by recommending to congress removal
ofdisabilities, but in each case unacrupu-
lous psrtizans, who want still longer 60 be
able to elect mere tools of their own from
southern states, turned you from your pur-
pose. At this day you are their tool. ST.
mon Cameron, as unssvory man as ever
sat in the senate, controls you as If you were
mis- hired man. 1t is discredi.able that =
president should be so controlled by any
one: doubly discreditsble that he should be
controlled by such man; trebly discredit
able that ne should be led to depart from
the solemn pledges by which his election
was secured.
Other duties you have greatly neglected.
You should have aided the country to re
sumption of specie payments, and to a
thorough reduction and reform of taxation,
but while you have done something you have
failed to use your efforts for these reforms.
Ii was your duty to reform the civil service,
aud to make it no longer the tool of unscru-
pulous partizsns. Starting with that avowed
intent, and earning public approval by much
i'm provement in the character of officials,
you now have suffered Hoar, and at last
Cox, to be driven from the public service,
simply because of their honesty and indie
peadence. 1t ia most painful to see the
wide difference between your profession
and your performances. Instead
of having mo policy to
enforce against the will of the people," you
have tried to force the San Domingo treaty
upon the senate, and McClurg upon Nilsson
ri, IN both cases using patronage most
wrongfully. Instead of reforming the public
service, you have in one respect degraded
it. At this day, when any man r>>sppointed
to office, people ask at once, what personal
favor has he rendered or engaged u render
to General Grant Not ewes Buchanan
gave offices TO men who had made him
presents And even johnson had for excuse
public policy little broader and higher
than mere desire for re election.
Accept the verdict of the people, Mr.
President Learn from them wherein you
have failed. Drive from YOUR presenca the
shameless tiatterers and corrupt partisans
who surround you; call back to YOUR adj
such true patriots as Cox; remember the
pledges which you gave to the oeopIe. and
set yourself honestly to the task of redeem
ing them. Leave the people to saw whethe,
they wish you for second term, and bea,
in mind that the presidency. At leas. should
seek the man, and not the man the Office
Give US peace. amnesty, reform of civil
service, reform OF taxation.
1our gfeat hanie ~as oI priceless worth tC
the people Of this country until stained b,
your own neglect or misconduct. Do you,
best, sir, during the rest of your term t,
remove those stains by faithful, honest indie
pendent discharge of duty. so that when
men shall speak of you, they may have
something besides your military services t'
remember with pride and gratitude. B
that course, and by no other, can You max
it possible for the republican party to cleo
you second time
The damacracx nf Illina;a thaSo NH