The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-20

THE DAILY EV
vision like Henry Clay, who could strike out
O new series of measures suited TO the ext
gency; or q chieftain like Andrew Jackson,
who by bis personal qualities could win to
his side q liberal share of the intellect of the
country, and inspire the masses with enthu-
siasm for his leadership.
But Grant was not merely incompetent to
perform such work as this he had not the
slightest disposition for attempting it. His
tastes lay quite in other directions. In this
crisis of the Republican party, instead of
marking out for it new policy, and aiming
to harmonize and consolidate its ranks, he
has seemed intent upon indulging petty
spites against its independent members,
supplying fat offices to the endless retinue
of his poor relations, sliding through
Congress some slippery job for the gratifica
tion of panders to his vanity, accepting
valuable presents with one hand while be-
slowing lucrative places upon the donors
with the other; but never for one moment
rising to the level of his high position, nor
feeling the pressure of its weighty response
bilities.
If looks as if Grant himself had begun to
see that he must do something to retrieve
bis waning hold upon the Republican party,
and hence his dash at San Domingo, and his
kindle the smouldering embers of sectional
animosity in the Southern States. But all
such despairing efforts to restore his lost
prestige distract rather than harmonize the
Republican party, and cover with darker
cloud its prospects of success in 1872. That
Grant as statesman is lamentable failure
nobody doubts. Whether he will succeed in
altogether running the party that elevated him
to power remains to be determined.
THE REV. DIR. vINTON ON ST. DO
MINGO.
From the NJ p. Herald.
The letter on st. Domingo of the Rev. DIR.
Vinton, of the Trinity Protestant Episcopal
Church of this city, furnishes some very
strong testimony in behalf of the annexation
of that beautiful and fertile tropical island.
In reference to the advantages which we
shall secure and give to the island with
this desirable acquisition, the learned doc
tor brings forward an intelligent volunteer
witness whose experience of forty-one years
in the West Indies qualities him to
speak as by authority on the subject.
This witness is the British Governor Walker,
of the Bahama Islands, the capital of which
is the fourishing little commercial city of
Nassau, n. p. Governor Walker earnestly
hopes that the United States will secure the
island of st. Domingo: first, because the in
PRODUCTION of our civilization and culture will
redeem the society of the West Indies; and,
secondly, because the soil and productions of
the island, SURPRISING those of any other, not
excepting Cuba, would enrich our country
beyond any cost that its acquisition would
| demand. But the evidence upon this point,
| from Christopher Columbus down to General
Grant, is overwhelming, and SO we need not
enlarge upon it.
Next DR.. Vinton, from the hint of an old
sea captain, calls the attention of General
Grant to q chart of the West Indies, if he
would be convinced of the naval and COM
mercial importance of this splendid island,
| in view of q ship canal across the isthmus of
| Darien or Panama The enthusiasm of our
| distinguished divine for this annexation car
ries him SO far that he wishes his old friend
and schoolmate, Senator Sumner, would
give up his opposition to the scheme
and see the matter in different
light. We fear, however, that Sumner is past
praying for, and we are quite sure that the
good work can and will be done without him.
But our learned doctor, in the very outset
| of his interesting letter, suggests the acquisi-
tion of st. Domingo as q S0nttdrSun,-a win
ter residence for our invalids; and he says
that the universal wish of those at Nassau is
''for resort on American soil in the West
Indies for the benefit of invalids"-a wish
expressed in longing for the annexation of
st. Domingo. To many of our readers who
have learned to associate st. Domingo only
with the yellow fever, this wish of American
invalids at Nassau may seem somewhat out
of the way; but st. Domingo, especially among
its beautiful and fertile mountains, which
cover a large portion of the island, enjoys
charming and salubrious climate. We have
no doubt that within year or two from its
acquisition its winter resorts for our Northern
invalids will be occupied by thousands, and
that new lease of life will thus be gained
to the most of them.
We have east of the Pacific slope no desira-
BILE winter resort on United States soil for the
invalid who wishes to escape our dreadful
winter winds. They sweep down through
Texas and to the Gulf coast in its whole ex-
tent, even at times to the southern extremity
of the peninsula of Florida. For instance, we
have noticed in our telegraph reports a diffe-
renee of fifteen degrees in the winter between
the temperature of Key West (Which is in the
midst of the string of small islands which ex-
tend out into the Gulf Stream from the
southern cape of Florida) and the tempera-
ture of Havana hundred miles only across
the water. This difference comes from our
cold northern winds, the chill of which is
felt even at Key West, but is never felt at
Havana, because of the intervening warm
atmosphere of hundred miles in width, rising
from the Gulf Stream. st. Domingo, lying
several hundred miles still farther south, is,
of course, entirely exempt from chilling
winds, and January among her mountains is
softer and more delicious than June in Vir-
ginia, and her July temperature never rises to
the maximum of Long Branch. We therefore
cordially approve DR.. Vintons idea of st.
Domingo as a sanitd1iun for our invalids who
wish to escape to some island of refuge under
'the old flag" thank God, free from the chill
| in m Of ~ Al