The Lincoln County herald., 1871-06-29

comes moro dissatisfied with the idea Of
reuominating Grant for the presidency in
1872, and other favoritss are being
brought forward aud their claims advo-
Gated. Among these 10 the usmc Of
Horace Greeley, who 10 hoisted at the
head Of the New York suns columns.
10 an article under the above heading,
the Sun contrasts III says there 10 no
compsrison) Mr.. Greeley with tho "polit-
ical nonentity" that now holds the reigus
Of government, by tho grace Of bayoosts
and the Radical party. We are not -
admirer of Horace Greeley; 10 fact, we
think his political record de,sstable, for
no man did more by his ut,erances and
writings to 6ro and enrsge the two sec.
tious of our country and 70 iusugurate
tho war that converted our Republic into
O Despotism than he; but We quite ag' co
with the Sun, that there 10 all the differ
ence between him aud Grant that may be
implied by its metaphorical heading
"The Eaglo and the Jackdsw." In
order to give faint idea Of the estimation
in which our political uousutity" Presi.
dent is held by some Of the Republicans,
wo will quote . portion Of the Suns
article:
On the score Of talents and. achieve.
ments ia the department Of politics aud
attempt any comparison bstweeh urSeIsy
and Grant. Contrast only, and not com.
parison in any of its degrees, can mark
the difference. Mr.. Greeley, with ca
pacious mind, Q tireless industry, aud
with tastes and aptitudes carrying him
steadily in that direction, has msde civil
affairs the subject of study and discussion
through long life. Gen. Grant, with q
narrow mind, lazy, and with inclinations
that always impelled him to turn with
disgust from politics, never took interest
enough in tho great questions which
have stirred this country siuce ho came
to his majority, to form an opinion in re.
gard to any Of them until he himself,
under circumstances which never occurred
before and will never occur again, began
to be talked Of as candidate for the Pres.
idency. And even then it was impossi.
BILE to ascertain what he did believe on
political subjects, or whether his provok.
ing silence was due to constitutional retl.
cence or lamentablo ignorance and as it
was then, SO itremains now.
Nobody knows what Grant really
thinks on any public question, or whether
he seriously thinks at all. On such
topics his mind seems to be o broad
blank, schereupon an ambitious Congress.
man, or a pretentious lobbyist, or an in
triguing placenaan, or a brazen benefactor,
can ,orite pretty much Uhat he pleases.
1t is an abuse of terms to talk Of compar.
ing such political nonentity with man
versed in the history of the great parties
and the eminent statesmen who have
shaped the destinies Of this nation and of
the leading States Of the world since the
Declaration Of Independence-a man
overAowing with ideas on the agitating
problems Of the times, and who, by study
and discussion, has impressed his opinions
upon the political policies of his day,
strikingly illustrating in his career the
important truth that to WELD power one
need not hold Office.
The Sun then goes on to speak Of
Grants political past, interlarding the
article with praises Of Mr.. Greeley. 1t
says that "while the spirit of the country
was writhing under the aggrcssions Of
the slave power, Grant had not an opin.
ion of any sort on any political subject,
though for ten or twelve of those years
he was in the pay OF the nation" And
then asks:
Where and what was Grant during the
seven years which preceded the war when
the Republican party, amid storms and
peril, was planting the seed whose poit-
ical fruits we'll garnered up by that party,
he is now SO complacently enjoy ing ?
He was oil the time in civil life, and if be
had an opinion on public affairs was at
liberty to express it. He was sluggish
and stupid and silent, and he said moth.
ing because he cared for none Of these
things. What did he do? Ho lived
somewhere, and he had vote, and was at
liberty to bestow it as be pleased. What
did he do? The answer is summed up
in this: in 1850, at St. Louis, he stalked
up to the polls and voted for james
Buchanan and against John Charles
Fremont.
Aud this is the alpha and omega Of
Grants civil services aud his political
record from the beginning Of his exist.
ence down to the hour when Andy John.
son made him Secretary Of War ad interim
and when he bad turned his own eye
toward the Presidency, his vision being
s.ill obscured by doubts whether be
should be the Democratic or the Repub
lican nominee for that office.
During the prevalence Of fierce storm
near Westerville, Decatur county, Iowa,
on the 18Th inst, the house of Robert