The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-04-05
No Policy to Enforce Against the Will Of
the People.

the People.
The dispatch printed Monday morning,
stating that the President would not press
the annexation scheme in his forthcoming
message transmitting the report of the San
Domingo Commissioners, surprised no one
who has studied intelligently the story Of Gen.
Grants life. He has the reputation of ex-
IRENE obstinacy, but the history Of his career
shows that his obstinacy is merely persistent
cy growing out Of settled convictions and a
clear notion of what he is doing, and is the
farthest removed from that mere brutal pig
Medicines that cost Bourbons and Stuarts
their thrones and lives, and came near unseat.
ing Andrew johnson. Indeed Gen. Grant is
precisely the man to redeem, as he now has,
the pledge he made in bis inaugural that he
would have "no policy of his own to enforce
against the will of the people," He persisted
before Vicksburg, and sought it out on that
line" all summer and all winter before Peters.
burg, because he saw that in the ordinary
course of events the results must Justify him,
as they certainly did. He persevered in his
righteous opposition to Andrew johnson in
those critical days just before the impeach-
ment of that recreant official. He has exhib-
tied bis proverbial 'obstinacy' to most note.
worthy extent in carrying out his Indian
peace policy against. obstacles which would
long since have daunted less resolute charac-
ter. He has evinced great irmness in max
ing use of all legal means to secure the fruits
of the war and give the new constitutional
guarantees of equal rights practical as well
as theoretical value. These measures have
been the policy OF the people, and be has
pushed them with all the vigor which charac-
terized his military campaigns.
But in this matter of San Domingo he has
shown that he knows the proper time to yield.
. To any uuprejudiced observer it is plain that
the President was right in demanding an in
vestisation after the aspersions cast OIL This
character and official conduct by the oppo-
nents OF annexstion. He must either persist
in such an investigation or plead guilty to the
charges against him. 1t cannot on calm re-
Election be denied by anyone, whether favora-
BILE to the Presidents scheme or not, that the
opposition has been conducted with couspic-
uous unfairness, that the grossest falsehoods
have been circulated to influence the public
mind and create an artificial enthusiasm
among those hostile to- the proposed acquisa
ton, that selfish ambition has entered largely
Into the motives of the leading assailants of
the President, and many of those assailants
have ignored the whole record of their past
lives and the traditional policy of their party,
by their opposition to territorial acquisition,
especially in the West Indies, and that there
has been the most interruptions misrepresen-
tation and most monstrous exaggeration of
the acts of the Chief Magistrate and his
agents. Without expressing any opinion as
to the merits of the main question we have all
along have been strongly impressed with the
idea that the party to the transaction who
has been unfairly treated and who has had
reason to complain is Gen. Grant. Instead
of conciliating support and laying founda-
ton for favorable reception of bis treaty by
the liberal expenditure of money, as was done
in the case of Alaska, where Senator Sum-
ner, though he probably knew nothing of the
use Of money as means of ensuring success,
was so prominently engaged, he went to work
In his characteristic way, and with his soldier
ly frankness asked support directly of Mr..
Sumner and others whose favorable consider
alton of the scheme he desired to obtain. He
asked cooperation where Mr.. Seward, under
similar circumstances, after the lavish expen-
diture of money and securing in some way the
support of the press of the country, managed
Mr.. Sumner SO artfully that the Massachus-
stts statesman supposed that he originated
the plan and carried it through by his unriv-
aled oratory. The result of the Presidents
straightforward action was that Mr.. Sumner
loftily disdained TO give his influence where
he had not led the way; the newspaper press
conceived strong prejudice against the plan,
and in the end it has become apparent that
vast majority of the American people are op-
posed to going step further in the direction
where the President has desired to lead them. |
Realizing the situation Gen. Grant has with
ont sacrificing his convictions gracefully
yielded Ittakes great as well as good
man to do this, even under the adverse cir
cumstances that surround the President.