The Portland daily press., 1871-05-09
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
TUESDAY, MAY o, 1s7l.-~>
,i.s Tribupe and the President.

Grants denomination is likely to be no more
effective than that to his first nomination in
1868. Then it was suspected that he had lit
tie capacity for leadership in civil affairs, and
it is certain that he had no experience. Be-
sides, the Democracy made plausible claim
that he was Conservative in his sympathies. |
But now there is no opportunity for oppos-
ing him ON either of these grounds. He has |
proved himself firm adherent of the party
OF progress, has managed our foreign affairs.
our relations with the Indians and our finan.
ces with UNREASONABLE ability and success
Though watched for more than two wears mn
der that fierce light that beats mon tho
throne" though ridiculed, assailed and s,on
dered as few public men ever were. It wonld
I've extremely difficult tor his enemies to.dou
10 point out single act or to cite s;ro,.
word of his that shows hiri to he e;,ban
negligent, a corrupt or an inefficient Chief
Magistrate. appointment of his relatives to
office is the most serious offense of which he
has been convicted This bene7olence to per.
sons with whom he is connected either nv
family or social ties is verv likely an "am;a-
BILE weakness" but it is one which has fur.
nished more rational ground for disinterestea
and sincere complaint against the President
than everything else he has done or omitted.
-Nepotlsm is not'a crime, but it is fault and
one which every friend of the administration
must wish to see denied further indulgence
With this exception, the Presidents course
has been singulorly deserving of praise. Not
stopping to handy words with his ever
active aud Inscriptions , assailants,
ne has contented himself with at
tention TO his duties, trusting that time would
reveal the truth and vindicate his inteerirv
ana PATRIOTISM The San Domingo case is a
remarkable Illustration of this really great and
noble trait in the Presidents character, and
though majority of the people are evident
ly opposed TO the annexation scheme, such is
the respect now felt for the motives and con-
duct of the Executive touching the matter.
that Gen. Grants stronger in the affections Of
The people than before it was preached at all.
IL win be observed that the Tribune makes
no SPECIFIC charge against him, but bases IFS
eo)ections on the fact that he control. the i'm
mense federal patronage. Thisis no objection.
unless it can be shown that he uses il corruptlv.
and that another man would use it with
strlcter reference to the public good. The
Tribune, though commonly on the side of
political integrity, is for some reason an ar
dent champion of Senator Fenton who was
sent to the Senate BY the Erie ring after
career of questionable honor in State poll.
tics. His quarrel with the administration
naturally enists the Tribune in his defense
but the whole course of that paper warrants
us In accepting without moments besita-
ton its assurances that it will support Gen.
Grant after he is nominated. The paragraph
from an editorial in that paper, sent over the
wires by the Associated Press and published
by us on Monday morning, was only intro
auctory to review of the Presidents course
that is highly favorable to him and contains
deserved ceDsure for the so-called independ
ent Republican press. We make the follow
ing extracts:
And now that our freedom from undue
bias or thrifty fawning is established, we are
impelled to say that the treatment of The
PRESIDENT and his administration by the self
Tor months been ungenerous and unjust. We
have had greater Presidents than Gen. Grant.
but scarcely one who less deserved the run
nlng IRE OF 1nyidlous carping and fault find
ing TO which he has been subjected by those
independent" oracles. We will instance the
Santo Domingo and the Ku-Klux topics to
1llustla ate our meaning.
sSanto Domingo, through its only rulers.
sought our government, and proffered annex-
President
ment till, after an interval of months. the
profer was renewed, and action upon 1t ur-
gently solicited. Then the President looked
carefully into the matter, and decided that
our countrys Weil-beiDg would be promoted
by our acceptance OF Baezs proposition.
Perhaps this was an error OF Judgment, though
we cannot so regard it. Had he decided differ
entity, we believe the President would have
been far more yehemently assaileo than he
mas Deen. Just consider what a Democratic
HOWL would have gone up il. after we had
offered SO many millions for Cuba, General
Grant bad refused to accept Santo Domiu-
go virtually for nothing. And, if it
was right to entertain Baez's proposition.
then all THAT the President has since done,
IN warning Hayti not to make that prof.
Ter fulcrum for subvertiDg by force the indie
pendepce of Sante Domingo, scenes to us not
merely lusuhabie but inevitable. What cry
would have been raised if Gen. Grant had
stood tamely by while Saget overran Santo
Domingo, crying Down with the traitor who
has sold bis country 10 the Yankeesp 1t is
not falr to hold the President responsible for
Inc superserVicable zeal and exceptionable
demonstrations OF some of our naval and other
functionaries in the West Indies. But, should
Annexation fail now, and the Democrats
come INTO power, we predict that then will lake
Santo Domingo at their very first opportunity.
u defiance OF all they now say against Gen.
Grants doing SO. :. -
S..
Such are the convictions which imnel ne
tosay, as we feel, that the "independent. press
treats the Administration harshy, cautiously,
unJustly we would fain Undue e its conduc.
tors to reconsider and modify their course.
They may fancy that they are only dispar.
aging and weakening Gen. Grant; but thew
Republican party.