The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-12-21
ritiable Spectacle.

''' PNSN'sc N'S
of the most pitiable as well as most OK
%traordinary spectacles that was ever
before held up to The gaze of II civilized
people. 1t exhibits an association Of
men toadying to a leader whom they
desplse, and supporting him squarcly
against their honest inclinations simply
because they dare not oppose him
through fear Of a split in the party
and Il consequent defeat. As a man
they have no respect whatever for him ;
as a politician they have no confidence
in him and as Il President they are
literally ashamed Of him, and they GER
talnly have good grounds for so being.
1t is q known fact that the hest men in
the party consider him utterly unwor
thy the position he occupies. and some
Of them do not hesitate to say as much
(amona themselves and to d%enounce
him as mercenary, stupid, malignant
and excessively dishonest.
When we take q careful look at the
case we find nothing to wonder al in
such a state of affairs. AS a man, Gen
Grant has never sustained any charac
ter other .han that OF a thick-skulled,
coarse, uncouth person, entirely with
out deservedly respectable position
in society, His position was of the
lowest grade until circumstances yer
which he himself had no control,
brought him up a la ''Shoddy'-nntil
he accidenlly 'struck oil'' in the war,
just as it wonld have been struck by
any other aavcnturer happening to bore
in the same place, AS politician he
is really nothing at all. Before the
war he claimed TO he n Democrat but
after the war.he wouldn't tell what he
was, and we believe he never did tell,
although the Republicans tried time
and again to wing an expression from
him, When they nominated him at a
venture he accepted because he wanted
to be President, and not because he
cared a fig for the principles OF the
party proposing to elect him, or for
any other set Of principles. AS a Pres
idcnt lie has heen only remarkable for
his consummate ignorance and unparal
eled inattention to duty.
And yet, in the face ofall this, patert
to the Republican party, and not denied
hy the honest portion of its members,
General Grant is to be its nominee for
the next Presidential term The thing
is understood as entirely settled, al.
though a majority Of the party, per,
haps. would just about as willingly
elect George Francis Train But they
must swallow him and why? Simply
because General Grant wants to be
President again, and has bull. dog
enough about him to try for it, wheth.
er nominated or not and because he
IS owner Of men enough TO materially
weaken the party in the event he is
not made the nominee, and carry
them with him as an independent can-
didatc.
During the first years Of Grants
Administration no n yer heard him
spoken of as the next nominee. 1t
seemed the arrangement, by a general
understanding, and by common con-
sent, that he would not be; and it was
not until within Il few months that the
thing took its present shape. In obe
dience to q species of low cunning
peculiar to a certain grade of minds,
the wires have been pulled so gently,
and the game of bargain. and-s sale has
been carried on so quietly, that the
most vigilant men of the party did no:
even dream Of what was adoat until it
was too late to interfere. The follow.
ing from the New York Tribune, of the
23d ult the leading Republican paper
OF the country, will convey some idea
of how they began to rub their eyes
open after the eleventh hour" had
passed:
Another leader Of the bar is known
to have expressed himself n short time
ago with great plainness against the re-
election OF Gen. Grant. Within a few
weeks, at a public meeting, hebrmally
put Grant again in nomination; and
by a curious coincidence i: happened
just then tina. this distinguished man
was supposed to be the Pr residents
choice tor q seat in the Cabinet. Now
vt do not accuse this gentleman of
selling bis political conscience for the
honor of office, but we must ascribe to
him a blunted moral perception.
For onc our Republican friends
have sadly oversight themselves The
cards have been nicely packed on them.
They took up a man without principle
wholly because they saw a chance to
run him through on the war excite.
ment, and, as it turns out, they have
caught a Tartar Unfortunate fel.
lows! they now sustain to their leader
pretty much tile relation that the
woOdsman bore to the bear which he
hal caught by the paws as it was as
cending a tree with its arms Rugged
around the trunk. He could not kill
the bear without the use of his hands,
and he dared not let go to use them,
lest the bear, set at liberty, should kill
him, SO all he could do was to grin and
hold on to the paws Mobile Trib-
nnn ." 7...