The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-06

not abandon all hopes of his reaching the
Presidency.
We might swell this list by the addition of
many names: for the late Theodore Parker
once said that the number of persons in the
United States who regarded themselves as
present, prospective, or possible candidates
for the Presidency was always one hundred
at the very lowest estimate. At all events
il is q consolation to know that the country
has not vet run out of able men; the Reppb-
lican party may we'll claim that it possesses
a fair share of such, and therefore need not
be driven to the necessity of renominating
General Grant.
THE SAN DOMINGO COMMISSION.
From the N. Y. World.
Mr. Greeley's visit to Washington by invi-
tation of General Grant, and his conferences
with the President, have filed the air with
surmises that Grant is courting his support
by Offering him place on the commission
His support the President would have in any
event, as Mr.. Greeley is known to favor an
nexation; but General Grant wants his zeal
He desires the thick-and-thin advocacy of the
Tribune for his darling project. He hopes,
by playing upon Mr. Greeley's vanity and
feeding his self-importance, to detach the
Tribune from Sumner, and to throw its
active influence into the other scale. This
may be cunning maneuvre; but commits
sion selected on such principles will not
secure the confidence of the country in the
fairness of its investigations.
MIR. Greeley is, by nature, habit, and the
training of his whole life, a partisan and not
judge. Itwould not be easy to find another
man of so much ability who is so deficient in
the GOODNESS, fairness, and impartiality re-
quisite for forming just opinions on a new
and exciting question. There is not more
vehement or a more wayward partisan in the
country. He never sees but one side of a
debated question, and is utterly blind to
the force of evidence which conflicts with his
preconceived opinions. If he accepts place
on the commission he will go to San Do
mingo with his mind already made up, and
he will be obstinately blind to facts which
ought to shake his forgone conclusions. OF
course, any investigation conducted by men
of his stamp will be utterly worthless. If he
goes, he will not go in search of informa-
ton, but of materials to make out case.
If General Grant makes up a commission of
such men, it will be like trying cause before
packed or bribed jury.
AS the proposed inquiry is solely for the
information of Congress, that body, if it
thinks the investigation necessary, ought to
appoint committee of its own members, as
it does in other matters wherein it seeks in
formation. The custom is, in making up
committees of investigation, to compose them
by an intermixture of members favorable and
members opposed to the project in contem-
plation, in order that there may be proper
sitting of the evidence. 1t is absurd to allow
the President to pack commission the
object of whose labors is to acquire informa
tion to guide the action of Congress. Either
house may properly ask the President for the
facts and documents on which he has formed
his own opinion and made his recommenda-
ton; and If Congress feels the need of more
information than these supply, it can appoint
committee of its own of whose capacity it
can judge by its acquaintance with the men.
The President will of course pack commits
sion known to favor his own views and there
fore certain to furnish a one-sided account.
We fear there is little room to doubt that
the Senate resolution, to be called up next
Monday by General Banks, will pass the
House. If the President had confidence in
the result of fair investigation, he would
appoint an unbiased commission. But if he
selects three men like Mr.. Greeley, ignorant
of the Spanish language and committed to
his project, and gives them the versatile
Caleb Gushing for a secretary, Mr.. Cushing
will be the commission, and its members his
subServient dummies AS they can hold no
intercourse with inhabitants except through
him, he will select whom he pleases for ex-
animation, and take good care to select no.
body but accomplices of Baez. He will of
necessity ask all the questions, and translate
all the answers; and he is adroit and skilful
enough to bring forward such men and give
such a turn to their evidence as to make any
impression he pleases on a set of commits
sioners who can hear only with his ears and
| speak only with his tongue.
There is no need of sending commission
| to San Domingo to learn its topography,
climate, and statistics, since these are re-
corded in easily accessible publications, with
greater fulness and accuracy than a commits
sion could attain during brief visit to the
island. Their chief labor will consist in the
examination of individual residents, and the
whole investigation will be misleading sham
unless they are selected from opponents
as well as friends of annexation, comprising
persons of intelligence and wide connections
among their fellow inhabitants. Mr.. Gushing
would be an invaluable member of such
a commission but he ought to be matched
by another equally skilful and knowing,
and equally acquainted with the language
with exactly opposite prepossessions. A com
mission would not be badly composed If il
consisted OF two such men, with the third oi
judicial turn and sufficient weight of char
acter to steady the others. The commits
sion would then resemble two opposing
lawyers and judge. The advocates would
take care that the right witnesses were called
to bring out all the information on eithe
side, and their conflicting zeal would be tenn
pered by the third member of the commission
OF course Mr. Greeley could play neither O
these parts. He has not the linguistic anC
other special knowledge requisite for the one