The Portland daily press., 1871-10-17
4 pAILY PRESS
PORTLAND.
TUESDAY. OCTOBER II, 1871
.. f..nurs reception.
PORTLAND.

IL, 10 nIeasant thing Tor the people oil
p,rt,and to greet personally once more
,n,;ot MAGISTRATE toward whom their feelings
ot honor and gratitude are so warm auu ''ii
care ss they are toward President Grap''
&c an entirely natural and proper 'hi''s ioi
them to wish to pay their Respects " Mn
Rnt we are clad, upgracious as IL may APP
ann thof the nroqramme for his reception
= ,,,, oi,v saens to involve but little expense.
We have no Hesitation in saying thai the peo-
nla.ofNIaine are too poor to expend alarge sum
In receiving so great man as even the chief
executive officer of the Republic. The time
has passed, thank heaven, when the delusion
prevails that men can best serve God by starv-
ing the millions for the sake of honorine
princes. A more rational attitude toward
rulers and other great men is now preserved
1t is not thought best that all the John
smiths in the world should be naked, cold
and starved in order that all the Heliogaba-
= luses in the Roman Empire may have soup OF
: peacock's brains, and game and fruit out o.
season. 1t is not thought right that all 'ne
workingmen in the country should i've ID
mud novels and eat black bread in order that
Louis FourGeenths may build Versailles ana
move about WITH Oriental ostentatlon ana
maenifcence, or that Charles Seconds may
keep plenty of mistresses and have luxurious
surroundings. The most startling divergen-
ces from the modern, rational doctrine in re
gard TO the duty of the masses toward public
men occur in this very matter OF receptions
and 'ovations" of different kinds. Thele is
"a sufficient ground for Directing to expense on
such occasions in the TACT of their usual in
utility and absurdity The time has come
when all sensible men-and Gen. Grant is
foremost among them-bate all empty, puer-
lie displays, and avoid Thorn Whenever IL ie
possible. If we may Tell the truth without
giving offence, such occasions are commonly
= merely the devises of unpaid or underpaid
municipal Officers for iunketing at the public
expense and eating, drinking, traveing and
becoming CONSPICUOUS at the public charge.
But the most serious objection is the one TO
which we have already adverted, and to which
Gen. Grant SO tttingly alluded when he
sent that dispatch to his Boston friends pro
posing that the money appropriated for his
RECEPTION should be given 10 The sufferers b.
the Chicago fire. II is shameful to squande
i'll boylsh, modifying displays what would b.
sadly need, Tor the Ieliet Of poverty and sui
tenng even il there were no extraordinary de
mana for charity created by the confagration
in The West We believe that the Time ha
now come when most people concede, Wha
the PRESS was almost alone in declaring a
the time, that 1t was crime as well as blum
der and a farce to throw away ten thousand
dollars In receiving the remains of deaC
pIlitdathropist to our shores. 1t was as gros:
piece OF mappropr' ateness as Queen Veto
ria was guilty of in presenting him with al
expensive portrait, and the aristocracy o
Englanc in erecting statue TO his memory
instead OF emulatine his example.
1t is matter for rejoicing, therefore, tina
only small sum will be taken from the tax
payers on the present occasion, and that ther
ale evidences OF the prevalence OF sounde
notions than formerly. We believe we ar
right in supposing that all such appropria
tons Of pubic money ale OF doubtful legality
and it is well that they should be reduced t.
minimum. We believe in Gen. Grant
There is no political object to the attainment
which we look forward with more hopeful
ness and pleasure than to his denomination
aud triumphant reelection. But we believe
that Portland has chosen way of honorine
him that he himself would choose, and that i.
much more credItable to him and to us thar
stuffing him and his party.