New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-12-21
Political Ciyilsya.

OF the Government, aud it is his duty fearlessly
to condemn whatever errors and delinquencies
they may discover. This right and this duty
belongs to members Of Congress as we'll Us 10
UNOFFICIAL members of the party. A fair and
candid criticism of the acts OF the Admins.
tration, however iucisive it may be, is what the
people expect from their Representatives In
the discharge of the obligations imposed upon
them, carefully to guard against fraud and cor
rupnon, and to resist any encroachment upon
the peoples rights, the utmost freedom will be
tolerated and the largest liberty conceded. SO
long as they show BIZ the candor and justice OF
their conduct that they are Influenced by ne
selfish motives, no feelings OF personal ami
mostly, no private jealousies or disappoint-
msnt, but solely by high, disinterestsd, aud
patriotic motives, there will be no disposition
to Criticize very closely any severity OF Ian
guage they may uso in exposing the short
somings they may have discovered. :.
III We apply this test to the men in the Sen
ate, who have inaugurated civil war -
very small one, it is true-within the Re-
publican party, or to the volunteer guerrillas out
how many of them could truthfulIy declare that
personal hatred TO the President, engendered
ey his want of appreciation of their assumed
merits, by disregard of their offers to dictate
his policy, by neglectins to appoint as many
OF their friends to Office IA they desired, by
house or post Office at their disposal, or by some
imagined indignity is not at the bottom OF
their course! We will not assert that all
OF the Senators, editors, aud respondents
who are prosecuting so relentless and malig-
napt assaults upon the President are in
give great cause for such suspicion by the
character OF their charges, and their whole
mode of warfare against him.
The defalcation Of few public officers, most
Of whom were 10 Office before his election
to the Presidency, is mads the pretext
for the gravest and grossest charges, and the
most insulting imputations upon his official
integrity, and the most exaggerated and IN
founded statements in regard to the civil Ser
vice Of the Government. In the unworthy
hope of being able to rake up something that
will justify the war they begun without cause,
they have urged upon the Senate the appoint
ment of a rowing committee to be clothed with
extraordinary powers, and to sit during the
recess, charged with the duty Of investigating
all the Departments Of Government, and with
tho privilege of making such statements from
time to time as in their wisdom they may think
advisable. During the discussion of this prop
Osition, one of the Senator'S, who is resolved
on the ruin Of General GRANT, even at the
sacrifice OF the Republican party, if need be,
and probably without need, had the honesty
70 state that his opposition to the President
had no more patriotic cause than his failure
to control the patronage Of his State. His can
dor entities him to some respect.
There is one suggestion we desire to make to
those Senator'S, and indeed to all Others en-
gagged either openly or insidiousiy in new
party movement as the means Of defeating Gen
eral GRANTS reelection which is that tie peo-
pie care nothing about the private grievances OF
members Of Congress or anybody else, and that
DO man in all ocr history has ever pr we'd strong
enough to weaken the party he deserted from
selfish or personal motives, or to survive his
detection. One Republican Senator after an
other within the last ten years has proved
false to the P-incirles upon which he was
elected, and in every instance he sealed his
own doom. CowAN, Dixon, MORTON, Doc
LITTLE, and Foster, were all repudiated by
their constituents as soon as they could get at
them. A man may desert wrong and 90
over to the right side, and survive the change.
But desertion from the right to the wrong side
is certain political damnation.
Even more striking instances Of the truth
we wish to enforce upon soreheads are the ex-
amples Of JOHN TYLER, MILLARo FILLMORE,
and ANDREW JOHNSON. With all the patron
age Of the Government to back them, they
failed to carry over from the party they be-
and ignominiously failed in their efforts to
build up new party, or seriously injure the
cause they betrayed. Their names are all held
in contempt by the American people Let
those who, from ambition or revengefu mo-
tives, are now aiding to defeat the party, what.
ever their pretences may be, which trusted
them with office, and whose continuance in
power they dare not deny is necessary to the
welfare Of the country, take warning from the
fate Of every man who has prjved false to his
party obligations through motives OF ambition
or personal luminosity.
The commotion that has oeen raised in
the Senate the present session, and that
prevailed for a brief period during the last
finds no sympathy with the people. There
was time during the late session when, had
we judged by the sound and fury of General
GRANTS opponents, We should have been forced
to the conviction that the whole people were in
arms against him, and that his prospects of a
denomination had been dssipated into thin air.
But as soon as Congress adjourned the excite
ment died out, and the voice Of the people, in
earnest approval Of President GRANTS policy
and his evident good faith to the country
and the party who elected him, took the place
of the bitter ratings with which the public
had been surfeited. This approval Was practi.
cally illustrated in every election during the
recess. Every Republican State that had voted
so emphatically Endorsed the President that
it was hoped the personal warfare upon him