The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1871-10-21
IA Great Error Somewhere.

so many lifelong Republicans at pres
ent occupy an unfriendly or inditfer-
ent attitude towards the President
whom they helped to elect. The men
who have been known for years as the
great leaders of the Republican party,
and whose fidelity to its principles
was the ruin of their political fortunes,
rendering them unavailable J" i'll COM
parison with others tlat were less pro-
nounced in their views, are at present
strangers to the eounsels OF the adj
minisuation which is supposed to rep
resent their ideas.
Senators Sumner and Wilson, in
Massachusetts, Senator Fenton, and
Messrs, Greeley, Beecher and Tilton,
of New York, Senator Schurz, of Mis-
sour, Cassius NJ. Clay, Gov. Brown,
of Missouri, Gov. Geary, of Pennsyl-
vania, Chief Justice Chase, Governor
Moves, of Ohio, the Tribune and Re
publican, of Chicago, the Gazette and
Commercial, of Cincinnati, together
with other men and papers of lesser
note but equal consistency, are all OPP
posed to the manner in which General
Grant has fulfilled the duties of Presi-
dent. These men were Republicans
years before Grant was heard of. They
moulded and led the party from its
infancy, aud to them belongs the credit
of its great success. They are Repub-
licans to-day, but they are not the
friends of a Republican President.
They are, in fact, almost strangers to
the presumptive head of their own
party.
There must be a reason for this.
Somebody has committed an error OF
Judgment, and it is the duty of the
Republican, party 20 investigate the
matter, and discover who is the au-
thor of the mistake. President Grant
has no right to drive out men who
have made the country what it is, free
to every race and color, without a
reason nor have the great men who
saved the republic any right to with
draw from the active support of the
President, without a cause. And yet,
either the President or his ancient
friends have done this very thing, for
it is certain that most of the leading
Republicans are outside of that politi-
cal confidence which prevails in the
Presidential mansion.
The blame for this condition of af-
fairs must rest ON the President, be-
cause the other parties are too widely
separated and too distant i'll their
ideas, and too pure in their patriotism,
to allow of the suggestion that they
are inimical TO the President by con-
cert OF action. Mr.. Greeley opposes
Grant for one reason, Senators Wilson
and Sumner oppose him for another,
Senator Fessenden for another, Mr..
Clay for another, and the great jour
mails that we mentioned, for all these
reasons combined. Many Republicans
dislike the President for having &C
| cepted so many presents and then
for having rewarded the giver with
Office under the government; others
dislike him for having appointed all
his relations to lucrative positions,
others see in him a man dangerous to
the freedom of the country, since he
has not rebuked those who overawed
a convention of the people with the
army of the United States; others find
their complaint III his attempt to buy
| the island of San Domingo, and with
| it war with Hayti; others say that
| he has neglected to do that for Cuba
which almost any other American
President would have done long ago ;
that he has allowed his patronage to
be dispensed by Democrats, such as
Murphy of New York is strongly sus-
pected to be, and as Herwig and Ca
sey are almost known to be that he
has not restrained his appointees from
interfering in the local affairs of the
Republican party for their own BEN
eft, almost to the destruction of the
party, as in New York, Louisiana AMI
Missouri that he has favored new
order of men about Washington anil
elsewhere, to the neglect of the old
and tried Republicans, as we all know
he has done in Louisiana.
The men who bring all these argu-
ments forward are working each indie
pendent of the other. This demon
strates the absence of any conspiracy,
and proves that the blame must rest
with the President. If he had not
have offended all of his old friends
they would not have left him, each
going his separate way. If they had
agreed to take otfense they would have
chosen a cause of quarrel to be used
by all the conspirators. As they have
no mutual grievance, it is plain that
they were wounded separately, and
that all Of them withdrew silently and
uncomplainingly, not one telling the
other of the ingfatitude that had
stricken him.
1t is certain, therefore, that the
President is responsible for the illwill
that exists toward himself among his
old friends, and which is impeliling
the success of the administration, and
that he owes it to himself and to the
party to investigate the matter and
adopt some sort of measure to restore
that harmony which is now SO much
wanted. Republican victories are be-
ing gathered, but his appointees are
not winning them. In Louisiana, il