Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-04-28
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|
President of the United States:
In judging of the use General Gran
will make of the despOtic power con
| ferred on him by the Ku-KluX bill ant
the bayOnet election law, we must TAX
into account the personal character o
the man, and the eXigencies of hi
| political party. General Grant is 10
an unselfish, unambitious citizen, like
| Washington. Washington declined
to receive any pay for his services
| either as general of the armies of the
| Revolution, or as President of the
| United States, merely cOEsenting thai
| the government should reimburse his
| actual expenses. General Grant be.
! longs to the vulgar herd of men, and
! possesses none of that generous, fas
| tidious dignity. He has not only ia.
ken all he could get from the govern
| lnent, but has degraded himself by
accepting ali sorts of private gifts
which Washington would have scorn-
ed, and which are inconsistent with
the spirit of the Constitution. The
Constitution, in plain terms, forbids
the President 10 receive any other
emOlument than his salary. Not to
insult the memory of Washington
further by such comparison, General
Grant is inferior in character and ev-
cry moral quality to Garibaldi, who is
above his sordid love of pelf. General
Grant has no tinge of the heroic in
his whole composition. He bankers
for money because he has the tastes of
Jim Fisk, and tastes of that descrip-
ton are expensive. He loves office,
not as great statesmen love office, be-
cause it affords theater for the eXer-
else of their abilities, but because office
gives him a Fictitious importance to
which he has no title by his talents.
General Grant is made of very COM
mon clay. lie is a vulgar. self-seek-
ing man, without single liberal taste,
or generous aspiration. He has nel-
ther knowledge, nor eloquence, nor
manners, nor dignity of character,
nor public spirit. In society he is
cipher. being utterly destitute of con-
versational talents. In council he is
dummy possessing neither ideas nor
information. As a Senator, or as
foreign minister, he would be a laugh
ing-stock. What use will this narrow,
vulgar, selfish man make of absolute
power?
He will employ it for no other pur-
pose than to secure his reelection to
his present offices. jt would be hard
to blame him for desiring a reelection;
q second term is the ambition of all
Presidents. But why should so COM
mon a piece of clay have advantages
for keeping himself in office possessed
by none of his predecessors? If it is
merely to make up for his lack of tai
ents, he no doubt needs to be boosted;
but why should such selfish dullard
have All extra boost. He was nomina-
ted in 1868 only because it was feared
that the Democrats would take him up;
but that danger is past. The passage
of the ku-kluX bill is virtual con-
cessit n that the Republicans can have
no other candidate for President in
1872 than General Grant. He may
not be able to elect himself, but the Re-
pub lean party has given him every
advantage fer nominating himself. He
is too selfish to nSe the new machinery
for the benefit of a rival; and by pla-
cling it in General Grants hands they
have enabled him to force himself
upon the Republican convention
They mean it for the benefit of the
party but as it can be worked only by
the President, they must take General
Grant for their candidate, or sink all
the capital they have invested in these
unpopular measures. They know him
too well to expect he will use his des
potic power to elect a rival. When
their convention assemblies, they will
not dare TO supplaut him lest he
should leave these extraordinary pow
ers in allegiance, letting the party have
the odium of their authorship without
reaping the profit of their enforcement.
The Republican party has given itself
a master; it has precluded itself from
nominating any other candidate than
General Grant. 1t must bear the Odi-
um of these measures in any event,
and nobody but General Grant can
work the machinery in the interest of
the party. Neither Sumner. nor LO-
gan, nor Trumbull, nor any other rival
has any chance for the nomination
against the selfish man who can en-
force the bayonet and the Ku-KluX
law or not, just as he pleases.
1t is not probable that General Grant.
who has no small share of low cum
ming. will push things" till after he
has secured his nomination. He will
covertly foment Disturbances. keeping
the South irritated and the North un-
easy, for the next year. TO provoke a
great reaction now would be fatal 20
the Republican party, as it would also
be to allow the South to settle into
tranquility and the Northern Republi-
cans to loose their sense of grievance.
1t is for Grants interest to keep up a
series Of sporadic disturbances in va
.
without any outbreak; just enough to
furnish topics OF inveCtive to the Re
publican press. But as soon as he is
nominated, he viii hatch a great brood
of "outrages," and get up a preteXt
for proclaIming martial law and sus-
pending the hubeds corpus througout
The south. He can then call out tie
militia to any extent he chooses, and
existing laws enable him 10 retain
them in service until thirty days al
ter the comm enCc cment Of the next
session of Congress ;" that is, sixty
daVs after the Presidential election
Under laws passed during the late war,
the militia IN actual service can vote
in their camps; 30 the Republicans
viii loose nothing by the absence oi
their voters from home, while Demo
| Gratis serving IN the militia VIII nave
their votes counted and the returns
falsiiied by Grants agents. He can
order out the militia for service in the
South from any State he chooses, and
| bv selecting doubtful or Democratic
states he will get the chance of null
| fying "A great many Northern Demo
| cratic votes. In the South the free
dom of elections viii be completely
| overborne by military terror and coer
cion. There is nothing in this pro
gramme which General Grant cannot
| do under color of law after the passage
of the Ku-Klux bill. And he will no
scrupIe to do it if ke deems IT Decessa
ry 20 secure his election.
How the Democratic party vii
meet such all emergency, will appea
in due time. 1t Is our policy. for tn
present, to appeal to the reason of tn
country, and detach from the Gran
party those candid and considerat
Republicans who retain some respcc
for the Constitution. The certaint,
that Grant will be the Republican
candidate precludes them from an.
hope of getting rid of him through
1 r l.