American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-06-08

he appointed \. T. Stewart, the great mer
chant of New York? and then found that he
was ineligible by law passed in the last
century, and you will recollect that he asked
that it should be repealed, so as to make
Stewart eligible to the position. lie called
John Rawlins as Secretary of War, and nc
objection could be urged to that appoint
ment. But do you remember who his Secre
tary of the Navy wasf Do you remember
| how, as the telegraph gave us the name,
some had it Boree, or Bovee, or Bowler, and
great variety of other names, and finally il
turned out to be Borie. But who ever heard
of Borie before? / will not trouble you with
| Il recapitulation of these names, because
they are only remembered on account of the
extraordinary fact that anybody ever thought
| of bringing them into Cabinet
| SAN DOMINGO-SUMNER-CAS
| Do not you remember that it has been a
ground of complaint, among Republicans,
| that General Grant called around him such
| inferior men for his counselors, without 60
| ing at length over the history of his Admin
istration2 Is there any Republican here who
| attempts to defend that most extraordinary
act of attempting to acquire the Island of
San Domingo? Even General Grant himself
| was compelled, bold as he is, to back down
| from it in view of the storm of public senti-
| ment. And, gentlemen, you remember how
he visited his Indignation upon one of the
| foremost statesmen of this age? You recol-
| lect the man who was smitten down years
| ago, in his place in the Senate, because he
dared to speak, for human freedom? The
man whose eloquent voice has been always
| loudest and firmest for liberty on this CONT
nent? General Grant demanded, and OBJ
| tanned the sacrifice of Charles Sumner, be-
cause he was not willing to agree to the
| quisisition of San Domingo Sumner
| stricken down from position which he has
| filled, and for which he is better fitted than
| any other public man in this country, and
| Simon Cameron, made Chairman of the Com
mittee on Foreign Relations. What was the
| crime2 Charles Sumner was not on good
terms with Hamilton Fish. Charles Sumner
moi fo y-nr nj fhn nf No
Domingo.
Let me ask you, is there public man in
the country who has dared to resist General
Grants will, who has not been visited by his
wrath and smitten down, if he could be over
thrown This arbitrary temper is inconsis-
tent with my idea of a Republican Govern
ment. 1t is not the province of a President
to make war upon citizen, be-
to his own convictions, rather than to be the
serf of the President. Now l will not speak
of the Leet and Stocking affairs, which has
so often made us blush. l will not speak OF
the disgraceful appointment of Casey at New
Orleans, the filing the Custom House with
armed men and the overawing of a cOnven-
ton; but will simply allude to these things.
l will do no more than allude to the fact that
he allowed revenue vessel in the service of
the Government to be used by factionists in
Louisiana to enable minority of the Senate
to escape from the ajority, who had the
right to compel them, under the Constitu-
the transaction of public business. Nor
will more than alude to the fact that Gen
eral Grant, about this time last year,
left Washington and spent nearly the
ample of neglect of public duty which
has no parallel in the history of American
Presidents. These are things to be mention
ed, but not urged General Grant seems to
regard the office of President in the light of
a reward; conscientious statesman regards
the office of President in the light of duty
imposed upon him. The duties of the office
of President are of the most solemn, imper
ious and pressing character. They involve
the well being of forty millions of intelligent
and free people, and statesman who falls
short of cOnceiving the high position, or the
duties which he assumes, ought not to be
reelected to the Presidency. Now, you may
say this is censorious and eXacting. But is
not the government of a free people mat
ter Of sufficient Importance to require the
faithful and earnest labor of even great
nected with the National Government, and
ask yourselves if it is possible that any man,
however Industrious. however earnest, and
fit from one end Of the Ointment ne ri to the ne
other, abandoning his place to go to the sea-
shore, and spend months there, forgetting,
at least apparently, and not attending to the
duties of his place? These are unpleasant |
criticisms, but we compelled to talk |
about them if we are to form true concep-
ton of the man that we need, and of the |
man we have
OUR IDLE PRESIDENT.
Now, my Republican friends do not you |
believe that General Grants Administration
needs reformation2 Are you not satisfied |
that there are abuses and tendencies there |
that need correction ? You will find also |
that the habits which characterize General !
Grant will extend to his successors. Do you
remember that Abraham Lincoln left home
in February, 1861, and never again returned |
he
ried through your cities draped with all the
habiliments of mourning and woe? He was
absent from his own home for over four
years, and never found time to go back to
Springfield Do you not remember that dur
ing the early history of Presidents they felt
bound to remain at the seat of
during their Administrations
We have had travels and Journeys. We have
had the seaside residence and the visits to
New York, and to Boston, and the West, /
and all over the country, as though there
were no duties for the President at Washing
ton. Industry is one of the cardinal virtues.
A gospel that does not teach work is no
gospel. Idleness is the parent of thousand
vices, and when you say that your
public officers may neglect their duties
and lead lives of idleness you strike at the
very foundation of official morality. Mark
that, an idle man ought never to be selected
for any office, however humble, and particu
arly not for an office of the Importance of
this one. But you will see as we go on that
.he idea that the President simply rules,
and that other people do the work, will gain
strength, and this plain, common vulgar vir-
.ue of industry will be regarded unsuita-
bic to the dignity of that high office.
THE ROYAL FAMILY OF AMERICA.
Another thing you will find to grow out Of
his. Do not you recollect that last year we
rad visit In this country from scion of
he Imperial House of Russia, the Grand
Duke Alexis ?? Do you remember that the
government fitted out a grand hunting eX-
)edition on the plains General Sheridan
vent out to hunt baffaIo with the Grand
Duke. General Custer, Colonies and staff
'tficers, with all the pomp and circumstance
# war, went out to hunt buffalo on the
,lains, with the of the Emperor of Rus
ia, and quite recently the son of our PreSi-
lent is making the foreign tour, and saw in
loyal newspaper the other day that he was
the visit of the Grand Duke. These ,
hinGs seem by themselves very small, but | !
low rapidly we forgetting republi
an simplicity and aping the habits royal
y? If General jackson, Martin Van {
Suren, or James X. Polk, or any of our early ,
residents had fitted out Il grand hunting | ,
Expedition for any Prince of Wales, we
hould have regarded it as perfectly disgrace ,
I'll, and that we were pandering to the hab- !
IS of royalty. We do it now, and nobody !
omplains The public money spent on that |
rand hunt was taken out of the pockets of |
he people, and vicious practice be- ;
un, and if pursued, you young men will .
we to see the time when the royal family of J
america will receive visits and return them
rom their brother rulers of foreign lands.
his is a vice, very small in its beginning. |
light mention other examples, but mention
hese as types of system. | desire to re- l
urn to the purity and simple habits of the