Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1872-07-25


We publish below the reasons given
BY Hon, Reverdy johnson of Baltimore
Why Gen. Grant should not be reelected
Has not General Grant demonstrated
his upfituess for the presidency? His G.
lection &c it in '6S was owing to the conf
dencc the people reposed III him for villa.
they believed he possessed good sense
and because Of their gratitude for his
military services during the war. In his
good sense, with the experience Of the
lsst three years; it seems to be impossible
Hat confidence can COW be placed. His
whole career as President has been full
os tlunders. 10 usa 60 milder+ term. 4
few instances WILL establish this statement:
/. HIS selecsion Of his first Cabine.
was made Without consultation with any
experienced friend, and without regard
to merit. He homiaated as tho head OF
the Treasury highly respectable mer-
chant Of New York, in ignorance of the
fec. that BY shesSth section of the act of
the "a Of september, 1889 such an ap
poiasnept+ is expressly prohibited, and
'his upon grounds of the cearest policy
the provision being that DO person con
eerned in nade, directly or indirectly,
is eligible to any office created BY that
act; and after finding his error, be fool
ishly requested Congress to modify Che
provision 50 al to enable him to make
the appointment. In this he was pro-
perly foiled, although his friends con-
sri,u;cd q large majority of both Houses.
In the appointments he actually made,
he seems not have Leen Influenced by
any regard to the fitness OF his appoint
ces. bur. in many Instances, by wish to
ehaw his gratitude for valuable prcsen
received.
2. His selection of his relatives for
high and important trusts, at home and
abroad, obviously without asccrtaining
whether they we're fit, and his refusal to
remove many Of them, after their un-
fitness had been painfully exhibited.
fe3. His negotiation for the annexation
of the Dominican Republic, through no
Minister selected with the approval of the
Senate, and his undignifed lobbying
with Senators to procure its ratification;
and his Impairment and insulting mess
age to Congress, after the treaty was re-
jected. in which be designated the rejec-
ton as az act of '..folloy
4. His open and shameless use Of his
power Of patronage to support his person
al administration and to secure re-elec-
tien. And with this view, not content
with his first appointments, removing
them and making others, not because tho
legal duties of the first were not proper
y performed, but because they had not
proved themselves as able to serve him as
fuay as he desired.
s. His compelling Secretary Cox, q
gentleman of ability, who faithfully serv-
cd his country during the war as gen
eral officer, and who was administering
Interior Department to the satisfaction
of the country, to resign. because he had
refused to tolerate the assessment upon
the salaries of his clerks for party pur-
poses, thereby countenancing the legai-
~ and propriety Of such assessments.
NO bTeater VOCATION OF duJy cOuld BE
.perpetrated. Che official salaries are
Of course paid out of the public treasury,
to compel the officer to give pc, ton
Of it as fund for electioneering purposes
is in fact, using the public fund to that
end. And in this Instance the object of
these assessments was. and continues to
be, to secure the reelection of Gen.
Grant, and the election of his party
friends to Congress. !.
G. His not ouly permitting. but vir--
tually ordering. the members Of his
Cabinet, and the bureau officers to CANVASS
tho States where elections have been or
may be depending, in his behalf-thus
seriously interfering with the public
0asiness which khey alone were appeiat-
ed to attend to, and for which alone they
arc paid.