The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1872-06-22
Charges Three, -Four and Flve.

Charge number three against President Grant,
alleged the address issued by the Liberals
at Cincinnati is, "The President of the United
States has openly used the powers and oppor-
tunities of his high Office for the promotion of
personal ends. He has kept VIGOROUSLY cor
rupt and unworthy men in places of power and
responsibility to the detriment of public in
terest. He has used the public service of the
government as a machinery of partisan and
personal influence and interferred with tyranni-
cal arrogance liz the political affairs of states
and municipalities. He has rewarded with lu-
crative offices, men who have acquired his favor
with valuable presents, thus stimulating
decentralization of our political life by his con-
spicuous example,"
With the same personal luminosity that makes
the essential ingredient in the other charges.
this allegation charges him with keeping cor
rupt men in high places and rewarding un-
worthy men with lucrative positions and using
the patronage of the government for the pur-
pose of securing his own aggrandizement.
Has president Grantopenly used the powers
and opportunities of his high Office for the pro-
motion of personal ends? If so, when, where
and in what way? No President for twenty
years past has concern ed himself so little about
his own personal welfare as President Grant.
The mistake that the Cincinnati movers and
Democratic politicians make is that they take
the spontaneous, uninfuenced action of the
people to be the work and influence of officials
and patronage. Because the people want
President Grant again in the White House, be-
cause they see in him the material that fills
the necessities of the times, those who are OPP
posed to him mistake the action Of the people
for influence exerted by himself through his
appointees. We have no Resitancy in giving it
as our candid belief that in tba United States
.thes ere 20 millions,out efthe three Rillia,.-
Tnv- aundred thousand Republican voters fthe
nation, who attended the primary meetings
and helped to elect the delegates who unani-
mously re-nominated President Grant. OUT
these two millions there are fifty thousand
Office holders in the country, many of whom
took no active part in the nominating process.
According to this there was one official to every
thirty-nine non- Office holding Republicans who
took an active part in forming the convention
fuence affairs that he could whip off the work
and influence of the thirty-nine is to confess
that the charge is without foundation.
The opposition mistake the voice ofthe people
for the voice of the Federal officials That"he
has kept VIGOROUSLY corrupt and unworthy
men in places of power and responsibility TO
the detriment of the public interest is equally
groundless with the others. That corrupt men
have filled positions under his administration
no one denies. But will the opposition tell US
when we had an administration when corrupt
men did not get into Offices And will they
give us any security that Mr.. Greeley, ifelected,
will have none but honest and upright men in
Office Is Greeley infallible? The corruption
in the public patronage to-day is the result of
Andrew Johnson's corrupt administration I'M
der the influence of the Democratic party with
Democratic politicians filling the majority of
the places in his gift. Under Lincoln's Re-
publican administration we heard little or no
complaint about corruption among the officials.
Defalcations were rare. Trials of defaulters
were almost unknown in the United States
Courts. The service was corrupted by Demo-
cratic politicians under Andrew johnson, and
that corruption tainteda all departments. Pres-
dent Grant has been at work cleanings it. We
state without the fear of successful contradic-
ton that President Grants administration has
arrested, tried, convicted and punished alarger
proportion of the defaulters and perpetrators
of frauds upon the government than any prior
administration has ever done. And in the
great majority of these instances the evidence
establishes conclusively that the frouds began
under the pure and indebted administration of
Andrew johnson. President Grants admins
tration has been burdened with the duty and the
odinm of ennvicting Andrew Johnsons Demo-
cratic criminals with the loss of much of the
testimony by lapse of time. President Grant
has made mistakes, but when he has been con-
WINGED of it he has made a change. This was
what he promised in his inaugural and he has
kept it. He has gone far towards redeeming
the civil service from the stains left upon it by
Andrew johnson, and, if given another term,
will complete the work. Let Mr.. Greeley be
elected, in spite of his good intentions, the
Democratic current, into which he will be
plunged, will reinstate the colruptons of An
drew Johnson and Democratic District Attor-
neys will shut their eyes to the frauds.
Suppose we admit the charge of the use of
public patronage and interference in political
affairs by President Grant, which we deny as
charged, if elected, will Mr.. Greeley, whose oc-
cupation daily for thirty years has been the
study, the participation in and the influence
by speech and pen and personal action of the
political affairs OF this entire nation and all
parts of it, abstain from interference in the
political affairs ofthe states and municipalities
Is Mr.. Greeley going to turn about, re construct
his habit of thirty years and take no part in
the work that has been the object, business, |
aim and history of his life I? Is it possible to
make this change in a man ofsixty years?
The charge of taking presents is too thin.
We ask where has he taken one since he took
his seat If friends wanted to give him pre-
sents before, whose business was it.? Do Demo-
Gratis refuse them when they find any body |
grateful enough &c give them?
Did nobody evermake Mr.. Greeley present?
And will no Democrat make him one before or
after his inaugural, if he is elected