The Placer herald., 1872-09-21
RETROSPECT.

tifVcc WIZ hHOW thciI uIiJuStHltu aCtonS ,aiiu
are laborlng to prevent their recurrence.
Grant and his cohort Of attendants have to
bear the charge of being dishonest: of dis
gracing the nation; of using their official
power to enrich themselves; of disregardine
the interests and demands of the people; Of
provoking disturbances between sections
which desired to be at peace, and of every
thing that men void of conscience, igno
rant of the affairs of State and lacking in
morality and good common sense could be
guilty Of These are hard charges, and il
true one would think it impossible that any
man with IA spark of honor and the least re-
gard for his country could give countenance
to those whom they are preferred against.
We believe, yes, we assert they are true;
and for these wrongs ard abuses which have
been heaped upon us, we feel it our solemn
duty to oppose those who have perpelrated
them. Our readers, we know, are familiar
with the shortcomings of the Grant admins
tration, but we prop Sc to recall few OF
them, at least sufficient to show that the
above accusation are not false.
We shall pass over the nepotism so exten
svey practiced by Grant, by merely stating
that only one instance is recorded where it was
ever prActiced in this country before; that
was in the case Of John Adams, who ap-
pointed two relatives to office, but who. on
seeing his error, recalled it as soon as posi-
BILE, though not until he had made an i'm
presson on the people not easily removed !;
for Jefferson on becoming President referred
to it by saying: "Mr. Adams degraded
himself infinitely by his conduct on this sub
ject."
The gft-takng, ndulged in by Grant, is
"A practice which no other President ever
dared indulge, for fear of lowering their dig
uily and disgracng heir high office. When
he Virginia Assembly voted $40 900 worth
Of stock in the Potomac and James River
companies TO Washington, he refused to ac-
cept it by saying: "N hat would be the
opinion Of The world when it should come to
lie known that George " ashington accept ed
as gift $40 ,000?' lie condcmn1d the
practice of an officer accepting gifts in the
strongest terms.
IN regard to the Peace of the country, we
know that an Undue military force has been
Kept IN the South when there appeared no
cause for the same whatever, any NOR
IAN to awe the people into subjection to hi,
will, as exercised through the cdrpet-bag OF
icials whom he had appointed to coniro
Ihem Thus, aided by military authority
Grants carpet-bag, scalhwas appoinecs
have been able to rob the Southern people @
$3.50, 900. The debt of the severa.
Southern States has been increased ths
amount during Grants administration, ana
as they have nothing to show for it, does ii
require any great stretch Of imagn ltion t.
conclude that this money lodged in the pock-
cts of officials
That the nation has been disaMced is ey-
denl from the manner IN which the Alabama
claims have been tampered with that the pow
er and influence of the United States ha
been prosttuted, is plain from their actions III
trying to uphold Spanish despotism in Cuba
and preserve slavery and the slave trade there.
so shortly after spillipg the blood of hundreds
Of thousands of innocent men to abolish TN
evil III our own country.
Grant g hrst eiitrt to violate the laws of h.
country was only two days after the con-.
mencement of his term as President, by at
tempting to appoint Mr.. Stewart, of New
York, Secretary Of the Treasury. Th,
Treasury Act provides that 10 person carry
ng on The business of trade can hold otiic,
thereunder. Mr. Stewart was the largest
importer in the United States, and therefor,
disqualified by the law But Grant desired
Congress to lay the law aside for the time
being, that the man who Lad presented hin
with handsome gifts might be rewarded
And with shame be it said many of our law
makers showed "A desire to comply with thi,
damaging request; but honest men, indignant
1t the thought, scorning the idea, opposed
the measure, and the request was recalled
An instance of a hagrnnt violation of tn,
Constitution, is noticed in the case Of the ap-
pointment of Oryille +. Babcock to carry On
regoiiatons with the usurper Baez and the
San Domingo. Such appointments a.e, ac-
cording to the Constitution, to be made by
and with the consent of the Senate; but il
this case the Senate knew nothing of the ap-
pointmeni. The President had cast asid,
lhe Constitution, taken the power in his owl