The Van Buren press., 1872-05-21
Voorhees, for Grant,


Voorhees, for Grant.
Mr.. VOORHEES, Of Indiana has announc-
ed to the country through one of his fer
vid speeches in Congress that, rs between
Greeley and Grant, he is for Grant This
really means that, in any ercnt, Mr.,
VOORHEES, desires to see Grant re elected,
and the country afflicted with another
four years of the policy that now dis
tresses it. He said all the i'll things
against Greeley he could think of, and,
in the same breath, paid tribute to Grant
He applauded Grant for refusing to per-
nit the arrest of Lee and Johnston after
they had surrendered, and declared that
Grant had been more liberal to the South
than Greeley had been. Greeley, he
said, had been the most clamorous adj
vocate in all the land for the Ku-klux
legislation which dosolated the homes OF
the Southern people, while the present
administration has simply executed a law
dictated by the Cincinnati nominee p
How sdroitly the distinguished Indi.
ana Democrat labors to hide the par
which Grant playedi this Ku-klux bus
mess The Ku-klux act was not mandat
tory; it was simply discretionary. 1t
does not declare that the president shall
suspend the habeas corpus writ and ar
rest citizens; it only provides that he
may do it. Grant was under no obliga-
ton to put the law in force; it placed
the power cat his discretion He
might, if he had chosen to, have allowed
the law to remain on the statute book I'M
enforced without violating his duty. He
might have taken the ground that there
was no necessity for such harsh pro-
ccedings, and refused to exert the des.
potc martial powers which the law con
fcrred upon him. But he did just the
reverse. lie approved the law, and then
pitilessly executed it. He took Aker-
mans advice, and sent his troops into
South Carolina to commit that desola-
ton of Southern homes" which Mr..
Voorhees, tries to lay at the door Of llor.
ace Greeley, In plain words, the ku-
klux legislation and the desolation OF
Southern homes which followed it, were
tho work of that Radical president and
that Radical majority in congress which
so vociferously Applauded Mr.. VOORHEES,
speech, and which Mr.. VOORHEES, wants
to see retained in power
1t is the high privilege Of Demo
crat to make any choice for president he
pleascs to make; and if Mr.. VOORHEES,
prefers Grant to all other men in the
country, we have no right to complain,
If he prefers in a mortal contest between
the regular Radical party and an insur-
geant movement for its overthrow, to
offer his Democratic sword TO the regu
lar party to smte its enemies with, it is
his constitutional right to do so. If at
the moment when that party, which is
the traditional foe of the Democracy, is
about to be defeated by semi-Dcmo-
cratic revolt, with which the Democratic
masses are nstinctively fraternzing. Mr.,
VOORHEES, run to the rescue, we know OF
no power that may forbid him. But
what does all Mr.. Voorhees, past decla.
nation against Radicalism mean? II he
is opposed to the overthrow of Radical
-, '-'v has he pretended to be in favor
nri,2 ,S"i, "Ifbo ia m,ai"al, why docs he
affect 10 be Democrat II tho "'e u
Grant and Morton, and Butler and
Chandler is really so charming and beat.
iGc, why has the honorable momber from
the Sixth district, Indiana, wasted so
much Of his time in denouncing it?
Mr. VOORHEES, must 60 back to the
ranks. He can no longer lead he is
bewildcred Either he cannot SEQ the true
way before him, or he dcsigncdly points
out the wrong way. He has offered his
sword to the enemy; for that Radicalsm
which sits on tho throne is the enemy,
and these republicans who are fghting it
are, of necessity and Of choice, our al
lios. Nobody prctends to claim Horace
Greeley rs a Democrat but the least in
teli-ent Democrat in the land knows,
without reflection, that Horace Greeley,
chosen president by Democratic votes
with Democratic congress, is some
thing inconcicvably better than u. ).
Grant. with Radical congress; and all
the impassioned speeches that Mr. Noor
hces may make cannot cloud that clear
perccption.-St. Louis Republican.