The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-07-12

mas presented 10 you again the name
of Gen. Grant as candidate for the
Presidency. He has passed through
the ordeal of calumny and SANDER as
no other man has done since the days
OF General Washington, yet he comes
out without the smell of fire on his gar.
ments. There are now three principal
objections to Gen. Grant and to his adj
ministration and they are personal in
their character. They do not go to the
merits of the Government at all they
are personal, and when you come to ex.
anime them you will say too that they
are contemplate.
What is the first? And there is more
said about this than about everything
else put together-why did Gen. Grant
appoint come of his relations TO Office ?
Well, he had to appoint his relations or
somebody elses relations. That seems
inevitable. The complaint of the seven
or eight relatives of his that have been
appointed is not that they are not quail
flied and faithful, for there is no honest
pretense that they have come short in
the performance of their duties, but
simply that they are his relations. He
has more than fifty thousand appoint
msnts under his control; and | suppose
that out of those seven or eight have
been appointed who are more or less
connected with him, chiefly by mar.
riage, and some OF them very distantly.
Now, if Gen. Grant had been ID cold and
selfish man, intent alone upon personal
popularity, and if he had refused to
appoint relative to office, other things
being equal, because somebody might
find fault with him, | do not think that
anyone who has a heart in his bosom
would think any better of him for it..
W lille there has been much clamor on
this subject, the politicians who have
made the clamor have entirely mis-
taken the hearts and the wishes of the
people. What the people are interested
IN is good government-having the du-
ties of the Government well discharged !;
and they are not very anxious as TO the
persons by whom the duties are per-
formed so that they are well done.
And this is the chief objection now TO
this Administration, upon which it is
proposed to turn out that man who has
done more than any other man living
TO prevent this country from being di.
vided and destroyed.
Now, there is another objection.
They say he has a military ring around
him. Gems. Porter and Babcock are his
private secretaries, and what do they
do? They are officers OF the army, and
have been detailed TO act with him in
the capacity of private secretaries. They
were with him during the war. They
then served on his staff. They are men
of capacity, are gentlemen, and are
competent and well fitted for what they
are required TO do. They are his pri-
vate secretaries-his mere clerks. They
write the ordinary business letters, make
copies of letters, open his correspond.
ence, carry his messages TO the House
of Representative and to the Senate :;
but they have no more TO do with the
contents OF those messages than the
letter carriers who bring your letters to
you from morning to morning have TO
do with the contents Of your letters.
They are his private secretaries, per.
forming in great part mere clerical
labor, having no control or influence at
all upon the Administration. Yet this
is made great objection, and is con-
stantly presented t. the people as one
of the dement's Of this Administration.
Now, these young gentlemen are not
required in the army; it has been great.
ly reduced, and there are many more
officers now than are necessary TO com
mand the small number OF private sol
diers that we have; consequently they
are not needed in the army. They get
no increase of salary; they simply draw
their pay as officers. If he had civilians
employed they would have to be paid
independently out of the treasury.
Now, think you will agree with me
that the charge against Gen. Grant
about the military ring is simply con.
temptible.
Then there is another-and | believe
that concludes the list of these personal
charges against him-they say he re-
ceived presents. Well. he did receive
some presents before he was elected
President. | do not know that he has
received any since that time, of any
considerable value; he may have had a
cane presented 10 him, or possibly
pipe, or SOMEBODY may have sent him a
box of fine cigars, as he is known to be
very fond of them. But he has received
no present of value likely to affect his
integrity as President of the United
States. Now there are some people who
never get any presents; they never do
anything for which anybody is grateful.
Such people are exceedingly virtuous
on this subject. But whenever you find
one of these exceedingly virtuous people
great complaint against Gen.
Grant because a grateful people, after
the war was over, out of their abund.
ance made him some presents, which
they were able to do without missing
the amount, it viii, be safe to watch
them closely. Yet there is much clamor
upon this subject. Why, Gen. McClel.
lan-an unfortunate General-in point
of fact received large presents before
the war was over. | believe at the very
time the Democratic party nominated
him for President, in 1864, he was liv.
ing in fine house that had been given
to him. Now | thought no worse of
Gen. Mcclellan for that. | did think
the friends who made him the presents
were little mistaken. 1t seems there
is no objection to an unfortunate Gen.
eral receiving presents; it is only when
they are given to the fortunate nan