Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-19
PLAIN TALK 10 PRESIDENT
GRANT.
The Truth From His Friends.

He must No Longer Refuse to Hear
the Truth-fais DlsgraeefuI Accept
snce OF GifEs-His Want OF Personal
Character and DIgnity-HIs NepOt-
fsn-The AtrOcIOus Scandal OF Dent
-Grant's Love Of Low Company
His Suspicious Connection with the
"Black Friday Crsme-His Military
GOvernmeBt-Hfs Failure 60 Reform
Abuses - His Utter Lack of All
Statesmanshfp The Presidency q
Personal Perquisite TO Hfm-A Low
Character, and a Bad Man.
From Atlantic Monthly for December.
The election of Grant is there
fore the choice of the lesser evil. 1t is not
an unqualified Endorsement Of his conduct,
nor declaration of popular coutentment
with the present status for another four
years. On the contrary, his reelection
librstes reform sentiment which was re-
pressed by the necessities of the election
contest. The sense of having been placed
at Disadvantage before the enemy by the
shortcomings of the Administration will give
| tee reform demand an energy it did not
| have before. The wounds of the battle
| will give an uwonted sharpness to criticism
| AZ bGO AAu1lA1oEl htAOA UuatCNCI
load the supporters of the President have
had to carry in the fight will now be freely
| cast upon him, and his conduct will be sub
jected to a severity of judgment which will
| be something new to our party experiences.
There is in the Republican party, not ex-
cepting even those public men who seem
to be personal adherents Of Grant, q wide
| 1F L
among all the thinking classes feeling that
we need an elevation of the character
of the administration. The removal of
the outer pressure OF the election battle
win liberste this feeling, aud give it re-
| bounding energy of expression which
| it will be necessary for the President to
heed, and which it would be wise in him to
anticipate by giving signs that he is alive to
| the public sensibilities. 1t is necessary that
free public journals which desire the success
of the Administration should speak plainly
on these matters, for the Japanese Mikado
| is not more completely cut off from all hear
ing of unfavorable opinion of bis conduct,
| on the part of his personal supporters, than
is President Grant. The power which
President possesses and the fac5
that through his patronage be
holds the political fate of every Admins
tration Congressman in his hand, would, to
a great extent, prevent any President from
hearing the truth from those about him;
but it is well known that this evil is In
creased by the disposition of President
Grant, which inclines him to regard with
aversion any who speak to him OF faults of
conduct.
1t was unfortunate that Grant came into
Office with the conspicuous gifts of citizens
to the successful General who in the line OF
precedents was the coming President.
When be showed an inclination to call the
givers to high places in the government, it
gave the opposition weapon against him.
When he took share in the gif5 that cih-
zens were contributing to Gen. Sherman,
and in bis eagerness involved himself in the
scandal with Mayor Bowen, ne compro-
missed his personal dignity, and exhibited
qualities unbecoming to bis station.
1t is no. q great draft upon the public
purse, nor creation of dangerous family
influence, when the President appoints a
dozen or more of his relations TO office; but
it is bad example and shows low view
of the Presidential Office. But far worse
than this was the scandal of a Presidents
brotheT-in-law at the capital, following the
profession Of agent for claims
against the government, carrying bis
family infusnce into the subordinate exec
utive departments where such claims are
judged, and actualy-as he testified before
Congressional Committee-appeaIiDg
cases from the Departments to the Presi-
dent, and appearing befope him to argue
them. In effect this was the sale of the
Presidents influence against the ends ofjus-
tice by his bIother-in-law.
The summer absences Of the President
from the capital are matters of no great mo
ment in the affairs of the government, and
his frequent junketiDg excursions could be
excused but for his proclivity for peculiar
kind Of entertainers who bring him and the
Presidential Office into disrepute and ex-
pose him TO be made the instrument of de-
signs upon the government.
When the gold conspiracy to make a pri-
vate speculation at the cost Of widespread
ruin of the innocent burst upon the public
on the memorable Black Friday, the public
mind was shocked by the intelligence that
the President had been caught In the tolls
of the conspirators, and had been made to
do their bidding by writing a letter to Sec
retary Boutwell, advising him against IL
GlCaol11S, uAo o1iC Va 4 hO OuCCb " a.
not mitigated by the fact that the
dents family in the plot. The public
party excused him with the charitable plea
that he was deceived by the sharpers Gould
and Fisk; but there was q general feeling
that the President OF the United States
should not have made companions of men
so notorious as public robbers, nor received |
hospitality and other fsvors from them.
The American people do not fear that
the Presidents surrounding himself with |
military attendants means design to sub I,
vert the government, but jealousy of mill |
tary surroundings and manners belongs to |
free institutions and the spirit Of free peo- |
pies, and the disregard Of this shows lack |
of perception Of popular sentiment, or a
contempt for ii.
1t is true that Congress is laggard and re- !
luctaut in the work Of civil service reform; |
but the President has not the trammels that |
bind Congressman. He can WELD prevaii--
ing influence in promoting the |
needed legislation. He can put the meth |
DDS of reform into practice, by retaining |
and promoting capacity, fidelity and ex-
peIience, and by refusing to remove any |
capable and faithful officer to make place
for partisan retainer, without waiting for /
legislation. But while he asks of Congress
legislation to coerce him to reform the
mode of appointments to the civil service,
he presents to the country such a scandal
as the New York custOn-housa, with its
official service and its unOffi-
cial levies upon the merchants, regulated by
his own hand.
1t is true that when the President caused
our case to be presented to the Geneva Tri-
bunal with our consequential injuries eX-
tended to the close of the war, he went no
further than the speech of Mr.. Sumner
and the almost unanimous vote of the
Senate and the general acceptance Of the
country, and that bis late competitor went
beyond this with wild proposition thai
our claims should be made the
ground for demanding the cession
Of Canada; but it cannot be forgotten tha-
between these events the Presidents osten
sible reason fer the peremptory dismissal
Mr., Motley&as that he stated to the British
the case ofour injuries too strongly,
it came far short Of the case pre-
Jented at Geneva. The Republican party did
not seek statesman for President when it
,hc Sc Gen. Grant, for it could not have
expected a statesman in him. 1t chose
aim because the glory reflected on him in
vDopr1lar vic tyr 70 ynit;tarxy trir1rnuh |