Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-02-08
THE RECONCILIATION.

should give away, There can, how
! ever, be little doubt, if we may iu1 re
/ by the ordinary methods of ascer-
tanning the opinion of the party, that
the great mass of republicans desire
the denomination; and tits not clear
why they should renounce their pre-
ference because q few would select
another candidate. If, indeed, there
were any other candidate suggested,
there would be more reason in de-
mandiug the RECOMMENDATION. But the
argument that, because some Repub-
publicans are opposed to Grant, there
fore any other candidate is stronger,
is not convincing argument. We
have constantly heard it said that
any one of a dozen gentlemen would
be preferable to the President. But
that there was any reason to suppose
that, if Grant were out of the question,
the friends of all other candidates
would unite upon any of them, we
have not yet seen proved, or even as
serted.
There are, it is true, certain great
news papers of Republican SYM
pathies which oppose the renomina-
ton. The New York Tribune is the
| first, and its position is the more sig
nificiant because it has been always,
in the usual sense, a strictly party pa
per. But the others of which we
speak arc free lances in politics. They
are Independent critics, and exercise
the right in the press which wcnuelI
Phillips illustrates upon theplatform.
Certainly we do not complain of this,
nor doubt that the true duty of the
press is to assuage rather than to I'M
bitter the spirit of party. But as the
government is carried on by party or
CARNATIONS, the counsel Of those who
are professedly independent Of such
organizations must be carefully weigh
ed. The force of the Tribune's posi-
ton as party critic isvery much lost
| by its warm advocacy of one Of the
sides in the unfortunate Republican
| division in New York, which springs
from patronage. Itregards the Pres
ilent only asa friend of Senator Conk-
ling, whose policy in the State it op-
poses, and whose influence it believes
to be malign. so that constant read
er of the paper would conclude that it
was more interested in the defeat of
the Presidents denomination than is
the ascendency of Republican princi-
Piles in the govern ment.
The country in the mean time, is
tranquil and prosperous, and the
general policy of the administration
shows constant and faithful endeav-
or to maintain the principles which
brought the party into power, and to
secure the welfare Of all the people.
In what way another Administration
of the party would more truly or eff
GENTLY promote that welfare has not
been stated. 1t does not follow, in
deed, that the same administration
should be continued III is not the
free choice Of the majority. But il
patronage be so strong that it can de
feat the popular will, is it nothing
that the President has virtually re-
nounced patronage? In his inaugural
address he said that he should have
no policy opposed to that of the peo-
pie. and in his first and each subse-
quent message he has urged upon
Congress reform of the whole meth
cd of appointment.
If it be said that this is no reply to
the statesman that the service has
been more prostituted under Prcsi-
Grant than ever before, the sufficient
reJoinder is direct denial. It is true
that what may be called the political
system of the New York Custom
house, for which we have no excuse
or apology. has been more publicly
exposed than ever before; but it is
not true that the system is worse un-
der his predecessors, which. indeed,
was hardly possible. And the public
exposure is due not to the fact of the
| greater abuse, but to the fierce party
feud which has led the two wings to q
warfare upon each other. The ORR
4 gin Of this fesd, lfit be due to pat
age, as is alleged and believed, is not
in itself discreditable to the Admins.
tration, however unfortunate it may
have been to the party in New York
We denounce corruption of any kind
in the New York Custom-house OF
any where else. But we deny that
the evils of system which all parties
have supported and which all Admin
istration which is making the frs
earnest effort ever made to correct tho
system itself.
| 1t will seem strange to thos Re
publicans who think the administra
ton peculiarly corrupt that it should
be sustained because Of the profound
popular faith in its honesty and YET
that is its strength, and it is that con
viction which will rcnominate the
President. Politicians privately