The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-02-10
The denomination of Gen. Grant.

ed with their incantation-Wl Witch Wilkes
and With Sumner and their haggard and
impatient followers keeping up Il shrill
chorus and destroying the public peace If
we hearken to their chants there was never
so base so wretched, SO false II President
as Grant; and if we gave any heed to their
heated tancies we should feel tina" the
country was on the eve of Il revolution; that
Grant was to be whirled out of his seat and
we were to have Il new millennium, with
Sumner in the Cabinet and Wilkes in office,
and Greeley the observed of all observers
in the stately halls of Buckingham palace.
All this time the country is quiet and pa
tient, thinking its own quiZZcal thoughts
about the mad, prancing witches While the
silent Ulysses calmly smokes his Preslden-
tial cigar and attends to the nation S wei
fare, and cares no more for the mob that
denounces him than if they were troupe
of minstrils making clatter al the kltcl-
en- door and resolved not to move under
shilling.
The misfortune with these men is that
they do not reason calmly, but take coun-
sci of their own vanity. If every public
man were honored according to his esti-
mate of himself we should probable have
twenty thousand Presidents. This whole
purpose, shape, consecutive thought, sub
Stance. 1t rises before us like the mist
from Niagara. We see the mist and hear
the noise: but there is nothing that we can
grasp. When we ask what has grant done
that he should be dishonored, we hear Ia
mentations about relatives and brother-in-
law and presents and brides and corrup-
ton in the custom-house. Even Mr.. Gree
lev, who should be above such rhetoric, and
makes daily proclamation of his honesty
and fairness, has permitted himself to Join
in the chorus. We answer that nothing
has been urged against Grant that does,
not. upon reason and analysis, prove to be
vulgar scandal. Take the latest charge
this about the custom house. Does Mr..
Greeley or Mr.. Wilkes or Mr.. Sumner be-
lieye for a moment that the President Is Il
silent partner in the general order business
or that he has connived at any violation of
law Would Mr. Greeley, were he called
upon to deliver lecture upon Grant, as
he has been lecturing upon Lincoln, dis
cuss the Presidents character rs he and
his friends now discuss it? On the contra
nv, were general Grant dead and the sub
iect of Mr.. Greeley's lyceum observations
his career would be Judged calmly, fairly
and favorably.
When President Lincoln was living, and,
as is the case with Grant, the candidate OF
many men for denomination to the Presi-
dency Mr.. Greeley discussed him as some
thing between 4 mountebank and horse
Jockey, and was earnestly opposed to his
denomination. That was political criti-
cism. When Lincoln died Mr.. Greeley
wrote lecture, in which he treated the
late President with kindness and honor.
I.
ask why do not our politicians be fair and
treat ali of our public men-whether liv-
ing OF dead-with historical justice? Why
should every canvass for the Presidency be
little more than carnival of slander-of
permitted, nnrebuked defamation? Why
cannot these men who claim to be teachers
and leaders rise above the murky atmoS-
phere of partisanship and be just? For
we believe that whether man is living or
dead, a candidate for Office or private cit
izen, he deserves cold, calm justice. In
| awarding this to President Grant we find
ourselves confronted by this group of un-
easy witches in hurly burly. We look at
the military career of General Grant, and
we see certain marked political events
| He has paid so many millions of our debt;
he has kept the peace in spite of all kinds
| of Cuban and Spanish temptations; he has
solved the angry and threatening Alabama
questions; he has given justice to the In
dams and protection to the freedmen in
the South and he has borne himself in his
high place with dignity. simplicity, unos-
tentation, as an American gentleman,
charged with high trusts and discharging
them in the most direct and satisfactory
manner.
Gen. Grant certainly has been as salts
! factory President as Washington or JEFF
ferson or Jackson, or Lincoln. The coun-
try proposes to honor him as these other
statesmen were honored. The witches
| breack out into a clamor OF Remuneration
and cry out their tavern scandals, which
nobody believes, and they do not believe
| themselves. One or two of the graver ones
say further: "We not suggest Gen. Grant
for reelection, because we are in favor of
the principle of one term for Presidential
candidates" This is principle, is it :?
Let us grant that. Why, then, force this
principle upon the country at time when
it's advocacy is an act ofinjustice to Grant ,
this g principle " did not prevent Mr.. Gree
lev. Mr.. Sumner, and, in fact, the whole
tribe of witches from supporting MIR. Lin
coin. IF this faith was strong in them,
WHY did they consent to Mr.. Lincoln's
election? If their devotion to the princi-
pie was of an elastic, temporary, accom-
modating nature, why advance it nowa We
think MI Conkling, as the friend of the
President, made mistake in considering
the "one-term principle" as in any way
rejecting upon Grant. He should have
said, "Let us have the whole one term
doctrine prepared and discussed at the
proper time, If it is wise we can adopt
it: if not. reject it. You bring it forward
now, not as principle. but as an intrigue.
You know we'll that the custom Of the
country has been to elect chief magiS-
trates who were worthy. Why should
that custom be broken to enable you to
visit your resentment upon Gen. Grant?
If this is really principle-a deeply cher
ished conviction-you are taking the course
that will most surely destroy it; for you
bring it forward as an intrigue, scheme,
an eSpedient, meant to deny Grant his due
honor, and you compel every one of his
friends, whether they agree with you or
not, to oppose your principle" This is
the ground upon which to discuss the one
term question. 1t does not belong to the
present canvass, and the proper course for
Gen. Grants friends to take is to consider
it an adjourned issue, and to assist that by
law and custom, by ap example as sacred
as that Of Washington, they h4ye the right
TO reflect Gen. Grant; that they mean to
try and do it. When that is done they
will take up this principle and consider it
calmly and with thoroughness, and with
out the suspicion of making war upon the
President.
So, dismissing this intrigue as having no
legitimate place in this canvass, we ask the
witches to suspend their incantations long
enough to give us 4 candidate. Well, Mr..
Wilkes names Senator Summer, and, rs
Mr.. Wilkes seems to be the head witch of
the group, we listen to him. Would Mr..
Summer be a good President? We give
him all honor as Senator. But he be-
longs to class of men like Burke, who by
their temperament and genius are fore
ordained to be in the minority. Mr.. Sum-
ner is not az American nearly as much as
he is an Englishma. OF 2 Frenchman. He
has never made himself place IN tha peo-
pies affections. The Republican party res
poets Sumner; but sometimes it fears and
at other times it derides him. No man can
expect to be President who inspires his
party with either fear or derision. Then,
in the matter of availability, Mr.. Sumner
has MANY elements of weakness. Nothing
but a miracle of God would give him the
votes of the rsactiQn4ry States. The Bour-
bon Democracy would ABANDON him in
IL, ,orfy youl5 find that fhay