Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-02-14
LINCOLN AND GRANT.
Gen. HawIey Contrasts the Situation of
5HiJG-r 1864 with 1879.

Ill eiI CIdUOIdU6 dIl JuulCId1 SAdIlllll-
tion of his character, an Impartial critic
would be required to sketch certain de
fects, but even his failings leaned to
virtues side, and as the rugged figure
lifts its niche in the gallery Of good
men, the general perfections of it's char
acter command admiration and eulogy.
The nation has discovered that it pos
sessed in him a greater man than it
knew. Yet consultation of the news
paper files of 1868 and the first six
months of 1854 will show that very
large part of the Republican party was
profoundly dissatisfied with him. To
a large extent his critics were of the
radical and advancing men, the most
sincere, earnest, devoted, self sacrifc-
ing 1nen of the party. Precisely the fault
that was found then is found now; it
was said that the office holders were too
/ forward in seeking a denomination of
their official head. But the chief obiec-
tion was that he was too slow in accept
ing for practical action the ideas of the
future
Horatio Seymour got himself elect
ed Governor of New York in large
measures through the pretense, false as
the event proved, that he was in favor
OF more vigorous prosecution of the
war. Some insist, even now, that had
the Democrats omitted the idiotic de-
! claratlon that the war was failure and
mcclellan on war platform, they
would have elected him. In that case
the loss to the nation and the world
would have been incalculable. But
the great mass of the people, includ-
/ ing the body of thinking, conscientious
and patriotic citizens, had certain in
stinctive confidence in Lincoln. They
! never doubted his integrity and sagaci-
/ ty. He was ready to keep at the head
| of the royal people. He could not
afford to move SO tast as to open a gap
| between himself and any considerable
portion even of those whose support
was essential to success Many of us
thought that he underestimated the
progress of he people, and that they
stepped upon his heels too often. Per.
haps so; but he had q wonderful
knowledge of the human heart. At
| least this is true; we won, and his final
action was in all cases up to the high
est ideal. We have well grounded
confidence that the same will prove
true of General Grant. His mistakes
are not greater, if as great, as those of
Lincoln, if we may Judge by e1tempo-
AS in the case of Mr.. Lincoln so with
Gen. Grant more has been demended
of him than human nature could be
reasonably expected to yield on the
instant. The patronage (hateful word)
OF New York city and State has been
the subject of a great wrangle before
the eyes of the whole nation and the
primary duties of the officials having
been left in the back ground, abuses
have grown up, though it is fair to say
that some of the grosser evils have ex-
listed for generations, under all parties. |
Every intelligent student of politics
knows that in suffering the civil service
in the State and city of New York to
run as it has been running, General |
Grant has only been following the prac-
tice of previous administrations in the |
action at large in yielding to the re-
commendation of the senator's, repre-
sentatlyes and prominent politicians.
He ought to have assumed a higher
| ground, it is said, and to have disre-
garded all these influences, all that
advice at least where it was bad.
True enough, abstractly, but practi- |
| cally, let us honestly confess that even
the Republican party was not ready for |
reform so radical. It will be; indeed |
we hope it is, but see how the very in
! ltlal steps the promises only ofreorgan-
zatlon and reform, are received in Con-
gress, and by many who have led the |
President to believe that they were his |
special friends and defenders. There
IS much sincere criticism and debate
over details, but we believe that Gener- |
al Grant is to-day far ahead of the av-
! erage Congress in his desire and deter
truly represents the people, then he is,
as Mi. Lincoln often was, shead of the
people also.
1t is nearl y two years since the editor
OF the Courant, in conversation with
General Grant, discussing the civil
service, rehearsed in succession some
OF the objections to the more promin-
ent features of the new system, such as
rigid competitive examinations, the life
tenure, ETC., and found the President
answering the objections, readily and
earnestly advocating at, least some
change. For example, the. editor said
he o1d not like to think of body of
f'4O, 600 or $4,000 civil officers appointed
practically for life. They might grow
into a well-drilled, compact political
army, the obedlent partisan servants of
! the executive, and in some emergencies
i the dangerous enemies of liberty. The
! President replied that the very fact
that these officers were appointed to
serve during good behavior, with a
tolerable certainty of competent sal
ary and possibly pension in old age,
and would not be either appointed or
removed to help personal and merely
partlan purposes, would make them less
mlschlevous than at present; they
would be less likely to mingle desper-
ately in the fight a.s.(
He specially instanced the army and
navy. They embrac d large bodies of
aole and well educated men in the SER
vice for life, and assured of what Is
virtually a pension in old age. The re-
suit has been that army and navy Off
GERS make 1t a point of honor to recog-
nlze always with profound respect
Whomever they may find at the head of
the nation or of an State, OF whatever
party; they vote if they choose, and
are entirely free in their opinions, but
are not active in politics and they
cultivate a high sense of honor in all
their duties and labors. The country
has no body of servants of such uni
form fidelity and integrity. The grad.
yates of West Point and Annapolis
showed largar proportion of loyal
men than any other class of public SER
wants. The President argued that
, something of the same good results
might reasonably be hoped for under
we'll devised system of civil service.
, he is no new convert.
That he is in F' dead earnest" now in
, his purpose to reform the civil service,
there need be no doubt He
mas been no slower than
Mr. Lincoln in coming to the work 1t
is not even yet certain that Congress,
which is supposed to faithfully repre-
sent the g dear people" will heartily