Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-08-07

doctrine. You will remember that
he has frequently said that IL he
could have his way he would put the
tariff on pig iron, for example, at q
hundred dollars a ton. Where now
are all the eloquent pleas for prOtec-
ton? He himself, was a signer of
the Missouri call for the Cincinnati
Convention, a call issued chiefly for
the purpose Of advocating the doc
trine of free trade in its fullest and
broadest sense. Has he surrendered
that opinion to tie Democracy, or
have they surrendered to him or have
the revenue reformers been swallow
ing up their bitterest enemies? They
tell us the subject is relegated 10 the
congressional districts, So in every
other topic with equal propriety.
But how will Mr.. Greeley, If elected
treat 1t in his messages to Congress,
when he is bound to recommend
such measures as he believes the good
of the country requires?
Democrats OF the late rebel States
tell us they are for Greeley in spite of
his doctrines Of abolition and his
financial theories, because he is in
favor OF universal amnesty and is
their friend. For myself /. honor
Mr.. Greeley for his advocacy of uni
verSal amnesty, and l have several
times voted for it in the House of
Representatives. But what would
he do for the South were he the Pres
ident? 1t is said that some OF the
Southern State governments have
been badly and cOrruptly managed,
and so they have. But how can the
President interfere to prevent that
evil? Congress, not the President, can
remove political disabilities, and
there are not now five hundred men
in the nation who rest under the dis
abilities of the Fourteenth amend
ment. What change forthe better do
the people ofthe South expect from
Mr.. Greeley? Is it the Ku Klux law
TO which they complain? There has
been no more vehement defender of
that law in the land than Mr..
Greeley. / remember that when l,
in company with twenty-five other
Republicans, successfully opposed the
more extreme features of that bill as
introduced into the House, we were
denounced by the editor of the Iri-
6u1e, who declared that we had shorn
the bill ofits most valuable provisions.
Do they expect him to aid in repeal
ing the election law, which they call
the bayonet law ? Let them not |
forget that the editor of the Tribune
complained that the law was confined
to federal elections, and expressed the
wish that it had been extended to
State and local elections as well. Do
they wish him to become the cham
pion of States rights, and to resist the
supposed centralizing tendency of
the Republican party? Do they not
know that he has been more nearly
in his advocacy and de-
fence of that tendency than in any
other doctrine he has p%rofessed?
From this strange and unnatural
combination between Republicans
and Democrats 10 must result that
one of the parties will be OutrageOusly
cheated unless il be true that both
have agreed to abandon all.principles
all convictions, all aims and objects
except the simple n to win office
to gain power.
In advocating the claims of the
party to the confidence
the nation, / do not by any means
assert that we should always stand
by and defend the party to which
may belong. 1t frequently be-
comes the duty of a citizen to aban-
don and help destroy a party that
has outlived its usefulness or become
of confidence. But will
any man who approves of the great
achievements of the Republican par
ty say that its work is ended-that
the presence of its old enemy, il
,AzurN1 1tz12l-o ~ E,-. Az. NJ
mocracy master of the field, and Gus.
todian of all the precious results of the
confiict-to ave what has been gain
preserve and perpetuate the
fruits of past effort is only next in
importance to the work of winning
the first victory.
It is alleged that corruptions have
crept into the Republican party, and
this also is true. But where has any
party shown a more determined pur-
pose to discover and correct its own
and what party has more re-
lentlessly pursued and punished its
servants. At the last ses-
sion of Congress the House of Repre-
never once failed to order
a seaching investigation into any de-
partment of the government, when
any member, either Republican or
demanded 1t. In one in
some Republican members of
the Senate seemed to oppose the for
nation ofan investigating committee,
but the mistake was promptly recti-
fed and the investigation was order
ed. So long as the people demand of
their Representatives the free and
fearless discharge of their duties
there need be no corruption of long
continuance.
The viruIent attacks that are now
made on General Grant are mainly
of personal character. Nothing in
his own life, or the life of his family
escapes the assaults of those who have
in the conspiracy against the
Republican party.
His son and daughter are travelling
in Europe, and for this their father
is denounced. The President is fond
of a good horse, and Senator. Sumner
good ruler should be a ruler, not of
horses but of men. Amid the Babe
of talk which fills the world, he is a
good listener. For this he is called
the grim sphynX of the White House
who silently plots the ruin of his
country. One daY he is denounced
for being absent from the capital and
public affairs to take care of
The next he is schem-
ing to grasp all power and convert
the Republic into a consolidated des-
potism. He has accepted presents
and just now there is q special out
burst Of virtuous indignation in con-
sequence. Doubtless he would have
saved himself from embarrassment if
he had not done So. Doubtless the
pratice of John Quincy Adams and
General Thomas on this question was
the wiser one. But the critics of
General Grant know that he has &C.
no presents since he has be-
came President-and that as a sue
cessfni general accepting from a peo-
pie whom he had so signally served
of their gratitude he did
notmore than was done byMcClellan.
and Sherman, and Faragut and Mead
no more than has been done by the
great modern and ancient captains of
other nations.
They charge that he converted the
Mansion into q military
camp. 1t is not a thing unusual for
B President to detail officers of the
army to perform confidential duties
in his office, 1t has been rather the
rule than the exception. I was last
week reading therecord OfeXplorations