Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1872-08-15

,yVuI Phet ItSCIu 1, nave aSsulneO Guat III
the present political crisi,- you viii be
quite asszehlous as you ever we're before
in defense Unconstitutional freedom and
civil reform. need not ask you'll / am
right in this assumption, because of that
I feel assArod;;s b.tt; Hstake. the liberty of
tuggesling ilasat5 this time your views
and opinions upon the impcnd ing P resi-
;tIcn,ial contest would aforG much graft
Gca,ion to the Democratic and Conser-
valive masses Gf}thS country.
Believe me to be, with great respect,
ever yepfs iesa, WILLlAM IL. ,WsIsI.
Hon. Us. BLAcK.
70 Wigtian q nelss,, Esq Editor Of
the Baltimore Gazette:
MYsDEAa siR;z ! promised the Gen
tleman who delivered your letter that I
would answer it fully ard as soon as l
could consistently with OTHER engage
mcnts. am fulfilling that promise. If
| take more time ana space than might
be expected, yon will please remember
that and agreat maay .other Dem "cr4t s
are in. a posi- ion which requires somc-
thing more than mere definition. We
cannot avoid misconstruction without
furnishing rather full explanation.
| admit that the next President must
be Grant or Greeley. The circrmssan-
ccs of the~.- political situation limit our
I,choiee to these.two men, as strictly as
ifnohody else we e legally ehgiblo. We
must weigh them against ono another,
and. like practical men, decide the case
before US in favor Of the best. Kven if
We find no q oa inreiiher OF them, we
must tike that one who shall appear to
! be least baa
It is undcniable that the leading meas
ures of this Administration are not only
unconstitutional, but anti constitutional,
showing not merely contenptuous in
difference to constitutional obligations,
but Sc tied no .tility to tho g rights OF
the States, and those liberties ofthe PEG
pie which the Gerganc law was made
to secure. The Presidents appoint
rnent of officers and his general exercise
of pubic authority, under the influence
of men who paid him large sums OF mou-
ey, are seandalous odtrnges, and the
effort to defend them has combined with
other like GAUGES 30 exipguish among
his subordinatcs all respect for those
rules of morality which used to BE- hello
sacred. hensweaconsider what these
men have done in the North, and add tt
it the large handed robl o''es perpetrat-
ed in the South by the. retainers of thu
President. with his direct aid and assis
lance, we are compelled to acknowledg
that no other government now in the
world is administered SO entirely for per
sonal and pai tisan purposes, or in suol
complete disregard for the rights ape
interests of the general public. Thi
demonstration is not confined to thu
Executive branch, the tide Of corruption
rolls in upon the Legislative, and il
some places it has risen high enough tt
touch the feet of the judiciary. Ever
the rank and file of the Presidents party
have become debauchcd, let US hope no
altogether, but certainly in fearful de
gree. Acts which in former times /.
hardened criminal would hesitate to wills
per in the ear of his accomplish can nov
be openly advocated by political lea
der, not only with safety, but with
tolerable chance Of being sustained by
sort of public opinion. That love o
liberty and justice which used to pervad
the whole community now "reneges sl
temper" and yields without Resistance
to the unp,incipled demag ogucs VIII
would cnthrone fraud
"Make the hear leprosy adored; place thieves
And give them title. knee aud appreciation
With Senators ON the bench.'
If General Grant had been equal il
mind and heart to the exigeacies Of tn
times, he could easily have made himsel
a great public benefactor. He nigh
hayc pureied oficia.. and political moral
by iipply setting tee example in his owl
person Of clean handed devotion to du
| ~. His oTH obedience to the law
| would hsye restored them to universe
supremacy. An the subjects of tn
| Constitution as rpeited in the preainbl
would have BEEN accomplished but TO
the obsirucsions u if Which,, he himse!
impedca dheMs Unfortunately the IN
terests Of certain rings were in confic
with the IN terests of the country, anc
they, by large presents, seduced hin
into their fcrvice. ;. The public contract
ed to give bim.the salary which his pre-
docessors had been contented with; the
rings offered Elm, more; he accepted theil
bounty, fell over to them, and took the
Government info his hands as "a Black
4, Republican job" -
| Now, as to- Greeley. It cannot bt
pretended that his political life ia very
Symmetrical. He was IN the ranks O
the radica: Abolitionists for good many
years. Thatia bad; for such associs.
/, tion would have natural tendency to de-
base him: But We must not forget that,
! though be was Nth them. he was not al
| ways of them. He refused to be par
taker in their worst iniquities; he bad
! none of their diAbolical hatred for the
Con. titutiop; be did not lend his lips to
their ribald blasphemies,. and bis feet
were never swift in running to she'd in
| nocont blood. Before the great conflict
began, his opposition to the designs of
the Abolitionists against the Federal and
State Governments, inpelled him to the
the opposite heresy Of the seceasionists.
bike the Roman father. who killed his
daughter to save her from worse fate,
he chose to destroy tbs Government.
rather than see it dishonorcd aud violated
by lawless fol CO. When the war was
fragrant, he provoked the EXTREMIST rage
Of bis associates by exerting himself for
peace which would have left al the
people in possession Of their constitution
~ liberties. After the sIaeesof tho con-
tesS. lie WAS Tho nlunna.lll - Arnnnl.r and