The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-05

President Grant delivered yesterday his
second Inaugural Address to the people of the
United States, and his words will be read
with deep interest by millions on both sides
of the Atlantic. Both the matter and the
style Of the concise document which will be
found in the HERALD to-day will, no doubt,
| be criticised freely, and not always In
friendly spirit but if it cannot be classed as
great State paper it certainly makes up in
honesty and sincerity for all it may lack in
| diplomatic tact and finished rhetoric. AS
composition it is faulty, and some of its posi-
tons are fairly open to criticism; yet, as a
whole, we recognize in it On earnestness
which promises more positive policy on the
part of the administration during the next
four years than has prevailed during the term
that has just closed. In his first Inaugural
President Grant accepted the responsibilities
of the high position to which he had
been called without fear but he
indicated that he should have no
policy to urge against the will of Congress.
In his present Address he reminds the people
that he enters upon his duties aided by his
tours years experience in the Office, and he
implies that the period of inaction has passed
and that the time has come, with the COM
plete rehabilitation of the States for the agita-
ton of new and important questions If from
this we are to conclude that Congress is no
longer to be suffered to shape the national
policy at its will, and that the President will
refuse to continue mere instrument for car
rying out the schemes of political party
the foreshadowed change will be hailed with
satisfaction by the country. In the recent
election. the popular voice declared unmis-
takably for General Grant the soldier of the
Republic, and not for the republican party.
| In the early State elections, unaided by Gen.
eral Grants name, the republican banner was
trailed in the dust or the large republican ma
| jorities were so greatly reduced as to render
success almost defeat But in November,
under the influence of the Presidents
strength, nearly all the States of the Union
ranged themselves on the republican side
with their old-fashioned votes Since the
close of the campaign facts have been de-
veloped which have not served to increase the
| popularity Of republicanism, and President
Grant cannot with safety identify his present
| term of Office with that party and its policy.
| Fearing the consequences of the recent dis
closures some of the republican organs are
striving to fix the stigma upon individuals
and repudiate the idea that the party is in any
manner responsible for their acts. This
might be all very well if the republican ma
jority in Congress had not, by condoning the
offences of individual members, become q
party to the crime. The Senate spoke for the
republican party when it endorsed Patterson,
no breath of censure for Logan and Wilson.
The House of Representatives spoke for
the republican party when it whitewashed
Garfield, Kelley, Dawes, Bingham and
Scofeld and shrunk in a cowardly manner
from the expulsion of Brooks and Ames.
When President Grant holds out the expecta-
ton that he will no longer have no policy to
urge against the will of the Congressional
majority he meets the popular sentiment, and
excites the hope that in his present term of
office he will be less under the influence of
the politicians than he has been during the
term which has just closed
We must look to the brief illusions in the
Inaugural for indications as to what the new
national policy is likely to be. We find in it
the expression of firm conviction that ''the
civilized world is tending towards republican
ism, or government by the people through
their chosen representatives and that our own
great Republic is destined to be the guiding
star to all Others" Entertaining these views
it is not. possible to understand how
the President can refrain from adopt
ing warmly the cause of the Cuban repub-
Ecans, or refuse to extend to them
that aid which is their due from the "guiding
star of republicanism to the civilized world"
The President, however, seems rather to in
cline towards annexation to our own Republic
than towards the formation of independent
republics as our neighbors. He takes occasion
to controvert the argument that an extension
of territory must necessarily give us an in
creased navy, and insists that such increase
might rather enable us to diminish the force
In the case of the proposed annexation of st.
Domingo the President adheres to the opinion
that he was right in his policy and that Con-
gress was wrong; but at the same time he
somewhat sharply announces that in future
the subject of the acquisition of territory
must have the support of the people before
he will recommend any proposition looking
to such acquisition. The allusion to
ST. Domingo, accompanied by repudia-
ton of the idea that governments become
weakened and destroyed by reason of an
extension of territory, may possibly be adj
judged an attempt to encourage hope and
faith in the new speculative settlement of
SANTANA Bay but we prefer to regard it as an
evidence OF the enthusiasm OF the President
in the cause of republican government. We
believe. however that the wise policy of the