National Republican., 1873-02-27
THE POLITICAL. s1rr.rInN-

Ionis,,i,io 80. M.aiteTson, the editor Of the
LoulsNlhe Cow1er-J0tp 's,.,, ..h, -. a., ,,,,s
city about week ago, has rcturSso s ~ y 'ni nis
home and treated the Innocent and unsophis,
ucated people Of Kentucky aud the South.
west to an article on the political situation,
which is one Of the most remarkable produc-
tons we have read for some time. Mr.. Wat
tcrson has conjurcd up horrible picture
the future. While here In Washington '
Keen gaze was directed to the Executive VI
sion and To the Chamber Of the House Of
resentativcs. In the one he saw Gen. Gro
planning and plotting for third President
term, and In the other Speaker Blaine risin
up as "the lion in his path" lie solemnly
asserts that the movement against the meet
ing Of the new Congress on the Ith Of March
Is movement against Mr.. Blaine, whose re-
election to the Speakership would give him
power and influence In the country scarcely
lcss than that Of Gen. Grant himself. Around
these two grand central figures the imaglus-
tive Mr.. Wattcrson has grouped a number 81
other gcntlcmon-Mr. Morton aud Mr. wWh.
burnc, our Minister to France, who mac al
any moment, according to the Louisville odi-
tor, step in and drive the principal actprs of
the stage.
When read In Washington all this sounds
rnry funny, but We have no doubt II win
make tremendous sensation in Kentucky.
But there Is something still more ridiculous.
In the opinion Of Ir. Watterson, the Republi-
can party is to be divided, and General
Grants party Is to absorb the Democracy, or
the greater portion Of IL. Mr.. Wattcrson
says "Wo take II, therefore, that, as Gene
raj Grant begins to lose the friends who have
hitherto sustained him so efficiently, and in
losing them loses Ills grip on the Republican
party, he will turn his eyes elsewhere for rc-
cruits. What will he fnd7 He will flnd the
South mlscrably demoraliEed, and ready to
make terms without much consideration with
the power which the South has been taught
by eight years Of wrong to fear and respect,
that is the Administration. He will fnd the
Democracy reader to accept him than the,
were to accept Greeley. These things he
doubtless foresees. A third term, as he
knows, is au anomaly in our pollty. It,
achievement will be an outward and visible
manifestation Of the revolution already ac-
companied In reality. But II cannot be
achieved by the ordinary appliances hitherto
employed In Presidential elections. So, In
order to make his Confederate artillery ef-
fective what must General Grant do He
must prepare the country gradually for q
foreign war. He must push through the
measure Of postal telcgraphy, to which his
Cabinet has addressed itself with proper dill.
genco and forecast. With these two bat.
terics, martial law brought round through
the agency Of foreign war and the COM
mand Of all the telegraph wires In the
country, backed by the opposition and a
broken down soldicry, who arc ready at this
moment to support an empire, and who wart
nothing better than an invasion Of New Erg.
land under the lead Of Sherman, General
Grants road to the crown is by no mcaDs the
Idle speculation Of an cnterprlsing Newspaper
fancy"
We hardly know whether to regard all this
as q Joke or not. Watterson is fometimos
given to joking, but In this instance VIC arc
inclined to think that he Is In sober earnest.
II the old man who personatos Benjamin
Franklin, peddlcs matrimonial pamphlets
around the capital, and holds forth at the
corner OF Seventh street to on admiring crowd
every evening, were TO utter the above, the
District authorities would, In all probability,
consider Il the crowning evidence Of his In.
sanity, and send him to DR.. Nichols asylum,
but what Freddy Coonlhs" may not utter
without danger to his personal liberty the
editor Of the Couricr-Journdl can priut with
perfect impuuity. Not only that, bu what
would be set down Us gIbbcrish and mere
drivcl II uttered by COombs, becomes, IL The
opinion Of thousands, doubtless, pcarls Of
wisdom on the lips Of wattcrson, II ia We
know, waste Of time and space 70 tr,at the
spcculations (perhaps, VIC should have written
hsllu ;inatiOns) Of the Cowicr-Jourual se-
riously to attempt to answer abardltics tia,
answer themselves; but we must tell Mr.,
Watterson that some wRg has ben imposing
upon bis credulity and taking lin as a sub
ject experimenting upon the gullablllty Of
editorial human nature. Gen. Grants oppo-
sition TO the meeting Of the new Congress
has no more to do with the question of Mr..
Blainc's election or non-elcchon as Sneaker
than II has with the editorial management of
Nc Courtcr-JOmndi, or the enterprise of
lt Washington correspondent As for n
lhEd term, VIC believe that II Is the last and
leas' OF Ills thoughts. The monarchical idea
Is too absurd for consideration. Mr.. Waiter
sons aStielo betrays an entire mlsapprchen-
sion OF he character and purpose Of PresI.
dent Grant, which VIC know that gentleman
II he were to give his opinion honestly, is
far from entertaining. No one Of oil our
public men has given stronger or more con.
yincinS proofs of his faith in democratic
government than he has. We use the word
In Its broadest signiAcation. For the last
twelve years he has shown an unparalleled
devotion 10 the Constitution; the most thor
ougb obedlencc to the law. Under his ad.
mlnhtratlon the Southern States have been
restored to their proper relations to the
unbI, and to-day he Is besccching the repre-
sentatives Of the people to guide his steps In
the case OF Louisiana. The record Of his ad-
mnistration, from the close Of which we are
only few hours distant, Is one grand chap
ter Of adherence and devotion to the demo.
cratic idea. Aud VIC have no doubt that the
next four years will be more memorable In
this respect, so far as he ls concer ned, than
even the four years that have all but passed
away.