The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-01-11
THE PRESIDENT OF 'ralE UNIT.
ED STATES. S


OOAs Va Uu0 O1O0O 0V8Cc9 no u6S
not had an easy time. I think that
# he had his choice, he would pre-
fer to 60 back and fight the battles
Of the Wilderness over again than
to have to fight the battles which
have beleauguered him since he has
been President of the United States
I do not propose to discuss now
the merits or dement's of Gen.
Grant as he stands in the light
of the present day. I think we
shall not know what he is until he
is dead, or until he is out of Office
ten or fifteen years; and in twenty
years hence / think there viii be
scarcely any doubt that for general
good, for sturdy honesty, for wis
dom, gathering with experience, he
has proved not simply agood Pres
ident, but a. good = President as
stands in the long list Of Presidents
that have sat in that chair. CCheers ]
We all were glad to take his SER
vices at the head Of the army, and
we did not stint out praises over
the services which he rendered in
those trying times, and it was not
his ambition that took him to the
Presidential chair. He was a SOL
der essentially, and not an educat-
ed politician. When he went to
the presidential chair at the call Of
the people of the United States, the
impression which the whole people
had most mischevious impress
sion-was that this Government
could be run by the common peo-
pie and the politicians be kicked
out. Now when you can run a
mandatory with all The trained
operatives turned out and young
men put in; when you can run
commerce withan the wise old mer-
chants on one side and the inexpe-
rienced clerks on the other side
managing the business, then you
can run this complicated govern
ment of the United States by ex-
GLIDING politicians. You ought to
exclude poor ones as you would ex-
clude poor material in every day
life; but the government must be
conducted by men who study gov
eminent; men who are not anna
terrs, but who make it the business
of life. There should be y public
sentiment that would make young
men consecrate themselves to po-
itical economy, to Legislation, to
all the great questions which be-
long to and are connected with the
institutions of sush great people
as we are, and which they should
make their life business; they would
be politicians in the better sense of
that term-they would be patriots
and instead Of being excluded,
should be the men on whom to lean
and trust. Now, Gen. Grant went
to the presidential chair bearing
with him this foolish idea of wiping
out the great mass of the politicians.
They were described as bargainers,
and corrupt, and desiring their own
selfish ends. Doubtless; but if you
don't have q government until you
have angels to administer it, you
will have a long interregnum in
this country. Laughter. And
the first mistake that was made was
not made by Gen. Grant, but by
the people who put him there, who
told him to go to Washington and
administer the government after q
certain manner-and he did, and
what was the result! The result
was that as soon as anybody else
he saw his mistake, and he began
to lean toward the politicians. He
did not like them; he hated them.
In making his early selections of
confidential advisers, I don't know
that he was the wisest man. He
was transplanted from q congenial
to an uncongenial soil, but my Inn
preston is now that the four years
he has been there he has been learn
ing, and now he is better prepared
/ to sit in the presidential chair than
any other we could have selected
GApplause.1 You talk to me about
q brilliant President briliancy is
all very well; but think that a man
may be an orator, and need not be
handsome, and may be handsome
without being an orator. A man
may be q President without q par
ticle of brilliancy, and be wise,
steadfast, sagacious, sincere, stand
ing by his friends, carrying out the
behests of the party that elected
him, having his eye on the great In
terests of the country, and not on
his own petty interest. Grant has
one fault which I will never pardon
he does not know how to cut 9
dash Laughter The does not know
how to make show for the sake o.
enjoying it He is modest; he il
simple. When he was called te
leave the chair when our lamenteG
friend and neighbor, Mr.. Greeley
'ay in state, he blushed like q schoo
soy, and walked down the brosi
! isle, and had the eyes of the con
yreeation fixed upon him. He wa
% me refreshing sight, bed Of
tulips was not more refreshing thai
10 see q blush on the war-ike fac
# the President of the Unitet
States. He does not make grea
leal of show. He does not ik
PROFESSIONS, to appear in uniform
pr to make speeches, he is taciturn
md the American people could no
ave put in the Presidential chair
nan so unlike the variety of popu
lar men az Gen. Grant Our pee