The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-12-02
POOR GRANT.


press what it was pleased to denomi-
nate the popular contempt for dis
statesman and ex-Presi-
dent by the depreciatory exclama
ton, "poor Pierce" The man who
received six years ago the sycophan-
tic adulation of the enlightened
Northern people, and who was no
more worthy of it then than now, has
succeeded to the title thus conferred.
Journals and politicians who made
the air resound with never ending re-
petitions of Grants wonderful mill
tary achievements, prophetic fore
casting Of the civic renown sure to
crown his Presidential career, are
now berating his stolidity, obstinacy,
self-conceit, ineptitude, nepotism and
general worthlessness. The mans
real character is gradually unfolding
to the astonished gaze of his quon-
dam admirers, or rather the film that
obscured their vision is growing less
opaque, and they are now realizing
what he is and always was. That he
| is a low man with low instincts has
been so apparent from numerous acts
that the wonder is how any one but
tt e negroes should have thought
otherwise, and when Beast Butler be-
came his Congressional mouthpiece,
and paraded his influence with trucu-
lent insolence by securing the APP
pointment Of one Of his pals as Col
lector at Boston, while the public
conscience was outraged, the public
Judgment failed to see the true bond
Of union between these two. That
bond is their similarity of tastes,
their common belief in the infamous
maxim that "every man has his
price," their want of faith in the en-
during power Of mems higher and
nobler instincts, their incredulity of
the existence of such instincts, their
common passion for greed and pelf,
and the malignant vindictiyeness
that is the moving power in each of
their hearts.
Not only are political morals of
these two men of the same base order,
but their personal vices bear resem-
blance. Neither is conscious of any
special unseemliness in repeated vio-
lations Of social propriety, nor have
either any just conception Of the de-
gradction that attaches to compan-
ionship with knaves. Grant has at
no time done a more characteristic
act than inviting to a reception in
honor of his newly married son one
of the Washington Ring, who was at
the moment on trial for a felony in
one of the Courts of the Capital
This was only last week. The New
York World very truly reflects the
sentiment ofall decent people in say
ing of certain good intentions, sup
posed to have lately found lodg-
ment in the Presidents mind, "To
credit him with such an intention is
to credit him with political percep-
tons and political purposes which he
has never given any, even the faint
est, indication that he either possess
es or cares to acquire. It is rather
worse than absurd to talk of the DO
litical aims and the political con-
science of President who responds
to the popular vote Of November 8
by going openly into a Criminal
Court of the District of Columbia a
fortnight afterwards and taking dis
reputable legal hack of the Washing
ton Ring out of the dock in which he
stood arraigned for felony, and in
viting him to share the Inequalities
Of the Executive Mansion of the
United States and to join in doing
"honor" to the son and daughter-in-
law of the Chief Magistrate of "a great
people. 1t is skretch of courtesy,
indeed, to attribute "aims" of any
sort, and 'conscience' of any sort
to such a President"
It is the utterances of such a man
thstt the American people are now
awaiting, not with hopes of hearing
stattesmanlike, but rather
with curiosity to see with what OBJ
stinate stolidity this political manni-
kin will endeavor to enforce l. policy,
by the country with such
conspicuous unanimity. We predict
that his Message of next Monday
will be received with contemptuous
scorn by the South, and jeering ridi-
Guile by the North-that the men of
brains and character of the Republi-
can party who have hitherto borne a
not nnWi1linr a11eoiance To him will