National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-02-13
MIR. JENNINGS BOOK.

The extracts printed in The NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN yesterday from the bool
which L. j. Jennings, the unnaturalizei
editor of the New York Times, wrote only
five years ago and printed in London, crea
ted, as may be naturally expected, pro
found impression among the leading Re-
publican members of Congress, and indeed
among politicians of all shades of opinion.
Many of them had heard of the work in
question, but had never read it, its circula-
ton in the United STATES having been very
limited. The book was written for the Eng
lish aristocracy, and, of course, could have
no sale here, for the reason that it was a
bitter and venomous attack upon American
institutions. and an argument in favor of
monarchical ideas.
In the extracts which we gave yesterday
it clearly appears that Mr.. Jennings has no
sympathy whatever with our form of Gov
eminent: that he believes ''there is no peo-
pie in the world who read so much and
know so little as the Americans" that the
Constitution has been overthrown; that
''the policy of protection and prohibitory
tariffs which the Republican party has
made its own is a serious clog to the ma
tional progress" that universal suffrage is
failure, and the enfranchisement of the
colored race fatal mistake. He has no
confidence whatever in the Executive, for
the first Office in the gift of the people sis q
prize contended for chiefly by hungry place
hunters or by the obscure and illiterate pup
pets of faction" One year after these
sentiments and opinions were served up in
the London market Mr.. Jennings became
the editor of the Times, and those who
know him intimately assert that he has not
since altered the convictions he then ex-
pressed.
During the last six months the course of
the Times towards the Republican party
has been of such a character that it has
been determined to establish another paper
in New York city, unless Mr.. Jones, over
whom Mr.. Jennings wields some mystic
rious influence, can be induced to unite with
the other stockholders and discharge the
unnaturalized1 Englishman for whom he
has conceived so extraordinary an affection.
Jennings seems to be of the opinion that he
can dictate the policy of the party and make
and unmake men in the Empire State; that
the Times is in position to follow the
Tribune into the field of Independent jour-
nalism. Mr.. Jennings does not seem to
understand that the Times would have died
with Henry J. Raymond if the Tribune
had maintained adhesion::to 1.-THE party, and
that the weekly edition which was built up
to over one hundred thousand circulation
in the Presidential campaign would to-day
be the poor and contemplate thing it then
was lift had not been for the support of the
active men in the Republican ranks who
worked for it in 1872. The trouble with
Jennings is that he imagines that whatever
of prosperity the Times at present enjoys
is due to his extraordinary ability, whereas
it is all fortuitous. The success of the
paper is an accident; its present editor is an
accident, and it is not at all improbable that
he may return in short time to his native
London, as soon as his treachery and utter
lack of principle shall have been exposed.