The Portland daily press., 1874-03-10
New York. Mar. 8th. 1877.

Revolutions have always been preceded by
warnings, and sometimes averted by timely
heed of them. Popular sentiment is capri
cious and slight causes often give rise to wide
spread discomfort. The present administra-
ton opened year ago with an enormous cap
itAl of public confidence and good will, meri-
toriously earned and ungrudgingly bestowed.
The country looked with pride and admiration
on the record Of the preceding presidential
term, chronicling as it did succession of tr-
umphs in financial policy, diplomacy, human
ity and reconstruction. Assault tested the
strength of the administration investigation
demonstrated its impeccability The Liberal
Republican cheap jacks who peddled out
Islander upon it from the carts tail in every
market place, where they could gather a crowd,
had been driven out of the business amid gen.
eral ridicule or disgust. Their democratic con-
federates seldom had the effrontery to appear
on the witness stand, for the fire of cross-ex-
animation would have consumed them. The
case was clear, the verdict emphatic, and the
finding agreeable alike with the law and the
evidence.
So strong had grown the faith Of the people
in their rulers, that they fast settling into
the conviction that they could make no mis-
takes. The first shock that dispelled this il
fusion, was the occasional exercise of the ap-
pointing power in a manner quite inconsistent
with the theory of absolute infallibility 1t
was not a matter of paramount importance,
but it attracted attention and provoked criti-
cism. There are times when every official act
is weighed and measured-not always with ac-
curate scales-and made the subject of
h. %I,o 1spars bo
swarm in the purlieus of the capitol and gather
up unconsidered triaes in the bar rooms of
Washington. 1t is absurdly irrational to sup
pose that the President can possibly inform
himself in respect to the qualifications of the
persons whom he is called upon to assign to
federal posts throughout all the states and
territories of this great Republic. Let us re-
vert for moment to the recent case which has
stirred all Boston, considerable of Massachu-
sets and part of New England to point of
excitement, almost equal to that which pre-
cipitated the revolutionary war. Gen. Grant
had no means of knowing that Simmons
would be unacceptable to the Bostonians. 10
knows little and cares less about the spirit of
casts which prevails in that city more than in
any community in the land. He named Sim
mons because he was the only candidate sug
gested to him, and bore an excellent reputa
ton as vigilant and capable officer in cog
nate branch of the public service. The fact
that he rose from the ranks of the people and
derived no adventitious consequence from
aristocratic birth, was not objection. to him in
the mind of so thorough a believer in the
doctrine of the superiority of man over his
accidents as President Grant is. If any thing
it was a point in his favor. And it is a curious
fact, by the by, that amid all this storm of re-
monstrance against the appointment, we have
not heard werd in depreciation of the char
acter or capabilities of the nominee.
But Boston is in a fever heat of anger. Sim
mons is North-ender, his parents didn't come
over in the Mayfower, his purple is modern
and not of imperial hue his linen lacks the
ineness of cambria and his name is one that
is not borne on the annals of the ancient com
mon wealth. Had it been Otis or Hancock or
Ada ms or Bowditch Beacon street would have
clai med it for its own, but Simmons-pah!-
what man OF that name ever had his feet
swathed for govt, endured the genteel mar
tyrdom of dyspepsia?
But what passes my comprehension is how
anybody outside of New England should have
taken hand in this fight. 1t was a question for
Massachusetts, to settle for herself When her
Republican Senator had taken upon himself
the responsibility of making decision, courte-
sy and common sense demanded that the case
should be closed, and judgment rendered con-
formally to his opinion. Instead of this, lead
ing Republican Senators joining their hands
with Democratic Senators who might naturally
be counted on to do any thing that would nflict
injury upon the dominant party, took the mat
ter out Of Mr.. BoutwelPs hands and forced the
confirmation through. against the expressed
wishes of every Representative of the State in
either house save three. This is what made
the Massachusetts Republicans ireful, and it
would be surprising if they were not. The
worst OF 1T is that when people get mad they
become unreasoning in their wrath. They will
IN sist upon asseverating that the President is
exhibiting marked partiality for Gen. Butler,
ana allowing him an undue share of executive
consideration. This does not happen to be true,
but it is none the less positively averred and be-
heved. Now the fact is that for whatever APP
parent favor Gen. Butler receives at the White
HouSe he is indebted solely to the preternatural
activity and persistence with which he pursues
his aims. 1t is a temperamental impossibiity
that any solid friendship should exist between
the two men; they are so exceedingly unlike in
all things. The contrast between the reticence
of the one and the volubty of the other is not
more striking than the ethical dissimilarity of
their natures. 1t is no secret that Gen.
Grant held somewhat contemptuous opinion
of Buffers military capacity. 1t is equally no.
torious that up to the day of Grants nomina-
ton for the Presidency, Butler never lost an
opportunity to lampoon him. He assaied him
with such coarse language, and incorporate in
vective, that he always injured himself in the