The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-13
In Texas-The President
win Not Assist tho UsurPation OF
Governor Davis.


Governor Davis.
General Grant has had at last one good
inspiration. His refusal to furnish federal
troops to sustain in Texas an authority ex-
actly similar to that which he formerly fur
nished troops to sustain in Louisiana, his
indisposition to assume once more a RESPONSE
bility as dangerous to himself and his party
as it is threatening to the rights and liberties
Of the people, are worthy especial note at
moment when the Executive seems on the
verge of placing himself in position OF direct
and definite antagonism with his party. Bad
surroundings have been the ruin of rulers in
every age as well as in ours; but in the case OF
General Grant they have threatened not only
! to ruin him, but to ruin him ridiculously-to
tumble him into that particular gulf hitherto
! occupied only by the soreheaded and
| obstructive Andrew Johnson. Grant was
becoming also an obstructive, but for
a reason even less worthy of respect
johnson may have had glimmerings
| of magnanimity in his fancy, and he clearly
had bold ambition. He was at the head of
conquering people, and he endeavored to
tighten the catastrophe of the conquered.
| Many an Executive has tried the same course
before, but never successfully, and in john
sons case it became practically a mere at
tempt to scold and browbeat Congress into
opinions in accordance with his own. But
Grants obstructive facts resulted not from his
having opinions of his own to insist upon
against the will of Congress, but simply from
his confusing and confounding the respective
| functions of two bodies that are near him.
| One of these bodies is the Cabinet; the other
| is the coterie of bis personal associates and
boon companions. He was evidently disposed
to govern by the advice and aid Of this latter
body, and to permit the other, as matter Of
| formality, to register the DEGREES Of acts
already determined upon before they met the
President Naturally the personal associates
of the Executive are not under a sense Of
grave responsibility, and the acts they inspire
indicate the loosest possible notions of moral
and political obligation. So Williams was
nominated for Chief Justice, not because
it was gravely considered that he was
qualified for the post, or that it was
an appointment likely to reflect
credit upon the party to which the country
might be indebted for On addition to the roll
of our great jurists, but simply because some
person interested in Williams more than in
the fame of the Supreme Court had the ear of
Grant or the ear of one of Grants intimates
and insidiously inspired him with On amiable
and foolish impulse It is as great an evil,
however, for the President to be feebly
amiable, like Grant, as to be obstinately
wrongheaded, like johnson. No doubt Grants
dreadful blunder in Louisiana was result Of
the same dwelling good nature. Parties who
organize the seizure Of q State government
can afford to bride the friends Of an Executive
if the Executive is known to be always ready
to yield to his friends opinions and to frame
, his official acts as his friends may desire, and
thus, without personal corruption, without a
faint on his fingers, he comes to govern cor
ruptly. But the determination not to sup
port the fraud in Texas is good sign that q
painful experience has not been lost and that
better counsels have been listened to.
But the decision not to support Governor
Davis is scarcely enough. Texas has not at
this moment that kind of government which
the constitution requires the United States to
guarantee to every State of this Union. 1t
has not government elected by the people ;
but, on the contrary, the last popular vote has
been nullifed, and the government it elected
is excluded by usurpation that, experimenting
the results of popular indignation, calls upon
the general government to sustain it against
the wrath Of people upon whom it has COM
mitted the grossest political outrage. All has
been done, it Is true in the name of justice !;
but the use of that name to cover political
crime is only an additional iniquity. The
! decision of the Texas Supreme Court, which
set aside the results Of the recent election,
was procured for the purpose upon fictitious
case. Il was the last ruse of desperate players
for place and power, and judges of the sort
that rendered it are the loaded dice of political
gamblers they turn up any way to suit the
game. Under the law, which had received
the assent Of Davis as Governor all parties
went into the canvass but when the republi-
cans were beaten by great majority and saw
they must go out, they preferred to declare
unconstitutional the law under which they
have been outvoted and to set it aside and
take no heed Of the election they had joined
in, but to hold on to their places Is this
any more honest than our thieving city can
vassers who, when the election is all over, count
one man in and another out by DIRECT falsifca.
ton Of the returns? Does the fact that It was
done by legal machinery relieve this act of rs
outrageous character Is ] fraudulent cor.
ruption of the very fountain of political life
If the people of this country cannot stand by
the results of clearly pronounced judgment
| at the polls, if that judgment is to be set
aside on one pretext or another by anybody
who may see chance for success, popular
rorarn mani is O fraud o,,d q chara