New-York tribune., 1874-06-24


yation, large experience, ciear-seeing ana
far-reaching sagacity, cool determ'na"on
and self poise, tolerant ana cathohc
temper, and so!idity of character
which would compel popular trust and conn.
dence. Questions of reform in administration
invited sterling integrity, fertility Of resource
and fearlessness of power. A confessedly cor
rupt system of politics called for men OF
earnest purpose, aud the ability and deter
mination TO resist the Establishments Of au-
thority and the temptations OF ambition In
short, the unmistakable indications OF The
breaking up of period Of greed that followed
logically and naturally period OF war;
called for men large enough to appre-
hend tho conditions of this transition state,
and to meet its exigences. We think
we do not err in saying that the country
has waited and watched as it waited
and watched during the first years of the war
for the man or men for the occasion. VIII
any one say we are wrong In the cOnciu-
sion that il has been disappointedf The only
men who have at all distinguished themselves
during the session are two or three VINO nave
hardly had time to develop their capacity
the new men like Mr.. Jones in the Senate
and Mr.. VIM. Walter Phelps in the House.
The cOnspicuous men to whom the people
looked most hopefully, through lnhrmity Oh
temner. lack of fiber and cOnstancy, OF or
largeness of vision, fear of power or ldolatry
of party, have almost without exception ta'led'
Though there are not moro than half
dozen men, perhaps, in both Houses OF Coh-
ercss who are recognized as Presidential can
didates, it is safe to say that not with the
most careless aim could a pea be snapped
from the gallery of Senate or House into the
body of either of those august assemblies
without hitting some one who has thought OF
the Presidency in that misty hopeful way In
which in some gambling games men put down
ten cents for chance to draw thousand
dollars. (And this, by the way, Is about tne
proportion of most of the lnyestmentsD III
any Of these gentlemen proposed to make
demonstration of fitness for that high ONCE
obviously this session opening with such a
complication of issues and snarling up oil par
ties about them was the opportunity. Let us
look along the shore and see what has be-
come of the leading statesmen whose op-
portunity it was. Here are the remains
of Mr.. Oliver P. Morton, wrecked on the
theory of initiation and the mistaken notion
that the President and the party were deceived
by his falacies. BY the side of him, MI.
John A. Logan, thrown up so high that his
own State Convention declined to put lever
under him. Then there's Mr.. Roscoe Conkllng
"A great man dOubtless-whO has chiefly dis
tinguished himself by vindicating" MIR. Car
penter and despising the press. His onslaught
on the press in the attempted passage or
..h ohn
from criticism disposed of whatever prospects
were left him alter the President took
Jones into his confidence. In tho House,
Mr.. Dawes has repeated himself in critl-
cising the Administration for extravaganza,
and then-lke the Deacon, who, after he had
confessed his unwOrthiness, got mad at an un-
godly person who testified to the truth of the
confession and kicked the too willing witness
out of the church turning with burning In
dgnation upon the opposition who accepted
his structures as true and just. If this were
not enough, his connection with the Sumner
succession and Mr.. Butler would have finished
him. And Just here, too, we may view the
| remains of Mr.. George s. Boutwell,, who, be-
| tween Butler and Richardson. came to grief.
Mr.. Garfield has again stumbled on COM
promise as he did in the Salary Grab. Gen.
1
Hawley of Connecticut has, with a generally
good intent and honest purpose, exhibited
fatal infirmitles of temper, that deprive him
of influence. Speaker Blaine has slipped once
in losing his self-command in q position where
it is most required, has the Civil Service Com
mittee to answer for, and has been cOnspicu-
GUS in efforts to patch up compromises be-
tween an honest currency policy, and the per-
petuation of dishonored promises to pay. But
why lengthen the list The first session Of
the XLIIId Congress has closed and developed
no great statesman, no hopeful Presidential
candidate. The shore is strewn with the
wrecks of great regulations. Only two men
come out conspicuous. Butler for pure cussed-
ness and Grant for pure luck. And this Con-
gress has another session before it. The
| country cOntemplates it with shiver.
50 EASY TO LIE