The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-09-16
GRANTS DECENcY-Tr Is WONDER
RUG.

GRANTS DECENcT-IT Is WONDER
FUL.
1t WAS thought, since Grants daughter
had welded respectable English gentle
nldn. that he would have seen that the
United States was at least respectfully rep
resented In London; but the Emma Mine
swindle and the book on poker and vulgar
instincts of the American plenipotentiary,
Gen. Schenck, induced the London SataT-
day ReViese only few days ago to say that
this honorable position was one of the
few in the American service generally re-
served for gentlemen" But Schenck is
not the only parasite of Grant who has dis
grSced his countrymen abroad. The Presi-
dent had preacher and brother-in-law, at
Copenhagen or perhaps at some German
court, whose coarseness and assumption of
unnatural dignity made the country, as
represented by the vulgar boor absolutely
barbareus and brutal. These facts justify
the World in saying that no other President
has ever shown in his appointments to high
public office so cynical contempt not only
of political considerations but of the good
opinion of decent men. President
Grsnt's acts and his associations are
open. to the general observation of
mankind. A President who began his
career by driving through Broadway in the
carriage of scoundrelly speculator, and by
visiting places of public entertainment as the
guestof James Fisk, Jr., and who constant
ly comes and goes in the public eye, atten-
ded not by statesmen or men of acknowl-
edged eminence, either in public or private
life, but by personal favorites and by dull
persons of whom nothing is known but that
they are erich" and delight in vulgar osten-
tation, has justly exposed himself to the i'm
putation that he keeps men like Gen.
Schenck and Mr.. Delano in office not be-
cause he believes them to be illuminated
really care whether they are or not. Within
the circle of his own family connections
President Grant has put persons into high
positions of whom it Is impossible that he
should not have known them to be dlsrepu-
| table and unfit for the public service. The
miserable blockhead Kramer, whom he sent
to Denmark; the ignorant, scottish and stu
pid Hudson, whom he inflicted upon Cen
tral America; Casey, the intimate of drunk
ards and gamblers, whom he made and
keeps collector at the great port of New Or
leans; these are all men so nearly connected
with him that he cannot possibly have been
in any doubt as to their qualities and their
| habits before he commissioned them in the
name of the country they have disgraced.
| Where man is urged upon President for
public appointment by political leaders,
who, after receiving the appointment
asked for him, turns out to have been al
ways blackguard. the fact that in his of
| flee he behaves like blackguard cannot
always be fairly charged as an offense
against the President who appointed
him, since it is morally impossible that
the most palnstaking and conscientious
| President should have direct personal
knowledge of the qualifications of every
man whom he puts into public position.
| But in the instances which we have cited
President Grant not only knew more about
the men whom he appointed than any of his
Ministers or advisers; he actually was the
only person connected with this govern
ment who knew anything about them.
They were his own people. He went into
his own house, woke them up from drunken
| \ Il HI .oho 4 koI
clapped them into high public offices, to
waste the revenues and disgrace the name
of the American people. They were not
forced upon him by powerful political in
fuences. They were not even forced by
him upon the political party which used
his military reputation to keep itself II
power. They are his own personal con-
tributions to the ''civil service" of the
United States. Who can wonder, then, al
the absolute indifference with which he re.
CARDS the discreditable and dishonorable
conduct of other public officials not of his
own personal household? 1t is not only that
he shrinks from applying to the nominees Of
his political supporters and advisers tests
which his own creatures could not for a mo
ment bear. He really cares nothing what
ever about the matter, save SO far as the
public clamor provoked by the official mis-
conduct of his appoiptees may anney or in
jure himself. The moral fibre of President
Grant, in other words, is so coarse and worr
that it gives no response to acts involving
only shame for the American nation anC
damage to the public interests. He ''re
serves neither "high" posts nor low il
the public service for gentlemen, becaus
he neither knows nor cares what thos
things are which constitute gentleman,
nor sees any reason why such things shoult
be expected of puolic officer in an.
branch or station of the public service.