National Republican., 1875-06-29

the North Carolina delegates to the next Ma
tlonal Convention for him to be the Repub-
licau candidate f.r Vice President. To the
best Of our recollection he did not vote at
all when the question came up, aud MIR.
Ransom was seated. Again, he was
habitually the leaky member of the Senate,
while he held seat on its floor, from whom
the gentlemen, and others who were not
gentlemen, on Newspaper Row obtained
inklings of information regarding the exc
cutive proceedings of that body. So true
is this that the Row" one and all, re-
garded him as a first t-class reporter, and at
later date regretted that his illness de-
prived them of his valuable aid. This may
be a serious charge to make, but his repd
tation for garrulity, firmly established
" herever he is known, will sufficiently
sustain it. No doubt his motives were to
conciliate his political enemies and serve
his friends, but he never succeeded in win
ming the respect of any one by his cOnve-
nient loquacity. When he was elevated to
be Vice President, it was the earnest hope
of his friends, including THE NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN, that he would appreciate the
dignity of his Office and abandon this pc
culiar habit of indiScreet gabbling. But
they were disappointed. 1t is true, he COM
plains that he has no newspaper ''organ"
of his own, but that makes no
difference to him. He means, no doubt,
that he does not own q newspaper as Jay
Gould owns the TribWne, but he makes use
Of the newspapers owned by others the
same Is if he owned them himself. He
has made use of THE NATIONAL REPUBLI-
CAN in this way, notably at the close of the
last session of Congress to explain his
somewhat curious course regarding the
Equalization of Bounty bill. In short,
wherever he takes off his hat, and some
times in the street with his hat ON, he finds
q newspaper reporter, correspondent or
editor, into whose ears he pours his tales
of personal concerns, doubts regarding the
future, and arguments to show why every
thing and everybody ought to be concil-
lated. If, perchance, he does not find one
ready at ha1d he seeks them, as he did in
New York the other day when he climbed
up into the TTibuns's shot-toWer and fired
off an interview heard round the political
horizon. He knew, of course, as he knew
when he told Sam Bowles, OF the Spring
field Republican, and Henry Watterson, of
the Louisville Courier er-JournGI, that the
party was going to the dogs, that he was
giving information to the common enemy;
but the conciliatory spirit was upon him so
strong, and his ambition to make personal
friends so urgent, that he would have
sought to be interviewed by old Clooty
himself. In truth, he nearly accomplished
that somewhat difficult feat, for when he
descended from the Tri5une's tower it was
to pay his respects to Charles A. Dana, the
Pirate of the Press, in his lair, otherwise
known as the sheriff proof sanctun of the
New York Sun. 1t will be difficult to
most men to believe this last assertion, but
it is nevertheless true, that a Republican
Vice President of the United States actually
paid a visit to a man in his private office
who is a refugee from justice, a self-con-
Victed slanderer, q biackmailer, and the
defamer of the characters of two thirds of
the public men of the country, including
Mr.. Wilson himself.
These acts, however, are in keeping with
the motives which prompted him to play
the demagogue in signing the Bounty bill
above referred to. To sustain this sigma
ture under the peculiar circumstances ofthe
case, he searched the records of the Senate
for years, and strained point to establish
q precedent in q similar act of Vice Presi-
dent King He knew that the Treasury
was comparatively empty; that the people
were overburdened with taxes, and that
the debt to be incurred by the final enact
ment of the bill would amount to something
like 800, 100000 His urgent love for the
patriotic men who fought for the Union was
greater just at this juncture than when,
during the war, he reported and secured
the passage of bill to prohibit payment of
forage commutation to mounted officers in
the field; and when, at the same session, he
voted TO increase his own pay as Senator.
But he signed the bill in question, know
ing that President Grant would veto it, for
the evident purpose of makinga distinction
in the minds of the ex-soldiers of the coun-
try between himself and a man whom he
then considered to be possible candidate
for the Presidential nomination. And this
same spirit of jealousy toward the same pos
Sible, though now notprobable, candidate,
subsequently induced him to take sides
with the doubling men of the party, who
opposed any remedial legislation for the
Southern situation.
Mr.. Wilson is man of rare experience,
and one calculated to be leader, although
not possessed of brilliant qualifications, and
it is with regret that we make this record
of his shortcomings; but he has brought the
infliction upon himself. The truly indepen-
dent policy, an explanation of which we
have made in answer to our correspondent 5
suggestions, as the controlling spirit of
these columns, impels us to tear the mask
from his face and expose the hideous de-
formities ofthe man as he really is. 1t is
not too late for him to make amends, how
ever, and when he is content to remain in
his proper position, conducting himself
with the dignity that becomes his office,
instead of descending to controversies re-
garding trifing newspaper criticisms, he
will discover that many of the discomfort
ing thorns which beset his pathway will
be covered with the roses of friendship.
PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS.
A meeting Of the Board of Public School
Trustees will be held tonight, the princi-
nal husiness Of which will he the annoint-