The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-26

|
fortune to the city, which expects from the
new administration the removal of that mis-
fortune, and which feels assured there can be
no success to Mr. Wickham's Mayoralty 80
long as he prefers to be the vassal of the
Comptroller rather than the Chief Executive
of the metropolis.
New Career for General Grant.
! One of the most characteristic stories we
have heard of General Grant was related by
| the members of committee OF Louisianians
who waited on him couple Of years ago to
| lay before His Excellency petition of the
mercantile community Of New Orleans, pray
ing him to remove General Casey from the
Collectorshp. Accompanying this petition
were affidavits and other papers showing con-
clusively the unfitness of Casey for the place.
and one OF the committee, after mild address
setting forth the nature and reasons of the
request. handed the petition and accompany
ing documents to Mr. Grant His Excellency
had listened silently to a good many ugly
truths about his brother-in-law. and the COM
mit,ee did not doubt that they had brought
conviction to his mind He fumbled the
papers for minute in embarrassed silence
and then remarked. with vexed and puzzled
expression of face: -''Wel WE'LL but what
can l give General Casey. Who're can put
him?" The committee were intelligent enough
| to see the situation and as they had not come
prepared to suggest General Casey's transfer
to another and perhaps more lucrative post
they had the good sense to bow themselves
out OF the presence in silence.
| Remembering this incident it occurs to us
that one Of the main reasons why Mr.. Grant
hesitates about resigning the Presidency is
that nobody has yet suggested another place
| for him, and there seem to be so few vacan-
cies! Sherman is General of the Army and
in the enjoyment OF the most ridiculous good
health. The Office OF Quartermaster General
is lucrative, but it can with more proprety be
| held by General ingalls,, or by subordinate
member Of the family. The Col!ectorshp of
New York is a good fat sinecure, and con-
venient to Long Branch but, alas, His Elk
celency s.successor might bestow it on some
body else.
The situation was becoming embarrassing
| to us, for we feel in manner responsible for
MIR. Grants future; having advised him to re-
sign, we do not mean to let him suffer loss
Fortunately, once more, reference to his
last annual Message, that precious repertory
of wisdom, helped us out. On the thirteenth
page of this document we found suggestion
which persuades us that when he wrote it Mr.
| Grant had already conceived the great and
popular idea Of abandoning the Presidency,
and with the prudent torethought for which
the family is noted and Of which he has so
eminent share, took care to provide an OPEN
ing for himself His Excellency recommends,
for reasons which he says 'are obvious"
meaning probably that they were obvious to
! him as he wrote, ''the establishment of pro-
fcssorship of rhetoric and English literature
at West Point"
Could anything be better ?-more accu-
rately suited to his genius? Cincinnatus re-
turned to the plough; aud it is probable that
he made poor fist OF it too. What a noble
example of retiring worth the world will see
in Professor Grant, at West Point, teaching
the nascent Napoleons the value of periods,
the importance Of the rising infection, and
the arts and articles OF style in general; the
meaning OF the ''middie term and perhaps
| the absurdity of third term, There will be
people, We suppose, contemplate enough to
| say that a man who never reads anything is
hardly fit TO be professor of literature. But,
we scornfully reply, be will be as fit for this
Office as Casey or Cram,r or Orvile Grant are
for the places they hold; and if His Excel
| lency does not read he does better he writes,
and he can carry to West Point with him, in
a -four barrel, collection OF his own mes
sages as conspicuous examples in literature.
What fine word, for Instance, is sciences
sity!" 1t could be Introduced at West Point
with the greatest success for some of the
young fellows there would see at once the
'selt-necessity' Of leaving their bills unpaid
and the 'self-absurlity' to speak-of
making themselves Unhappy about the regrets
of their creditors, jus as Mr.. Grant the other
day, noticed the ''seltnecessity" Of dispensing
Legislature at the pont Of the bayonet. And
then whata noble reflection is found in the same
Message, where he relates, in spirit of graft
tude to the Giver of al good, that, hard as the
times are, 'three Clements of prosperity to
the nation--capital, labor, skilled and I'M
skilled, and products of the soil-still remain
with us!" Or what could be finer or more
perspicuous than his axiom il politi-
cal economy, which he filings out care
lessly as men cast pearls before swine
| t.aJo. - -. IL