New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-06

| Tho Oppositien'' Politically Bankrupt
The Joseph's coat politicians of many
colors who make up the incOherent agglom
| Grafton of spoil hunters sometimes styled
.'the opposition" are more concerned thar
any other inhabitants of this planet in the
construction which shall be put upor
Grants epistolary third term double ender
"Opposition" has been to these political
hucksters their sole political stock in trade
ANY time since Grant became head of the
administration, had they been required to
state their political purpose, they would
have responded promptly enough, "opposi
tionr'
Opposition to what Tell us, pray, wha,
it is you oppose, that we may at least intel
ton to swindling rag money system
| "Well, not exactly. Some OF us are op
posed to the rag money swindle; but more
of us are in favor of it. We can not say
that we mean opposition to that" Do yos
mean, then. opposition to the protective
tariff swindle "SOme of US are mildly
opposed to the protective swindle, but some
of us are vehemently in favor of that mode
of piracy. No; we do not mean opposition
to that" Well, do you mean opposition to
the present corrupt and degrading civf
service system "Not that; we ore opposed
to all the otficeholders under the present
system, but we are not opposed to the sys
tenn" You are opposed to the present
officebolders2 THAT is it. We are op
posed to the present administration; to the
party in power; to Grant and the rest OF
them" And what. pray, do you favor
"Well, sir, anything to beat Grant"
This is about as intelligent and rational
an account Of ''the opposition" as any pre-
fessional politician among 'the outs can
bs got to give of the mythical nonentity to
which that term is applied. 1t is not pt
litical party. 1t is nothing that can be fixed
or identified by any definite political pun
pose whatever. 1t represents neither de-
fined nor q definable policy on any political
subject. 1t advocates no political measure;
proposes no political end. 1t is simply a
negatiOn: but not even negatiOn of any
political purpose. 1t is a mere personal no:
and the rest of the national officers constl-
tuting the body and tail Of ''the administra-
ton"
Cne presumed ambition of Mr.. Grant to
continue in the presidential office tor an
other Olympiad has constituted the whole
political capital of these Opposition" polit-
ical hucksters. To excite the passions of
the unthinking by the cry of "Cesarism, -
and to work upon the prejudices and super
stitions of men by ascribing every evil con
sequence of bad political systems to the
individuals appointed to administer them,
have comprised the whole body of the top
position" political literature since the con-
clusiOn of the civil war
The resolution Of the otficeholders' cor
ventiOn in Pennsylvania against continuing
Grant in Office was an unpleasant disap-
pointment to "the opposition" bucksters.
The appearance Of Grants equivOcal letter
was a surprise; but its pitiful eguivocation
encouraged them to cOnstrue its meaning
fhav- tad IN, houy -
a rebuke to the Pennsylvania convention,
and as q declaration of Grants candidacy.
That its double facedness invited such a
construction can not be denied. But it also
invited the contrary construction, and the
latter has been very generally put upon it
by leading "organs" and politicians upon
whose support Grant must depend for the
realization of any third term" ambition he
may possess. This construction of his epis-
tolary double .ender by his own presumptive
partisans amounts to kind of authorita-
tive definition of it's meaning which Grant
can not and will not dare to repudiate, and
which, unless he shall repudiate it, puts
him as etfectually off the presidential course
as would an unequivOcal declaration to
that effect over his own signature.
1t is this construction of his epistle more
than anything the epistle contains, which
worries the political hucksters of "the oppo-
sitiOn." With Grant no longer an aspirart
to be his own successor, their whole politi-
Cal stock in trade is closed out. That to
which they were opposed no longer appears
as an object of opposition. "The admins
tration" being ready to step down and out.
what is lett which this Opposition, con-
sisting in nothing but a personal negation,
Can propose to combat! No longer able to
orally the boys" for "any hing TO beat
Grant," by what cry will it rally them7 No
longer able to carry on business on the ex.
hausted capital of bankrupt personal ne
cation, what reason can it assign to 1.-THE
people" for its existence9-C Chicago Times.