National Republican., 1875-07-24
IeNoRAEcE Avn nEyoTIoN,

NSA' AnCS olC lOiClOiy ACSoiON " sNS
following clipping from the Fort Wayne
(Indiana) Gazette:
Just now The NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, OF
Washington city, is doing no special good to
the party that it processes TO belong to. It
savagely attacked. Vice President Wilson and
it is now berating Blaine"
The FreHch have 'proverb that "no
man is q hero to his own valet, which
would be applicable to this case if it were
not for the fact that THE NATIONAL Re-
PUBLICAN is the master of the individuals
referred to in this paragraph. The English
spothegm that familiarity breeds con-
tempt" is more applicable while to the
case of our rural. contemporary the words of
Campbell
"'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view,
And robes the mountain In It's azure hue"
are strikingiY pertinent The fact Is, the
average American mind always invests the
leaders of public opinion and political par
ties with attributes Of exalted statesman.
ship. 1t is, therefore, not all strange that
the Gazette, in Its devotion to public men,
of whom in the very nature OF things 1t
can have but an Indifferent knowledge, has
been misled by Its ignorance. Evidently
It's idea Of party discipline requires that
those leaders who have been exalted into
high places by the party shall be sustained
through thick and thin and enjoy perfect
immunity from criticism. We give II credit
for honesty Of purpose and loyalty TO prin.
Ciple, and therefore accept its criticism
with On smisble spirit. We believe, how.
ever, that II Il had enjoyed the opper.
tunity wo have Of watching In per.
son the course Of either Mr.. Vice Presi.
dent Wilson or Mr.. ex.speaker Blaine, Il
would join with us In the belief that neither
one Of them IA the immaculate statesman
II now dreams they both are. Away
of In the distant West the opportunities Of
forming q correct judgment Of the motives
Of men and things In Washington arc nee.
essafIly limited, and are apt 10 be perverted
by theprejudieed explanations Of interested
parties Personal contact and immediate
observation Is alone the sufficient test. For
example, Mr., Wilson has been fortunate
enough to have his many faults hidden or
overlooked by numerous friends until their
repetition since his election TO be Vice Pres
ident has simply become unbearable. Be-
fore that election 1t Is true that he was
prominently in the eye of the people but
his influence was circumscribed, and his
deeds of commission and omission were not
of striking importance. Since then they
have been heralded broadcast over the land
as the acts of the second officer in the Gov
eminent, and have worked more or less In.
jury to the party not that what he has said
or done has been possessed Of intrinsic sig
nifcance, but that the essential weight of
his office has added importance to his every
movement. We believe, as We have said
before, that he has been guilty of many
foolish things, and we have not been
retarded by any false regard for him,
engendered by respect for his posi-
tion, from expressing that belief We
know, and we have the proof of it at our
command, that he has gone out of his way
to criticise the acts and character of his CO.
temporaries in the Government from Mas
sachusetts, as well as to reflect needlessly
upon the Administration, because it has
yielded to the suggestions of others than
himself in the matter Of making appoint
ments from that State. In fact, while as
suming to be the Great Conciliator of the
Republican party, he has latterly never neg
lected an opportunity to stir up strife with
in its ranks by covert suggestions and un-
derhanded methods. We believe he has
been inspired to do this byan overweening
ambition for promotlon-apr promotion which
at one time he believed he could not real
ize unless he succeeded in making Presi-
dent Grant odious to the majority of the
leaders of the Republican party. He there
fore stopped to conspire with o.called Lib
erals for the purpose of creating public
opinion against the President. He dare not,
and will not deny this assertion. Messrs.
WattersoR, of the Louisville Courier.Jour.
nal; Bowles, Of the Springfield Republican;
Halstead, of the Cincinnati Commercial.
Reid, of the New York Tribune, and Dana,
of the New York Sun-all enemies Of both
the Administration and the party--have,
more or less directly, been used by him
for this purpose. But his great.
est sin has been his treachery
10 the Southern Republicans, 30 whom he
owes his accidental nomination at Philadel.
phia. Forgetting or ignoring the debt Of
gratitude he owes them for that act, and
ruthlessly disregardlng the plain dictates of
consistency as well as the pledges of his
party, he has yielded 10 the Establishments
Of the Southern Democratic arlstocracy and
now knows no such thing o. the existence
Of Unlonists In the South, whose devotion
70 Republican principles has been rewarded
by prescription and assassination. 1nds.
pendent and outspoksn Of one time as the
not.very effective ploader Of the cause Of
tho Republicans Of tho South, he gave his
vote for the constitutional amendments and
tho reconstruction acts passed In eonse.
quenee, thereby aiding 10 build up tho 81.
pefstfuetufe Of Fehabllltated Southern poll
tics but has since then deserted those whom
he ehtiesd 10 join the ranks or remain fue
TO tho principles Of his party,
As for Mr.. ex-epeakef Blaine, we have
never failed to yield to him 9 warm reeog.
milton OF his superior merits as leader.
Mr.. Wilson Is no more to be compared 10
him than q rush light Is to the flaming mo.
teor. Yet Mr.. Blaine is far from perfect.
Young, vigorous, ambitious intelligent,
selfpossessed and capable of great achieve,
ments, he has deserved all the success he has
won. There has been no fortuitous accidents
in his career to aid him in his advance
ment. Every step he has taken from the
printers case to the chair of the Speaker oi
the House Of Representatives has been IL
Illustrated with the scars of well-fought bat
ties. We have never detrscted one jot or
title from the reputation he has acquired
as leader; but we have found honest and
earnest fault with him for several impera-
alive reasons. In the first place his desire
for popularity and disinclination to wound
the feelings of former associates combined
to induce him to make weak selections of
committeeman in the last House. But,
like Mr.. Wilson, his greatest sin was for.
getfulness of the obligations due from him
as Northern leader to the men who adyo-
cate Northern or truly national and nom