The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-09-24
The Presidency--Party Condition
--Vicissitudes of Public Life.-
Messages and Things.
pondence Of the Star.

Correspondence Of the Star
WASHINGTON, September 49,
Every feur years the people Of the United
States have President to elect. Within the
periods which intervene between one election
and another, they have the question, Who is to
be the next PRESIDENT? before them for deib-
eratIon. Forty millions Of Intelligent people :
including men, women, children and persons oi
African antecedents, and ''exclu1i ling Indians,
not taxed" .knowing the things they want ana
putting their minds on it, ought. within that
space Of time to arrive at degree of unanm-
ity. Admitting that parties are so constituted
that agre smcnts between them are impractica-
BILE, each it would seem, should have settled
into something like an understanding who is
the suitable Individual; or should, at least,
have brought the matter to a choice out of q
limited number of ayaiables. Such approxi-
nations, however, do not happen; and, at this
moment, when we are gliding into the mael-
strom of a Presidential campaign. the question
who is to be the candidate OF either party, OF
out of what half-aozcn he is to be selected, is
as far from finding satisfactory answer as it
was three years .ago when 1t was first pro-
poundei.
The effect Of the war of factions in the par
ties respectively, which invariably precedes
the conflict Of parties, is to CT. ate eiimities
which are apt to be fatal to their respective
fayorites, deprecating them In the popular
esteem. and arouaing the energies OF each to
work the defeat OF the other But, at the
present time, there is not so much Of this as
there has been on some other occasions The
existing situati IN may be described as distrust
on the part OF the people Of their public men
IN general, and, in view OF such distrust, per-
plexity on the part of the managing poll
(ticlans. No one IS sure to whose fortunes it is
advisable TO attach himself; and hence there
is weakness in the factionary tenure, anu a
consequent feeoleness in the factiouary move
ments ana policy. II one were to AXE either
party alone into consideration, he could hardly
fail to conclude that lis success at the next
g ection was a thing impossible. This places
the matter, at the present time, In the aspect
Of conflict Of weaknesses; OF which to pre-
dict the result, would be like predicting the
result Of a race between man with wood en-
leg and man with the asthma whose de-
crepitudes are incapable OF comparison.
1h-re is-at least there appears to have
been-a lowering Of the standard OF pubic
men in the United States within the last one or
two generations. Perhaps some Of this is real
and some only imaginary; growing out Of the
more minute knowledge which the public ac-
quires of the character OF its servants through
the enlarged means Of information. 1t is not
unnatural, however, that there should be q
lowering Of the standard. The high prizes in
life are no longer the political prizes. W ith a
population of forty millions more or less, the
States to be made President Of the Republic
and to be kicked TO death by blind mule may
be fairly set down as a thousand to one In favor
Of che latter. The road from the rural districts
to political enlinence forks somewhere between
the provinces and the Capital, the narrow
branch OF the leading to the White House,
tn, broad one to the lobby; and many an AS
piring youth who set out with what he thought
| to be fair prospects of reaching the first, has,
under the force Of circumstances beyond his
control, been fain to content himself with the
last 1nulity.
i,ho average life of a politician after he has
reached the National grade Is about six years.
He has then the choice of a return to a locality
FOR which lie has lost the preference, and to
habits from which he has partei, TO begin life
anew and upon different programme, or to
enter the hospital of political nIcurabies which
surrounds the cilamb where, as a member, he
expatiated, and dine aud sup upon the dfspen-
satfons Of the party providence.
Iiie old South. having no spirit OF Industrial
enterprise, gave It's best intellects to Congress,
and their presence there awakened the emi,la-
ton OF the aspiring young men of the North 10
enter the arena with them IN the conflicts OF
mental giadiation.
All this has changed. There are no Cal
houns, and McDuflies, AMI Presiohs ana
Haypeses ON one side; there are NO Websters,
aud Woodburys, ana Wrghls and Corwins on
the olher North and south aliKe--the f5rmer
from choice, the latter from necessity the
stroug constitutions, the energetic spilits, the
bold tempers and supc, abundant vitafi,ics the