Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-05-18
Chicago Post aud Mail.

Nnlcago foet anu MAIL
Gen. Grants career presents many
analogies to that of the Father of his
Country, in both its successes and mis-.
fortunes. At just about the same peri
cd in Washington's presidential career
that this Belknap blight has fallen on
Gen. Grants administration, Edmund
Randolph, Secretary of State, was ac-
cused of accepting brides to influence
the policy of the country in favor of
France, and against Great Britain.
Confronted with the documents afford
ing evidence of his venality, Randolph
resigned. The President at once not
only accepted the resignation, but kept
its cause a profound secret, until Ran
dolph should be able to construct de-
Tense. Randolph was not impeached,
for the Lower House of Congress then,
as now, was hostile TO the President;
but it so happened that Randolph sided
i'm his views with the House and against
the President.
But his course was very suspicious.
Washington regarded his final ''vindi-
cation" as unsatisfactory in spots, and
mendacious I'M other spots, and Hill
dreth, the historian, says that the Sec'y
although the especial Cabinet confid;snt
of Washington, left office defaulter.
Cheer up, Gen. Grant. You are not
without praoadapf i'm vour misfortune
Neither are you alone i'm the abuse, ma
lignant and disappointed Republicans,
and hostile Democrats, and Infatuated
Confederates are heaping upon you.
Chief Justice Marshall, the great histo-
rian of Washington and his administra
ton, states that the newspapers of the
time, especially those of Bache and
Frenall, hurled upon the original pro-
prietOr of the little Ratchet every cpl
tibet and charge the imagination could
invent. They not only attacked his
administration, his ''cronies," his
kitchen cabinet, his obscure men lifted
to place, while old chaps endorsed by
the party were ignored, but they, with
equal virulence raided upon his private
life, his personal habits, and even his
business honesty, accusing him of pecu-
lationupon the Federal treasury. The last
charge, George w ashington, who had
served through the Revolution without
salary, merely drawing his expenses,
WIS ''bound to notice.
He did SO by statement from the
Secretary of the Treasury, showing that
his salary as Executive, SIS 900 per
year, was entered up quarterly on the
books, but paid from time to time upon
the order of Washington's steward.
Sometimes these drafts overran the en-
try for a given quarter, and sometimes
they fell short, but out of this grew a
charge of stealing against the party
who was ''first in war, first in peace
and first i'm the hearts of his country
men," We do not wish TO unduly elate
! Ulysses by showing to how minute an
extent his public career corresponds to
that of his immortal predecessor; we
might otherwise consider the parallel
on the third term business far enough
to show that the only thing that kept
G.. w. from taking another four years
was lively notion that the misguided
populace, led on by disreputable cabals
and political demagogues, would likely
prevail so far as to beat him at the polls.
The best presidents the country has
ever had have been the most abused,
just as the most clubs are found under
the best apple tree.