New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-07-31
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS FRIENDS.

THE PRESIDENT AND HIS FRlENDS.
In the face of many diScouragcmcntS the
Dcople have chung with desperate energy to
their belief in the personal integrity OF the
President 1t has been sometimes at the eX-
pense of his Intelligence, but they have pre-
ferred to believe that either from consutu-
tional inability to discover anything wrong III
his personal friends and intimate associates, OF
his obstinate loyalty to them which refused To
admit question of their integrity, he has al
! lowed himself to be placed in awkward ana
embarrassing positions with reference TO them.
! Notwithstanding his complaints of misrcpre-
| sanitation and abuse, some Of which he has
| erayeJy put before the country i'll official pub
lie documents, the fact is that no person IN
official station has ever received so much con-
sideration, and lad from the people sush
charitable treatment, as President Grant. no
man has ever been attended with such loyal
| devotion, none ever so cordially supporter OF
so earnestly defended. And TINS has been
at some cost, as the Republican party
well knows, to the party leaders and
| the party itself 1t remains 10 be seen whether
! il has not at last cost the party lis ascendency
| in the country, and TUNED over the Govern
| ment to the Opposition The few things Presi-
dent Grant has done during his two terms
which have been creditable to him have been
| most heartily applauded by friend and oppo-
| mont and his grave mistakes have been judged
with much more charity than those OF any
| other public man in the history of the country.
! In the recent developments, however, affairs have
reached such crisis that the party which elected
! him. and which has iyGn him such un5Wcrying
! allegiance aud personal devotion, can do so no
LONGER without putting in jeopardy its own exist
ence. 1t cannet be longer denied that PTeSi-
dent GRANDDAUGHTER knowingly or. ignorant!y
| docs not matter-has elected as bis intimate
ard confidential friends corrupt and dishonest
men. who used his friendship as a cover for
! frauds upon the Government of the most sur
nris;nc character; nor can it be disputed that
! the President has used his Office to protect
| them in their operations, and his power to
pupish and disgrace the Government officials
who undertook to bring them to justice.
The testimony of Mr. Bluford Wilson, late
! Solicitor of the Treasury, discloses state Of
! things which honest citizens will 1cad OF with
shame; an intimacy of rotation between the
President and the whisky cOnspirators which
ONLY falls short of actual completely. We do
not care to dwell upon it, Tho removal Of
honest and efficient officers who have been
active in feIreting out frauds upon the Treasury
and bringing r0gueS to justice, and the rcgu-
lar Executive certiication to the good
character of men who have been
driven out of Office under grave suspicion,
or by the popular sense of decency, have come
TO be something more than condolences. They
illustrate the character, the tendency, the
spirit and purpose OF tho Administration
There is no need of longer attempting to hood
wink the publc or gloss over the conduct of
the President. Nor, we submit, will it do
for Mr. Frye of Maine to talk nonsense
to Congress and the country, AZ lac did
on Saturday, about bringing down the great
/ "name of this great republic in the eyes Of
"the whole world" by Investigations which
bring out facts. The facts and not the in
vestigations bring disgrace upon the country.
The people have seen the President sending
certificates of character to rogues whom the
people drove out of Office, and himself driving
out every officer who had shown zeal and
energy in pursuing rOgues and bringing
them to justice. That is what is disgrace
full about it, and the sooner Mn Frye
! finds it out and stops talking nonsense abous
it the better it will be for his party. The
popular Judgment of President Grants admin
istration is already made up. and cannot be
changed. There is but one question concern
ing it which has any current interest and that
is whether the Republican party proposes to