The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-07-26
What the Germans Think Of Hayes,

gin 10 not seem to lie pleased with
Mr. Rutherford B. Hayes as candi
date for President. Their view of
his character and qualifications was
we'll stated by Mr.. Carl Schurz in
She address issued by the recent
Fifth Avenue Conference, every
word of which came from his PEN
The passage of this address which
came from his pen, The passage of
this address which especially refers
to Mr.. Hayes, and which Mr.. Schurz
told his associat.., on the committee
was specially intended to describe
Hayes, is in the following language:
eve shall support no candidate who,
however favorably judged by his near
est friends, is not publicly known to
possess those qualities of mind and
character which the stern task OF gen.
uine reform requires. In
one word, at present no candidate
should be held entitled to the support
of patriotic citizens of whom the ques-
ton may fairly be asked, rs he really
the man to carry through a thorough
going reform of the Governmentf
Passive virtue il the highest place has
too often been known to permit the
growth of active vice below. The
man to be intrusted with the Presiden-
cy this year must have deserved not
only the confidence of honest men, but
also the fear aud hatred of the thieves"
This agrees perfectly with the
opinion of Hayes expressed by the
Hon. Joseph Pulitzer Of St. Louis, in
a letter from Europe, published in
the St. Louis Times:
"Hayes's nomination means no
change, but rather continuation OF
the present Republican party in power
with the present tendencies. Hayes
means the status quo, and neither
change nor reform; but possibly even
greater rascality than Grant has fas-
, tened upon the country. There is no
reform possible withouta President OF
great will and great ability. Hayes
: certainly has neither, however respec-
tably he may have demeaned himself
as the Governor of a State. His histo
ry while in Congress proves this. He
, wasa cipher there, even when it was
certainly easy to make a reputation IT
: one had any ability at all; and how
E mueh more OF a cipher, then, would he
> be az President In any period. as you
we'll know, a President is after all first
the representative of his party. He
r may be simply an agent. follower OF
s his party. He may be simply an agent
follower of leaders or the leader o;
that party. Judge, then. his future by
lis past, and it is clear that he is not
capable of being leader; and as
i President he never would he anything
|, else than the agent, the office-disbur-
sing and patronage dispensing agent
OF the man who controlled his nomina-
: ton and the party which elected hip
h doing exactly whatever the leaders re-
# CURED of him. Conkling, Cameron
Logan, Blaine, Morton, and at least q
. hundred other Republican Congress
g men, are his superiors in intellect, ca
e pacity, and possibly many of them il
q character. As we'll might We talk of {
! fly leadin. an elephant. l consider
" him piece of lucky mediocrity, an'
10 while know that mediocrity Otter
1t often succeeds much better than meri
n I do not confound the two. His medi
:. ocrity must have secured him his nom
% nation. Certainly, the man who i
10 not fitted to be nationally prominen
is in his party, is still less fit to DO tn
IF successor Of such man rs Grant.
,r grow indignant when I think that sucl
" man hlay possibly be elected Presi
!" dent, especially after the eight years
'e misrnle which Grant has given us, AM
ID the pass to which he has brought tn
ID country politically, materially an
, morally" t.
Perhaps, in the course of the can
a, vass, Mr.. Schurz will explain NOR
n, completely than be has yet done
to how, after first concluding that Nj
,g Hayes was not fit for President, b
of finally came to the conclusion to SUP
D. port this identical Hayes. 1t is nc
~ of much consequence, however, wha
" Mr.. Schurz may say hereafter o
Hayes's personal qualifications. Th
At portrait drawn of him in the abov
extract is too true and too strikin
to be efaced for any artistic aatter
it which it's author may now wish