The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-10-07
A NEUTRAL OPINION ABOUT ;ibN.
HAYES.
New York Herald, Sap' n

New York Herald, S'p' a
We print communicated .iom u
respected correspondent, who seems to to
q warm admirer of Mr.. Hayes We must
express our entire dissent from the eulogy
OF this correspondent. So far as we are
able to Judge from his record, Mr.. Hayes
Is a man some parts of whose conduct
may BE- approved, while no part of it can
be admired. We look upon him as a
mediocre, well-intentioned gentleman,
who has been lifted by the accidents of
politics to a position to which he had
no title founded on personal quail
fcations. He has none of the elements
of great and commanding character;
neither the breadth of intellect, the force
of will, nor the sscendency over other
men with which nature stamps n man
born Tor leadership. He is immessurably
inferior to Morton, Blaine, Conkling,
and half dozen other Republicans that
might be named, in the qualities which
fl man for influence over other
minds and make him felt as po-
tent force in politics. We be-
Heve MIR. HAYES to be honest, but
not more homes. than hundreds of thou
sands Of citizens who are plain tilers of
the soil, or who gain their livelihood by
mechanical skill. He is not eminent as
a LAWYER was not eminent az soldier,
he made no figure in Congress as leg
islstor. and there are probably few
counties in Ohio, which could not fur
nish as useful Governor. We have
nothing 10 say against the services
rendered in public stations by well!
meaning mediOcrity, but We are unable
to see t6a, d small man is rendered great
or admirable by nomination for the
Presidency.
Our correspondent maintains that Mr..
HAYES, If elected, Will free himself from
party trammels and exercise noble in
dependence, guided only by justice. We
wish We could believe 50; but We are un-
able TO find anything in Mr.. Hayes
career to warrant 50 pleasing al eXpecta-
ton. During the three wears he was in
Congress he was rs Obedient to party
behests az the mob of ordinary members.
That was the period of enormous land
grabs for railroads, and the record proves
that Mr.. Hayes voted for them all. 1t
would be a poor compliment TO his sa-
gaclty TO say that he acted in ignor-
snce; but hot even this lame
excu.e can be pleaded, for Nir Elibu
B. Washburne. our Minister to
France. was then-in the House. and dis
tinguished himself by q bold and vjcor-
Gus opposition to these wasteiu'. sw'nd-
ling grants of the public lands. untor-
tunately for the claim of Independence
which is set up for Mr.. Hayes, he never
voted on such occasions with NJ. Wash
burne, but always with the msjOrity OF
his party. Our correspondent seeks ma
terials of eulogy in Mr. Hayes action as
Governor of OhIo, but be fails 10 addUce
single instance IN which Governor
Hayes has acted in opposition to his
party.
Our correspondent asserts that on the
Southern question the managers of the
Republican canvass "audaciously mis-
represented their candidate We
are told, with great emphasis,
that Governor Hayes deprecates
the waving of the "blcody shirt and
"does not believe in new stirring up of
suspicion, hatred and strife" Conced.
ing that these are the real sentiments OF
Mr.. Hayes, they Only prove what