The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-23

President Grants Party Coup dEtos'
The President has done at last what the
HERALD strongly advised him to do nearly
two months ago. and the effect is electric
The appointments made yesterday are not
only the greatest sensation but the most i'm
portant event which has yet happened in
connection with the Presidential canvass
The clear indication Of his purpose which
General Grant has now given puts quite a
new face on tho politics of the republican
party. The apparent apathy Of the Presi-
dent has left the party without any directing
head, and it was rapidly disintegrating into
factions and bodies Of political stragglers.
There were almost as many Presidential
candidates rs there are distinguished men
in The party; and they have been manmu-
wiring against one another and pouring hot
shot into one another as if they he'd
no need to unite and exert their
whole strength against the common enemy
What the President did yesterday is a COM
nand from headquarters to combine the scat
tered columns and put them in compact
array for the coming battle
It is interpreted as movement in favor of
Conkling, but it is rather movement toward
party discipline and efficiency. OF late tho
party has ''wobblcd;" it needed to be
steadied. It's squabbling candidates have
been pushing their claims on grounds that
were subversive of the phalanx-like strength
and solidity essential to success against a
powerful enemy. Mr. Morton has mar
shalled his forces like lame Mephisto-
pheles--a weird giant of o candidate who
waved the bloody shirt. Mr.. Blaine has
figured in the canvass as the ''artful dodger,"
skilled in political intrigue. with an unsur-
passed faculty of making little strength
look like great deal. Mr.. Bristow has been
the cynosure of political sentimentalists;
Mr.. Hayes the whispered candidate who
played upon the sense of mystery and was
expected to start up and expand, all of q
sudden, like tho poodle in Faust" into a
spectre of wonderful dimensions. A truly
fantastic canvass, as it has been managed by
the caprices of these motley aspirants But
General Grant now comes upon the scene
with the authority Of leader and under
takes to abate this distraction. If he favors
Mr.. Conkling it lis probably because Mr.
Conkling has INDUCED in none of the
vagaries of his rivals, has cut no antics, and
has sought success only by steady adherence
to the recognized and settled principles of
the party. His corps is selected as the best
nucleus for restoring discipline and re-
awakening party loyalty. IT, when the repub-
lican army has been organized, he shall be
found the strongest and most deserving, the
party may be united on him ; if not, he and
his body of disciplined supporters will ex-
hibit their party loyalty by supporting the
candidate who has the best prospect of
success But at all events General Grant has
determined to rescue the party from its chaotic
condition and make it formidable to the
common foe He begins this work with the
aid of Senators Conkling and Cameron, be-
cause they are stanch party men and work
by party methods. When the discipline Of
the party is restored they will doubtless be
as ready to support the candidate who shall,
on the whole, seem the strongest as they are
to aid the President in bringing order out of
the present chaos.
We suppose there can be no doubt that the
President really prefers Conkling, nor that
Senator Cameron will cooperate with the
President in seeing that Conkling has fair
treatment. They will secure his nomination
if they can in consistency with the disci-
pline and harmony of the republican party,
but they will not disorganize it to promote
any mans chances The Presidents passive
preference for Conkling has heretofore
seemed more likely to harm than to help
him, by its tendency to array against him
whatever hostility exists against the Presi-
dent in the republican party, without bring
ing him any overbalancing advantage. Mr..
Conkling has had to stem this feeling,
and yet, in spite of it, he has not only stood
his ground remarkably well as candidate,
but has steadily gained in strength and
party favor. 1t was, perhaps, wise, it was
certainly discreet and cautious, for the Presi-
dent to wait and see whether Mr.. Conkling
had good running qualities of his own and
developed independent strength as q candi-
date before deciding to give him a vigorous
| support, rs underwriters dislike to insure
snip uutli Suc iutuc q SuCCSoslu VI tIlhl
voyage. When she has been tested, when it
has been proved that she is stanch and
we'll constructed AID has good sailing quail
| ties, the underwriters can safely indorse her
as "a No. L." Senator Conkling has made
his trial trip as a candidate, and though
ton like Mr.. Morton, and with insidious or
open enemies of tho administration like
Mcssrs. Blaine and Bristow, he has stood the
accidents of political weather better than any
| of them Having done so we'll without as