The Portland daily press., 1877-10-31
Z Es'Mack's" Washington Letter to st. Louis Globe.
Democrat.l
The Grant In 1850 Talk.

1t is very unusual to find such unanimity
among men of any party, respecting anv IA
ical subject las there is atp
publicans concerning the next presidency. uu-
doubtedy it is a little early in the season to
talk .of the succession; perhaps it would be
well to be little more nearly ''off with the
old love before We are ''on' with the new.
But then, the cold love" in this case is bad
case of incompatibility. The point upon which
all Republicans seem to be agreed at present is
that Gen. Grant is the man of all others
through whom to Illustrate the rising homes of
the Democracy in 1880. [ have dwelt some
what upon the absurdity of the cry, "princi-
ples, not men, because the present executive
illustrates its worst application, in leaving MS
with only small amount of man and no prin-
pies, while Grant is a splendid illustration
of its utter negaton, being a man who is a
tower of strength in himself, stronger than
any platform and greater than any party. The
tendency OF events in this country is, and for
some time has been, to exalt this man above
the platform-or rather, to demand for presi-
dent man who is stronger than his party.
This was illustrated in the railroad riots. Mr.
Hayes wrote proclamation telling the rioters
to disperse; the rioters paid no attention to it.
and It had to be enforced with bayonets.
Gen. Grant in the same place would have
written a proclamation, and the rioters
wouldshave dispersed without waiting for the
Army-and why? Because the name of U. S.
Grant signed to a public documant has what
George Eliot calls "a certain dynamic force
which is more easily understood than explained
but which, at any rate conveys the vague idea
which is resolved in American parlance into the
word business" The dullest and most obsti-
nate of the rioters would have reasoned from
the signature to the guns in the case of Grant.
but in the case of Hayes they waited for the
actual demonstrations to bel present to their
physical senses.
Whether Gen. Grant would accept the NOM
ination is different question. There are
those who pretend to discover the aspiring
third-termer in the European traveller. On
the other hand, those who are most intimate
with him and have the best right to speak for
him, say that under no circumstances would he
again enter the field of politics, Mr. Conk-
ling puts it in the light of an appeal to his
sense of duty which he could not resist The
New York Senator has always been partial to
Grant, aud he feels now that he has rather the
best OF those who sneered at him when he used
to mint that there might be something worse
than third term. Most assaredly there
might, and l greatly mistake and misunder-
stand the good sense of the American people
II their verdict be not that there are at least
two things worse than third term: The first
IS weak man rising not only above his party
but against it, and the second is the election Of
Democratic president. We cannot avoid the
first, but We can prevent the second and we
can do it best BY shaking hands with the hero
of Vicksburg and Appomatox over the faults
and folies which he himself is willing to con
fess and calling him once more to the front.