The Portland daily press., 1878-02-01

NSNr,Nt
with determined conscience of sin, looks back
upon his great-grandfathers and is persuaded
of the sad distance we have fallen from the
faith once delivered to those saints. /, belisv-
ing profoundly that as in water face apswereth
to face, so the heart of man to man, look in the
same direction and see that they were men of
like passions with ourselves, struggling as we
are struggling with many difficulties, falling
under many temptations, but with steady
general set toward honesty and fidelity, and
yirtuous, muscular manhood. There were
giants on the earth in those days, although this
is the way they talked about each other: Says
War Secretary McHenry of his chief President
Adams: "The mind of Mr.. Adams was like
the last glimmering of lamp, feeble, wavering
and unsteady, with occasionally strong flash
of light; his genius little and that little iu-
sufficient to irradate his Judgment. =
He has fallen into many errors and
not few striking Misrepresentation, to
say nothing Of his coarse and unmanly
abuse of a deceased statesman" Says
ex-senator Cabot of Governor Hancock:
"Few kings, I believe, could be named who
swallowed grosser flattery than our Gov
ernor Hancock daily required and received
from servile citizens. You recollect how en-
tirely men of dignity and worth were excluded
from his confidence because they could not
yield the adulation he desired Said Colonel
Pickering of President Adams: "The President
is destitute Of sincerity; while he
has so many times been pronouncing, in strong
language, Washington's praise, his heart was
strong with envy at the mention of his name;
had no conception that vanity, am
btion and avarice could so blunt the moral
sense of a man who had so long sustained
fair reputation, as to render him capable of
base, dshonorable and dishonest conduct in
the administration of public affairs.
The measure he took u is such an
outrage on decency, propriety, justice and
sound policy as stamps the man With. indelibe
disgrace and demonstrates his unfitness for any
public trust u Perhaps no one long
er extended his charity toward Mr., Adams
than /, but have iu this session given him up.
Bayard lately said to me, 'ae is completely
sold.' I do not know among my Federal
friends one who thinks otherwise" And sven
the captious Cabot filings his stone at the un-
lucky Adams: "G have not yet waited on the
President, and 1 think L shall not. When
man in his station attempts to render odious
those who differ from him by imputations
which he cannot possibly believe, he certainly
discharges them from all obligations of extra
ordinary respect"
Says President Washington of Secretary of
State Randolph: "A damn'der scounderel God
Almighty never permitted to disgrace humans
typ
Says General Pinckney of his confrere in the
French Mission, Elbrldge Gerry, che never
Ar,.&t NE nx~1A
full of deceit
These are ugly charges to make against men.
They are either true or false If they are true
then the Adamses and the Hancocks and
good many others were vain, ambitious, avari-
cious, dishonest men, false to party, malevo-
lent, tricky politicians. If they are not true,
infamous charges were trumped up and circu-
lated against good men for political effect, or
from blind partisanship. On neither horn of
the dilemma is it worth while for the nine
teeuth century to hang indiscriminate eulogy.
When his great-grandfather fears that GEN.
eral Marshall, though leading in Congress, with
great talents and great virtues, sis not yet q
politician, aud has much to learn oa the sub
ject of practicable theories of free government"
Mr.. Lodge IS at the pains to explain that-"we
must remember that politician had somewhat
different sense in 1900 from that which it now
bears. By politician Mr.. Cabot meant one
versed in public policy and the practical arts Of
statecraft and government" L suspect how
ever, that Mr.. Cabot meant precisely the same
thing that men mean now when they say that
Mr.. Evarts is famous lawyer but no politician I;
that Mr.. Stanley Matthews is good fellow,
but he has yet to learn the b of politics. Mr.
George Cabot aud his correspondents constant
ly show themselves astute politicians, fully
alive to the strength and the weaknesses Of
men, and always trying with more or less wis
dom to take advantage of them SO far as posi-
BILE, and to diminish SO far as possible their dis.
advantages. Whatever they meant by the
word. they were the thing, by the fullest nine
teenth century standard. They showed no pa
thetic ignorance of evil, no innocent lack of
worldly wisdom. SIT is one of the evils incident
to popular systems" says Mr.. Cabos, "that the
best friends of government feel themselves
obliged to conceal the defects and magnify the
good qualities of those who administer pub
lie affairs" There are many people 10 these
later days who feel themselves under the same
necessity; but the Reformers call it whitewash-
ing. A man who did not stand on the house,
tops and proclaim the failings OF the late Ad-
ministrati0D, no matter if officially, and no
matter how closely connected with it, was a
corruptionist. Amy man who does not bow
down and worship the present Administration
is sorehead Thus the Reformers.
In further application of his principle Mr..
Cabot mentions the perfect silence which had
been observed in Massachusetts on the capr ices
ill-humor, selfshuess and extreme vanity of
Mr. Adams. The leading men of the time
agreed that Mr.. Adams INDUCED in violent pre-
judices and keen resentments, that made it in
possible he should please the old parties while
he had not the talents the forttude, or the con-
staney necessary to form new party. They
! affirmed that for the purpose of enlisting the
passions and prejudice of the populace he had
| lately toasted men whom he had hated or de-
spised for fifteen years, giving thus an example
of that political versatility which he not only
kept in fullest activity himself but transmitted
| in undiminshed vigor for the amazement OF
our times. His compatriots regarded him with
profound distrust and cordial dislike. But they
| kept each other in check by the suggestions
that ut must be continually recoIlected that HI
may again be chosen by as, and that zoe ar
pledged 10 giue him the full chance of the united
| cote concerted at PhiladeEphia." 1t may be pos
| sible for the nineteenth century to match thi
| political situation, bat it certainly cannot b;
l surpassed. Mr.. Cabot himself says refectvely
"It is true there is an apparent absurdity in
/ supporting man whom we know to be un
/ worthy of trust" Absurdity would certainly
l be mild word for the reformer to apply Il
such action, but Mr.. Cabot coolly justifies him
| self and his comrades by affirming that the pre-
ceedings at Philadelphia made it necessary, ant
possibly the form of election made it unayoid
able.
Mr.. Cabot says that Mr.. Gerry, who is thu
i candidate for Governor, would be an injury tt
the cause of good government, but he has tn
advantage of Presidential favor; delicacy or
mistaken policy prevented a public discussion
| of b5 conduct, aud in consequence he is lesi
| censured than he deserves 10 bs among th'
small Federalists. All of which looks exactly
like what we call politics under the Grant ant
1 Hayes administrations.
Colonel Pickering says that "when Mckean'
election was pending it was given out that II b
should be chosen Governor of Pennsylvania
| the insurgents would be pardoned, and man
| other good things done for the patriots and tru
| Republicans Mexican was with the Presden
| shortly before the pardons were issued, and
| am assured spent many hours with h,m th
| preceding afternoon" Is this so very dffsren
| ent a thing from present Pennsylvania polite
l that we need invent new word for it?
Mr.. Cabot declares that "a candidate for Cor
| gress recommends himself to a majority G
| voters by inducing or allowing them to belev
| that be would sacrifice the permanent intel
! ests of the nation to the passions and prejudice
l Of the populace, rather than restrain thos
| passions or resist those pTejudices," which
as an electioneering Device hardly rises aboy
the level of the modern Cdstem House cand
date. Says Mr.. Cabot again: II recoilect
have heard that DIR. Manning, of Ipswich
| wishing to recommend himself to the people
boasted, during the close of our Reyolutionar
| war, that during the whole contest he had neve
l voted Cor a tax, although he was in the Legs
\ lature many years." L do not think the Sanford
I and Dodges, and Wlcombs, who have su'
l ceeded DR.. Manning in the Legislature, iror