Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-12-16

orators and drummers, who adore the
soldier, "the captain Of our armies,
who attempt to cover eight years OF
terrible fact, Of Irrational disgrace, with
a few flowers of, sentiment and heroic
nonsense. Alasl our real heroes, who
fought our battles, who preserved our
liberties, are unknown, in their graves
forgotten. The country is not so rich
in great names that it can afford to
forgetrone of them. Let the modern
Ulysses wander in strange lands, as
did the Ulysses ofold, for twenty years,
feted by kings, Toasted by goddesses;
and if Calypso spies him on the sea-
shore grooming for his country, may
she cry out as she did to the first hero
why art thou so eager for thy home!
Surely, ifthou knowest all the trouble
that awaits thee, thou wouldst not go,
but would rather dwell with me- Let
him live in the gratitude of his coun-
trymen as the stolid general who
dragged tens of thousands of brave
men to death without a tear, Let him
live anywhere but in the White House
as President of the United States,
Were he the greatest soldiers that ever
brought slaughter or victory to men,
his civil administratiOn-an admins
tration of vulgar selfshness, of cupid
ty, of plumber. Il was all this, not
because Ulysses Grant was himself a
dishonest man, but because, with the
same blind pugnaeity that he dragged
his armies on to death and victory, he
hung TO the men who hattered and
won him for their own ends-at last to
drag his administration down to moral
defeat, into utter disgrace.
The tenacity that never gives up a
friend is splendid, if so be it is allied
with the spiritual perception that
never makes a friend Of the unworthy,
the ignoble. Allwho know that, with
his own material %obtuseness it was the
friends of Grant who made the shame
of his administration. Had it been
within the scope of his nature to have
been as devoted to good men as he was
to bad men, tens of thousands of dol
lars would have been saved to the na-
tiOnal treasury, and many dubious
blots to the national honor.
"0f these friends of Grant-these
parasites of lost power, so hungry for
the hesh-pOts of Egypt, so hungry foI
the cringing homage, that ereeps after
official honor, so eager for the prestige
and the pelf of their lost condition
let the people beware, Fill your ears
With wax, if necessary, like the crew
of 0dysseus; but let them be deaf tc
the bewildering tales told of the great
captain in print or speech. Never
mind if kings do invite him to dinner
if queens ~graciOusly c~Ondescend to ex-
change with this son Of Illinois tn,
compliments of the day; that does no
make him any more fit to be the Pres
ident of your country. Free you
minds from cant, wipe your eyes o
glamour, hold in your heart of hearts
the ungarnished truth, and he neveI
will be"
COMPLIMENTS FOR robson.
The winnowing of the people ha
Just begun. There was a terrible
breach in it when a district of on
| State, and that State New Jersey, sen
back to Washington Robson. He j
the supreme flower Of the spoil sys
TEN. As he fattened in Golfer an.
widened in estate his face blossome
with rich living to the hue Of tn
peOny. He had no need to dip hi
own hands into the treasury. Th
minions he had placed in power did
for him and shared their spOils wit
him. Astute, jolly, redolent of win,
radient with bOhOmie, he was a ha
fellow to all of sufficiently high dc
gree; a man Of varied accomplish
ments, of real mental acumen, unscru
pulous as he was ambitious. II.
money has not been spared, nor an
other available influence, to send hil
as the only hard money candi
date to the house of representative
there, with the fnesse Of a dozen hoI
est men, to hold up the hands {
Grants famous triumvirate in tn
senate. Two years Such a littl
space in a human life is a long lease
politics. No only two great parti,
tremble in the balance; the two pr
meyal forces old as eternity, or goo
and evil, have begun anew the
ancient battle. The day has passC
when either party can account for j
own success on the blunders or eve
the sins Of the other. The people Al
not only critical in mind, they a
keen in perception. Their moral scel
has been quickened by the mas
corruption thrown to the surface
they are alert and watchful, not on
Of the administration, but Of the lie
} islation Of the government. In Il
/ face Of an administration no long
| new, and always clean, even if mist
ken, / will not believe that the peoI
Of this nation will give back the r
, publican party, give back their cou
try, into the keeping of leaders WI
2 when tried, were wanting who, int
full possession of power, proved thel
selves false to every demand of Il
tional honor, and loyal only to the
own interests and their own ambitiC