The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-12-22
The Nicaragua Canal and General
Grant.


ture of which the subject was not an
nounced. When this exquisite work of art
had received his last touches and was
ready for exhibition the connoisseurs OF his
city Were invited to inspect it, and they
paid it e an undersigned compliment,
like that of the birds who came and
nibbled ut the cherries in fruit piece by
another artist. The invited connoisseurs
sat long time in front of the masterpiece,
gazing upon an exquisite curtain which
hung before them, and at last exclaimed, in
burst OF impatience, ''Draw aside the cur
tain and show us the picture r The artist,
with smile OF triumph, told them that
the curtain was the picture. He had done
it so well as to produce the complete de-
ception which he intended.
Have the Philadelphia artists who got up
the great scenic display in honor of Gen
eral Grant been practising similar ar
tfce? We do not know whether the
parallel holds in all respects, but in one
respect it is curiously close. During the
last week, while the ceremonies of that
most splendid welcome were in progress,
there has been general cry on the part OF
the public, ''Draw aside the curtain and
show us the picture r. Whether the cur
tain is the picture or merely conceals it
is a point on which opinions differ.
There is a persistent belief on the part
of many that there is a great deal behind,
and there has been no end of prying efforts
to find out or to conjecture what it is. 1t
is asserted that the time of General Grant
in Philadelphia has not been wholly en-
crossed by the parade of compliments, and
that he has been busy in private consulta-
tions with admiring schemers who are
anxious to thrust upon him honors which
he does not actually seek. One of
these proffered honors is said to be
the Presidency Of the United States; the
other the presidency of the Nicaragua
Canal. AS to the first, we shall be slow to
believe, without better evidence, that Gen.
eral' Grant has been consulted or even APP
preached. We have perhaps had no pub
lie man since Washington who was less
tolerant of invasions of his reserve or
whose friends would so little venture to
take undue liberties. We do not believe
that any of his admirers, in Philadelphia
or elsewhere, has dared to commit such
trespass upon his dignity as to breach
subject upon which he has given so many
signs that he wishes to maintain an impen-
etrable reserve. If there have been con-
situations in Philadelphia respecting a
third term for General Grant it may be
safely assumed that he has not been q con-
sulting nor consulted party. The style
ot the man is too well known to permit such
a supposition.
Besides being in some respects sphinx
General Grant is a person of solid sense
well ballasted man, who, with sufficient
pride, has no vanity who is carried away
by no sudden impulses and is not given to
imprudent condolences. It is simply
ridiculous to suppose that man of General
Grants hard sense and habitual reticence
has been parleying with a knot of
officious politicians as to whether he
will be candidate for the Presi-
dency. If they had the Presidency to
bestow the thing would not seem SO incred-
ibe But General Grant was not born yes
terday. He knows well enough that
small, secret and self-elected conclave Of
political busybodies, buzzing about the
place where he is staying, is not the Repub-
lican National Convention. That body, con-
sisting of delegates from all the States,
of delegates yet to be chosen, will
determine by its majority who shall
be the republican candidate, and he
is not likely to abandon his impenetrable
reserve until the sentiment of the party is
visibly flowing in some definite direction.
If there should be an Enthusiastically strong
current--a settled and steady current-in
favor of his nomination, he will no doubt
speak out unless he is willing to take
the Office, in which case silence
would imply consent. But if the So
called "boom' should die away he will
have best consulted his self-respect by
making no declaration on the subject. We
discredit all rumors that he has permitted
inquisitive busybodies to approach him on
the question OF his nomination. What
few politicians may have done without his
consent is of no more consequence than the
bumptiousness of the three tailors of Tooley
street who passed set of resolves in the
name of 1--WE the people"
1t is also given out, on much better au-
thority, that General Grant has been con-
suited in Philadelphia by the promoters of
the Nicaragua Canal. This is true. The
canal is subject on which he has been as
frank aud open as propriety would allow.
He is the originator of the project; it has
interested him for many years his name
heads the petition which has been sent to
Congress on the subject; he expects to be one
of the corporators ; he has virtually con-
sented to be made president of the CON-
pany, if the concessions, capital and ar
rangements should be such as he APP
proves. 1t will be good thing for the