The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-01-08
POLITICAL GOSSIP.
The Presidential Outlook From an In
depend ant Stand-P Point.
Secretary Sherman's Relations TO the
First Eafienal Bank OF New York.
IE.H. i'm the Boston Herald. !


Centres in the next presidential campaign,
still is months distant. The senatorial cleo
! tons which are to occur this winter, excite
bat little attention. The state of parties in
the Senate during the nextsix years is fixed,
and it is merely question OF the fortunes
of individual politicians which is to be de-
termined in the State Legislatures this win
ter. Hayes standing as Republican and
the ''stslwart' issue are already antiquated
topics On questions of administrative de-
tail in Congress it is Impossible to get up any
excitement whatever. The Democrats are on
the whole, inclined TO be moderate and
safe in legislating for the conduct of
the government The Republicans realize
that they ara to have no responsibility for
the appropriations of the next two years
The one thing left for them is a chance 10
hold on to the presidency; and to ;hstcoming
struggle every eye is turning. As attention
concentrates on the next great contest, the
tendency is increasing in all Republican
minds, day by day, to su coordinate all personal
riyalries and the past issues inside the party,
in order to make one more successful cam
paign for the Presidency II is this tendency
which makes the name of Grant suddenly
prominent once more in the mouths of men
who, three years ago, would as Willingly
have welcomed defeat as another term of
his miserable and ubiquitous administration.
Three years ago the Republicans could af-
ford to quarrel even bitterly, over the Sc
lection of q Candidate, but to-day the anti
Grant man o. three years ago sees that no
quarrel whatever is compati ble with success
in 1880. There must be unity; personal
feelings and desires must all be put aside,
and this means Grant. The relations of the
administration of Mr. Hayes to this
GRAVEYARD TENDENCY OF THINGS
deserves to be noted here. Viewed in con-
nection with the present aspect of national
politics, the Eattacks on Mrs Hayes by the
leaders of the party, most of them pig headed
and cross eyed. was one of the siliiest per
I formances imaginable. TO me there is moth
ing outside the pages that describe the con
fiicts of Saneho PanZa more ludcrously asin
inc than the spectacle of Blaine denouncing
Hayes in 1877 FOR abandoning the thieves IN
South Carolina and Louisiana, and Conkling
Furnishing him for prasumipg to remove Ger
tain officials in New York, whose names it
will be impossible TO remember two years
hence. All tke Republican opposition 10
Hayes was OF the same sort 1t came from
men whose heads are the haunfs of fancifut
sentiments and political chimeras, or from
men who have corrupt purposes to sub
serve, All this opposition wentfor nothing,
because it was mere fuss and fury, mix
ture of selfshness and stiffness, such as COM
poses the intellectual stock in trade OF the
sort of political Leader who came up during
the era of Grantism. The violence of the
opposition of the thievIsh and blockhead ele-
ments in the Republican party to Hayes had
one very marked effect 1t caused him to
have the warm support from the first of
I rlx = r. 11I, 49,, -
were ready In 1876 to vote for Democrat in
preference to Grant for third term. This
support was continued to him in spite of his
openly rewarding the Returning Board rds-
Gals, and his hasty abandonment of civil
service reform, subject which is now never
referred to in administration circles. The
general excellence of the administration,
the avoidance of serious scandals in any
branch OF the government, the steady
progress toward resumption, and the com
mon sense treatment OF the Southern question
have made the administration acceptable 10
the people, and stiiled the yawp of Mr..
i Hayes Republican critics. Thus, with the
support OF the better sort of Republicans
! from the beginning, his administration IS
now coming TO have the acquiescence o. the
elements of the party which have supplied
all the material for Republican disasters in
the past. 1t Is the administration which is
| bringing all the elements of the party into
harmony, or at least bridging the way for
| this harmony. The rartisans OF Grant see
t that this is their opportunity, and thus it
comes about that the Grant movement is
all the life there is inside the party to day.
By avoiding scandals and saying nothing
! about civil service reform, Mr.. Hayes
has contrived 10 divert attention from that
| subject, and the very excellence of his
/ administration has taken away the basis
on which the liberal and progressive move
ment inside the Republican party rested.
! IN foka rho hos nf nru opi1 ad
opposition to General Grant. The next
| question 10 be settled is, whether there is
decency and conscience enough left in the
/ Republican party to defeat the nomination
of Grant. 1t is impossible to see here in
Washington from whence this opposition is
to come In the minds of poiiticians and of
partisan Journalists the period necessary for
/ the condonement Of any administrative Of
Tense seems to be about eighteen months. l
have been puzzled to notice how little effect
many good men by the scandals of Grants
administration, and the remark Is frequent
| ly heard that Grant has learned some-
thing, and that ''he would nave better men
around him the next time"
THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERs
are generally pleased with this idea of having
! Grant for the Republican candidate next
time. They cherish the belief that he will
be the easiest man to beat. They may find
been 50 often in their calculations before
now. They say that in opposing Grant they
would have two strong points on which to
appeal to the people. One is the popular
aversion to having any man hold the Office
of President for Q longer term than it Wa
held by Washington, Jefferson, Madison,
Jackson and Monroe; and the argument that
the election of Grant for . third term means
an entire change in the spirit Of our institu-
tons. The other point Is the ability to re-
| vive the memory OF the scandals and corrup
tons of Grants administration. They say
that with the solid south ali they have got to
do is to carry New York and Indiana, and
they believe there Is no trouble about Indi.
ana That dispoees OF Mr. Hendricks. Ohio
is Republican state, .and that disposes OF Mr..
Thurman. Some man who can carry New
| York and receive the united support of the
South is needed. Bayard or Randall it is
thought could do this. and SO find Demo
1 cratic Leaders really well pleased With the