Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-07-17
GEN. GARFIELD AND HIS PARTY


1t Is evident that the republicans
who nominated General Garfield in
haste at Chicago are %.repenting al
leisure. The proceedings of the Ma
tional Committee at its meeting in
this city last night bear eloquent wit
ness to this fact. Governor Foster,
of Ohio, is reported to have sid on
his way hither that he thought the
enthusiasm of the party for General
Garfield was beginning t" "bnbble
up !" but he does not seem to have
succeeded in impressing his colleagues
last night very strongly with the
conviction that 1t is ''bubbling up
to stay. The truth is that there is
nothing whatever in the nomination
of General Garfield 10 excite enihusi-
asm. Had the democrats made a
weak Or an uuwise nomination at
Cincinnati this might not have mat
tered, as in that case the republican
masses might have been stimulated
into activity by the old cry that the
democrats could not be trusted, aud
that peace and the preservation of the
public faith required the defeat of the
democratic candidates. But the
democrats nominated two uneXcep-
tionabie candidates at Cincinnati.
| No man in his right mind a be made
to think that peace and the Union
| will be less secur under the presi-
| dency Of one Of the most illustrious
| soldiers in the United States than
under the presidency of a respectable
politician who left the army during
the gloOmiest period of the war 10
seek u seat in congress; and it will
not be easy to make the most timid
of capitalists believe that q New
| York political machimist who was
dismissed from a public office by
President Hayes for thwarting civil
service reform is more likely to exert
his influence as president of the Sem
ate in favor Of sound fiscal and tiuan-
cial measures than all Indiana nan of
business who has proved himself,
in congress and put of it, to be u
stanch and steadfast champion of all
sOund doctrine in matters of public
economy. The worst feature of the
political situation for the republicans
is that time must infallibly tell against
and not in favor of their nominees.
The popularity of General Hancock
is not u thing of yesterday. 1t has
not .sbubbled up" 1t is the slow and
ripe growth vi many years; aud the
more thoroughly the career and the
character of General Hancock come
to be canvassed aud understood, the
deeper and stronger will be the i'm
precision made upon all COO aud in
dependent men, no matter what their
political afinities may be, that the
executive authority may be safely
lodged III his hands. Meanwhile ii
is just as true, unfortunately for the
republicans, that the more thorough
iy the career aud the character of
General Gorfield come 10 be canvass
ed and understood, the stronger AMI
deeper will be Lhe impression made
uEon all such men that he is not a
person in whose hands the executive
authority can be safely lodged. The
World has not INDUCED aud does not
intend to indulge in any hot or hasty
conclusions as TO the extent or the
nature as General Gartield's connec-
ton with certain operations of the
lobby at Washington. But it is UNI
deniable that he was in some way
Connected with such operations, and
it is uhdeniable alsO that every at
tempt which has SO far been made TO
clear up and explain his connection
with them has resulted III not a
strengthening but in weakening pub
lie confidence in his character and his
capacity. No longer ago than yester-
day, tor example. II journal entirely
friendly to General Gartield-the Ma
tlon-devoted four columns TO an ex-
animation of the charges made against
General Garfield OF trading in his III
I huence and position Us chairman OF
u congressional committee, and OF
taking u bride from certain contrac-
tors iu affect his action i'll hat capuci-
ty. The conclusion reached by The
| Nation was that General Garfield had
accepted u large lee tor giving an
| opinion on q question in regard to
which he had no claim to be cDnsid-
cred an expert, aud fer undertaking
to influence II board about which
"enOugh was known to suggest To II
prudent public man the ~imrrnprieiy
of taking a hand in influencing II in
any Inattrr." Certainly il is idle to eX-
ppct tlaL the public sentiment of this
country can be worked up sucre->-
fully in support OF II presidential cnn-
d.date who can get no better backing
from his nblest and most earnes al
vOcates than this at this early
state OF II presidential cunvassl The
Nation makes the outlook of the case
still worse when it dIsmisses the
matter with such reflections as these:
"L.i us Say finally iliut in judging
him on the charge of in,iiscreiiom il
j. not tair to judge his conduct in
1871 with the light of 1880. There is
not one OF Us whose views about dis
cretiOn touching the rel ,tiOms be-
tween politics and money have not
been greatly clarih ID by the events of
the past nine years"
II will be an uphill piece Of work
to claim the suffrage, OF the Am, rican
people Tor a presidential candidate
on the ground thai his "views about
discretion touching the relations be-
tween p 'litics and money. have been
greatly clarified by the events of Ii e
past nine years! ~ No wonder the
members OF the republican National
Committee take Il gloomy view I
the outlook Of their party