Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-02-11
WEEKLY CHRONICLE.
Gen. Grant and the Presidency.
KINGSTON, Feb. 8, 1880


candidacy for President of Gen. Grant
was demanded by the best interests
Of the Republican party or of the
country" Tam glad 10 see, also, tnat
your neighbor Is occupying similar
ground. although / coincide with. you
in the opinion that large majority of
the Republicans of Tennessee are heart
and soul for Grant.
While, probably, most Of those who
urge his candidacy are moved to do 30
by patriotic motives, they VIII, If
they succeed In nominating him,
do more hurt, to his good name
than Bourbon Democracy could
possibly do, and at the same
time endanger party success, and put
to still greater hazard certain political
results which the war was supposed to
have established, but the preservation
and political enforcement Of which
seem still to depend entirely upon the
Republican party, and not. as they
should. upon the Government. Until
the Government, whatever party is in
power, can be trusted to give practical
effect to these results, 1t will be dis,
astrous for Democracy to gain undis~
puted ascendency. The Republicans
of the South should have no interest
in the nomination of any particular
aspirant unless Il 10 clear that such
., :, -, ~, fiaK, ri hufa 70 ho mo
cess of the party. They are vitality
Interested in Republican ascendency,
but not in the promo ion OF any par
ticular man, however eminent he
may be, to the Presidency. In choos-
Ing candidates. they should not
loose sight Of this, they should
not be led by personal prefer
ences, to hazard party interests;
candidates should be selected solely
with reference to availability in maxi
ing the race and personal fitness for
discharging the duties OF the office.
There might be an emergency when
a man possessing the strength which
Gen. Grant has shown himself 10 pos
sess In conducting public affairs during
periods of great peril would be desira-
ble and even necessary, but such an
emergency does not now exist; the
peril which threatens does not lie In
that direction, and the strength of a
single strong man affords no remedy,
unless II should be exercised In defiauce
of the Constitution aud laws. Any
one of the Republican statesmen now
mentioned In connection with the
Presidential Office could and would
,xert every constitutional power III
the possession of the executive to en-
force the results Of the war. Gen.
Grant could do no more. The present
IN fact, aft 'rds 10 opportunity for the
use of his PECULIAR powers. The re,
rul s OF the war depend for t'eir
safety now, not upon the streDtt OF
General Grant or any other Que man,
bat upon the asce ndancy OF the Re
publican party, aud southern Repub
lican- will ooK in vain II they look
anywhere else for protection In the
ii yment Of Their political rights
tn re IL uuch talk about the need OF
a''strong man" but there never was
stims when strong man"was needed
less or a "siroDg party" more than the
present. Oar perl Is in "A W eek party,
and our safely Is in neminatlnga man
who eau unite Ia his own support, not
only all pronounced Republicans, but
ali OF that independent element, with
Republican proclivities, which now
unquestionably no ds' TIE b lance OF
power bel ween the Two parties III every
doubtful Northern Stale. Republicans
of Tennessee should bear these facts in
mind Iii determining their action in
the National Convention; they should
remembe that they can do nothing
themselves toward the election of a
President; they should remember that
the party which depends upon hurrah
and enthusiasm in the next election Is
doomed to fail, and they should not
permit their enthusiasm for Grant to
handicap the party IN" those closely
divided Western states which 1t Is
ne cessary to carry In order 20 succeed.
They should realize the fact that the
most available nomination, supported
by the shrewdest management, will
,siill leave the result In doubt, II the
Democracy act with discretion.b A
Probably none of his supporters for
a third term have a higher APP
probation OF Gen. Grants achieve
ments than L have. He 10 by far the
greatest commander the Rebellion
-
back the tide of irritation and ultimate
reputation, In 1873 4, by single veto
message, when The country was ut
terly at sea on the subject of finances,
and the most Influential leaders OF the
E-pu6lican party were carried away
with the initiation beresy. Following
this, his annual message In 1874, sets
forth unmistakably, though crudely,
the principles OF finance which were
after wards formulated into the res
sumption act by Congress. Probably
| no other man could have successfully
carried the country through such a
crisis, but the very thing on which
Gen. Grant was weakest, the admins
tration OF the OF vii service, Constitutes
W hat the Independent element at
| the North Is determined to make
q living issue In the next election.
That is to say, the party which by its
nomination aud the character of in
fluences that are likely TO control the
administration, promises most in the
direction OF civil service reform, will
be the party most likely to receive the
support OF that element, without
which Il will be impossible for either
party to succeed. Those voters have
time and again declared their hostility
to the Grant method of conducting
the civil service and to the influences
with which he surrounded himself
| while President; they have voted the
Republican party partially out Of
power on that account, and row To
nominate him would be to defy them
and plainly tell them we will neither
consult their wishes nor ask, theil
| Al ~. hfgn aIa