Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-03-04
Grant and Ina Presidency.

An excnapge contains the follow.
ing candid and sensible remarks in
reference to the candidacy of Gen.
Grant:
OF General Grants merits % 1
man no exception will be taken.
He is the first citizen of the Reenb.
lie, and sc will justly remain as long
ss be lives. The services be has
rendered can never be forgotten, or
sufficiently rewarded. His reputa-
ton for ability, frmness and integ-
rity, is assured beyond peradven-
ture. We are proud of him and
have just cause to be. No man.
however exalted, is assured from
the liability 30 make mistakes.-
Neither is be assured from being
carried along by current almost
irresistible. to stations which he
would have avoided bad he made
proper reckonings, and seen with
err he was tending. 1t is a matter
of history that President Grant
drifted into the hands of q coterie,
that he became gradually and un-
Willingly the head of a great ard
exclusive clique. This Clique was
composed of men, some Of whom
deserved well of the country for the
services they had rendered. They
were stalwart in it's best cause.
But with them were allied others,
who used patriotism as q cloak, and
abused the confidence they had cul.
tivated. All entered together into
the "machine" partnership, and sue.
cess made them arrogant and reck.
less. Their power over the country
and party, for time, seemed IN.
limited and impregnabIe. Misgov.
eminent, to certain extent fol
lowed. Gradually the President
became surrounded by men no par,
" could long sustain and tolerate.
There is no need Of mentioning
names, but there was unmistakably
a bad atmosphere about the White
House. 1t became a common re-
mark that the President was sur.
rounded by bad advisers and there
was too much truth in it. The ma.
chine was run almost altogether by
theso men and before very LONG
the better element of the Rspubli,
can party arose against 1T. The
voice of the people soon, too, be-
came Enthusiastically heard in re-
duced Republican majorities and
Democratic victories. Then the
clique which held sway, with Gran,
as thoir fgurehead, began to fee
the natural effects. They became
affected with a sudden modesty
and stood in the background, when
the better element nominated Mr.,
Hayes for the Presidency. Had
they persisted in their forced lead.
ership there would have been DC
necessity tor the electoral commits.
sion. 1t was the earnest cry and
promise of reform alone, which
made Republican success possible
in the last general election. We
will not stop here to see how their
promise has been fulfilled. Wheth,
er our expectations, in this respect,
| have been met or not, the fact re-
mains that the reform element still
has it's existence 10 the Republican
ranks, and it is no less a fact, thai
those ranks will be likely to b;
depleted again If there is any pros
pect of o return to the old regime.
We hear little of these matters 10
connection with General Grant now
for the reason that he is clothed
with the nations gratitude. So
long as he remains private citizen
no one will care to review unpleas.
ant memories. but as a candidate
for the presidency, the situation
will be entirely changed. The Re-
publican party cannot go back to
the state in which 1T was before til
regeneration with safety. There
are exceptions in almost every state
ment, and there are doubtless some
to the proposition, that it is not the
acknowledged statesmen of the Re.
publican party who are prominent
in urging the candidacy of General
Grant, but we invite attention to it,
The most effective worker in thi-
direction, so far, is Senator Dor
Cameron. What evidence of states
manship has he ever exhibited ? AZ
manipulation of caucuses and con.
ventions, it is claimed that he has
no peer. He certainly is not the
kind of man we want to dictate
choice of candidates. Allied with
Cameron, is that supremely able
man Conkling, who has, unfortu.
nately, become the open and &C,
kuowlsdged champion of all that il
Objectionable to those desiring civil
service reform. Had Conkling',
abilities been directed wholly Il
matters of real craftsmanship, in'
stead of mostly to wire-pulling, W.
should have had another man OF The
century to be proud of. There is {
large element of the Republican
party who do not wish the arch,
exponent of the spoils system t
dictate the better man than these
over whom the glamor Of the ole
regime still casts its charm, and
who would have the old order o.
things restored.
Nothing is more certain than thai
the mass of the Republican party
do not want this old order of things
which once SO nearly proved fata
to it, restored. As a Presidential
candidate, the name OF Genera
Grant cannot be disassociated from
this unpleasant remembrance. 1t il
q weight we would allow no Other
candidate to carry, aud it is doubt
full if even the prestige OF his great
name could overcome it.
Railroad Surveying Party Checked