National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-06-07
Population Of the National Capital. 100000
The President---A Review.


complains most bitterly of the course Of
The REPUBLICAN toward the President
The writer may be Democrat, who read
with delight the Posts scurrilous denun
ciations of General Garfield last summer
and autumn, or weak and opinionless
consumer of the Presidents bread and
butter or a tender-hearted person, un,
willing to hear depravity and treachery
spoken of with severity. 1t may be, on
the other hand, that the writer is candid
and sincere Republican, who is laboring
TO be the Presidents supporter and re-
main true to the party. Whoever and
whatever the writer is who thus arraigns
the editor of this paper for disreputa-
bic and undignifed abuse Of the Presi-
dent" and for making a "senseless be-
cause unavaiiing crusade" the communi-
cation furnishes a good text for brief
review of the events Of the past year.
From October, 1879, Till June, 1880, the
money and men of the railroad monarchs,
the organized corporation lobbies in the
several States, the reckless and malignant
Independent papers which had opposed
the Republic party from 1871 till 1876,
and gangs of political outlaws and
lepers were combined together in one
grand organized effort to defame
and destroy the most illustrious citi-
zen of the Nation and the most
famous and honored man in the world.
This was not because he was not believed
to be pure and noble character, but be-
cause many of his countrymen preferred
him over other citizens for the Presi-
dency about to be filled by election. The
air was made thick with the noisome
stenches of calumny, while the roar and
din of imprecations and maledictions sus-
pended all ordinary transactions and for
bade all sane reasoning or remonstrance.
The basest elements Of society-the
harpies around Legislatures, the
clefoajers of the press, the crimi-
mails fearing arrest, plunderers who had
been discovered and disgraced disap-
pointed, soured, and dyspeptic place-hunt-
ers, tatterdemalions ready for any scram-
bic, and desperate adyenturers seeking to
organize opportunities for public theft,
all engaged in a concerted and long-sus-
tanned outcry against Grant and his sup
porters. Despite the infamous methods
adopted for his defeat, the masses of the
Republican party declared in his favor,
and their conventions sent more than a
majority of all their delegates TO the
National Convention favorable to Grant
That is historical fact which cannot be
obliterated. The railroad power had de-
termined that Grant would not be a safe
man for their purposes. The iron hand of
Vanderbilt was stretched out in New Y Yorb,
and mis- strikers, associates, and depend
ents, Ike Robertson, Wagner, and Ses-
siOns, TO the number of eighteen, were col
Jared and marched out ofthe Grant ranks,
which they could never have en-
tered had their treachery been
foreseen. The great King of Rail
road Kings himself is reported to
have gone to Philadelphia and conspired
with the mighty Mulhooly, of Philadel-
phia Republican politics, for the de-
livery of more than a score of
pledged Grant delegates from Pennsylva-
nia- The criminal classes of Chicago,
headed by whisky thief and ex-convict,
were turned loose upon that community
to manufacture eighteen bogus delegates
from Illinois, whose admission was Sc
cured by the aid of the traitors from New
York and Pennsylvania. This grand
carnival of corruption, treachery, and
depravity generally, ended, of course,
in the taking off of Grant. The desperate
men who had engineered it could not af-
ford to leave him the least chance of sue
cess. The outraged and maddened
Stalwarts staggered but a moment
under the rufian blows they had
received, and then rallied as usual " for
the party" Those who had seized
the Republican ship knew they could not
sail it, but they knew the devotion of the
Stalwart crew, and to that they trusted for
its safe navigation during the stormy
voyage they were just commencing. The
Stalwart Republicans buried in oblivion |
all thoughts of their burning wrongs at |
the first to respond to Conkling's noble |
words. uttered IN the convention |
instantly upon the nomination being
made. Both united to arouse the |
party from the deadly apathy which |
reigned after the L" PIumed Knight" had !
lost MS fight IN Maine Their appearance |
OH the scene created an enthusiasm and |
impaired courage which not even the |
candidate who had feltsure of defeat could |
resist. Imagine that period! Garfield |
atMentor, trembling and cast down. De-
feat to HIM would be no ordinary disas- |
ter. Insulting assaults upon his per-
Gonal character came from Demo-
9cratic leaders and newspapers. His |
enemies had accused him of wTong-doing
and preVarication under oath, and leading |
Reform O. journals like the New York
Tribune and San were quoted as having de-
manded his expulsion from Congress. He
was of all men most wretched, and both |
his mind and body were in peril under the
terrible strain. The tactics of Grant and /
Conkling changed the campaign from a
defensive one to one of aggression. The
enemy was charged upon, and, to the re-
lief of the tortured candidate, the
monotonous tones OF the attorneys for
his defense were drowned in the glad
shouts of Republicans, stirred by appeals
to the noblest passions of human nature
The voyage was safely made, and On the
4th of March the new President was in
To those who are impatient with the
Indignant words which We now choose
when we discuss the President we say:
Il IL. L. |