The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-03-13
The Posing Of Arthur.

Our Republican friends are discussing
the Presidency in an interesting but not
wholly hopeful or Ineligible manner.
The purely Stalwart organs are cooling
as gently as sucking doves for General
Arthur. They are declaring that "he
conferred a great favor upon the coun-
try by taking the Presidency under
great difficulties, and by so conducting
himself as to allay hostile suspicious"
| The creation of role for President Ar
thur was a necessity. He was and is
only politician. The Pharisee end of
the Republican party has made the
role of politician, which Pitt, Jeffer-
son, Franklin. Lafayette and Clay were
not averse to confessing, disreputable
to the encoring minds of the non think
ing members of that organization.
Accordingly, General Arthurs acces-
sion to the Presidency, in consequence
of the murder of General Garfield, is
naively treated as a philanthropic act,
and the fact that he has not outraged
the social sensibilities Of the people is
rated an amazing and an admirable fact.
Tie implication from this, concerning
alike the sagacity of the people aud the
character of the President himself, is
not complimentary. Artemus Ward,
easily superior both in craftsmanship
and in discernment of public opinion
to the average Republican editor of the
day, wrote once as follows in LONDON:
Mr. PUNCH-Dear Sir: am glad TO inform
you that / have won the confidence OF the
landlord of the Green Lion. Rising in his bar
the other night, surrounded by twenty OF his
4
wish to tell you that this North American has
been an inmate of my house for some three
weeks. During that time he has taken his beer
regular. He uses his knife and fork like other
folks He has not tried TO scalp any of my
boarders or any member of my family find
he can be trusted with lighted candles. l say
such men ought to be encouraged. | propose
his health"
The eulogy, which is based on praise
of General Arthurs omission to dc any
thing or be anything at all in office, can
safely be left 20 the test of Artemus
Ward comments.
At the same time, while the Presi-
dent is thus praised for qualities predi-
cable of dull passivity, his lieutenants
are not slow to resent any Republican
expression of distaste for him. For say
ing that General Arthur could not car
~ one side of Ohio, Ex-Governor Eos
ter, who has never failed to carry it
himself, is held up to obloquy in every
Stalwart paper He is called liar, even
ian embodied liar he is de-
scribed as 4 "soured, disappointed
man." he is referred to as one
whose views could be entirely changed
by the tender of Cabinet Office" The
fact that Ex-Governor Foster never SUI
fered political defeat; that he is re-
garded as the closest-seeing politician
of his party in Ohio; that he has asked
no office for himself or for anybody, and
that with wealth, friends. health. youth
and q love of ease and fellowship, he
feels perfectly free to speak his mind is
pretty well known by the people; but
having disturbed the serenity in which
President Arthur is represented to shine,
like the oak face of a dead saint on the
pew door of a Cathedral aisle, Mr..
Foster comes in for abuse and defama-
ton from the Stalwart papers. The
way in which the compact COriolanus
of Ohio has fluttered the Stalwart
Volscans in their Troy, Buffalo, AL
bany and Washington defenses, is not
only amusing in itself, but it is proof
positive that the idea of President
Arthur's mot being a candidate is n
sheer affectation, based on belief in
the gullibility of the people.-Aibany
Ar0US,