The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-06-26
The Loss of Tone.

The Loss OF Tone.
Time was once when to aspire to a {
or even vice-presiden- q
tial nomination, argued the posses s
sion of commanding ability, at least !
one had right to look for an average
specimen of Clearly mediocrity. 1t is
so no longer. In fact, when one seeks
for real incompetency he is apt to
commence his search well to the front
among the men snarling and snap
ping there for the presidential bone.
1t is a labor, and is time-saving oper-
alton. Buchanan was the last presi-
dent we have had who was fairly en-
titled to the place by reason of |
his scholarly and statesmanlike |
requirements and his national
reputation. Lincoln developed after
election into a man, but before his
election the public knew as much of
Mr.. Lincoln's bent of mind
the range and grasp Of his powers, as
it did about 81 Madhi ten years since.
So, too, was it Of Grant. Grant was
known as a soldier-a rough camp
reared soldier. But who knew him
as statesman, as political philoso-
pher competent to grapple with the
grave problems coming up daily for
decision before the president2 Not
one. Then came Hayes, the sweet
scented Miss Nancy, from Ohio
came in by fraud and such
a fraud, perpetrated for such a man.
He was beaten by statesman, one of
those grand characters which provi-
dence sometimes raises up to furnish
example to man, but what he failed to
do by the force and weight of his in
tellect he accomplished by chicanery,
by open and glazing fraud and by a
loud threat of civil war. Garfield was
a petty schemer on the boards. A man
who got hold Of the public ear ard so
adroitly did he fill 1t with the music
of his own charms that he finally
: came to be regarded in some shape as
a statesman. His vice, the present
dudeish Arthur. Where has he
written himself upon single
page Of the political history of the ma.
ton as a man entitled in any way to
, aspire to the position of her chief
magistrate? Nor has he In all the
four years in which he has played his
poor petty figurhead role, given off
single flash of genius, given a single
momentary CLEAN of genius or apt
r ness for the dignified discharge of thu
? high duties of the place he fills. It'll
9 true he is Clearly fellow. His me
: diocrity is of that graceful and cul
8 tured order that one expects il
: a dry goods clerk or an ushe
: in one of our fashionable
t churches. But seek for tn
I quality which lifted Chester A. Al
s thur up so that the American pee
= pie would see enough in him to in
r duce them to offer him the presidenc
It of great nation, and absolutely ther
3 is not to be found in the man, nor i
d all his past history, single hint O
it. Be assured that system whic
g produces such results is per see, a baC
- one, a weak one, and a dangerou
= one.
" Take the men prominent among tn
. republican aspirants for the late nom
. ination at Chicago, and what do W
= have? What do we find? Wit
10 the single exception of Edmund
4 who is both clean and state:
r man, they were either tent
r. rate men in ability, or fatally b.
smirched with corruption, or so coars
and unlettered that the convention
IS even with all of its vast powers
Ii that way, found it impossible to swa
L low them. 1t finally did select ma
N of real ability, daring, bold and SUI
n cessful adventurer whose skirts al
1T reezing with corruption and who, /
k his reckless ambition would not hes
l. tate to plunge the nation into wf
D. with civilization if thereby he m igt
win honorable mention in the futur
history of the nation. The ma
d. on the ticket with him is sti
l. worse. A resident of Illinois at tt
Is commencement Of the war, he Pre-
y posed to raise regiment to battle fo
at the confederacy. After that he drift
q, ed into the federal service, and /
% reason of his brutal disregard of dial
a ger, and his rough, uncouth igno
ance and impudence- mere hack
Of stage driver in intelligence he Wa
le placed at the head Of an army corp
n end afterwards in the senate Of tt
le United States, to the distress of all tt
D. people with shadow of regard fl
IS the plain decencies of public Hf
}. They would now elect him to presid
s. over that body, composed of the lea'
ing and most learned men j
NJ the nation, and in the eyer
N of the death of the president, t
J. take his place as the ruler Of one o
+. the leading nations of earth, in int
is ligence, in grace and in culture, as
- is in force and Importance.
4 A system capable of such results
y these must be radically wrong. Wron
in some fatal particular, and it ougt
% to be abandoned. We trust that th
. coming democratic convention wi
u make no such blunders; that it wi
d give US neither obscure namby pamb
u responsibility nor stained and sullie
greatness, but rather give US ma
illustrious by his birth, by his services
. by his grand abilities and by his spof
q less good name. Thomas F. Bayart
r. of Delaware.