National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-05-22
copyright, 1851


Grants second term opens with n criticism OF |
that portion of his inaugural In which he said
that although he had performed q conscien-
tious duty" from the firing on Fort Sumter In
1861 until then, "without asking promotion or
command, and without n royengeul feeling
toward any section or individual he had
"lhroughout the war" and from his
candidacy in 1865 to tho close OF the campaign
in 1872, "been the subject Of abuse and SANDER
scarcely ever equaied ~ political history,
(which" he added, II feel that can afford
TO disregard In view OF your verdict, which !
gratefully accept as my yindicalioli," .,,,.
Mr.. Blaine protests against this rcbtke OF his
friends. lie admits that Grant had "undouOt'
eddy been called upon TO confront many un.
pheasant things So s S sa 81 gs
in error in considering. himself DETAINED be.
yond the experience Of his predecessors lie
attributes to Grants military education MS n.
ability to endure 'vitupcrdtlon' as patiently
as his "predecessors who had been subjectcdto
II In worse form and more intolcrant spiril."
ABUSED AZ A GENERAL.
Mr. Blaine ignores Gen. Grants reference TO
the "abuse ana SANDER to which he had been
subjected throughout tho war" and before be
was brought forward for the presidency. He
used to speak with much feeling Of tho con
trast between the treatment he suffered at the
hands of the press and that enjoyed by Gen.
Lee. "The southern newspapers" said he,
were unanimous in praislng every movement
of Gen. Lee, and gave him enthusiastic support
throughout. While In the north the Democratic
papers were all against us, and good many
S tne deSGahgd kSpIb ter yc dS Sow ny
war ought TO be conducted The plural pro-
noun referred TO himself and those who shared
with him the responsibility OF the time. Al
who arc old enough remember the bitter as.
snults made upon him while he was achieving
the victories which saved the republic. In
the west he was slanderously denounced as
drunkaTd and In the east as butcher His
reply to the formerwas Vicksburg and Mission
Ridge, and to tho latter the Wilderness and
Appomattox
vIIirIED WHILE PRESIDENT.
As President he was charged With the high.
est and the me0nest of crimes, and during his
first term alone fourteen committees of In.
yestigation were appolnted, IN me Two houses ,s
timony of the malicious and the depraved who
were willing to perjure themselves In the In
terest ofthc enVious factionists and spurious
reformers who sought his overthrow.
When, to meet the force of anarchy at the
touth with the force of law, he modestly asked
was not certainly his under existing law, the
men with whom Mr.. Blaine consorted said he
was Caesar seeking TO establish an empire on
the ruins of the republic. He was Conrsely as
sailed us wanting alike in honesty, patriotism,
intelligence, and common respectablity. Mr..
Blaine was all the time check by jowl with his
Hssailants and never was heard TO say word
in his defense.
BLAINE AS AN ENGINEER OF NEWSPAPER AT
TACKs.
On the contrary, he was well known to be
i'll kNtlpulny WIFI inc blhUuSEtIh. illS usplEh-
tons for theprcsidency were announced in tho
New York Tribune carly in 1871, and from that
time until the adjournment OF the national
convention of 1880, except for time i'll 1876,
he was foremost In glylBg political tone to not
less than eight metropolitan journals, which
reared ont manufactured calunnies against
Grant in unison and with the powerful din of
caliiope. had his own word for 1t In 1881,
when urging him TO sustain Malone in Viz
ginia. that there were about eight Lending
nominally Republican journals which he could
control. lie did not name them, hut their con.
stancy in culogy of him and abuse of Grant be-
trayed their identity. In view OF such facts as
them, what frigidity of ehrontery he attains
"But Gen Grant had tho good fortune to SEQ
his caluminators become his personal and OIL
cial eulosists, practically Eet5aeting the
given loose tongue when the object al stake
was his defeat for the presidency"
WHAT THE PEOPLE DEMANDED OF CONGRESS.
The election OF 1872 not only carried Gen.
Grant in for q second term but II carried IN a
House of Representatives having Republican
majority oftwo-thirds In the Senate the Re-
publican majority was three to one; ., No.o,
4, 1873, TO March 4, 1870. The votes by which
1t was elected were cast In favor OF the
enforcement OF The laws ana the msi hss
guaranteed by the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments. More than 1000 kuklux Of
the CaToiInas and Mississippi alone. At one
term of court in South Carolina ffty.three
thus accused had pleaded guilty, and mauy
more did so afterwGrd Convictions were nu-
merous. Revcrdy Johnson of Maryland, who
was employed for The dcftase said, In his argu'
ment to jury:
az have listened with unmixed horror to
some of the testimony which has been brought
before you. The OWrdgeS prOued arc shocking
TO humanity; they admit OF neither excuse nor
justification; they violate every Obligation
which law and nature impose upon mani they
show that the parties engaged were brutes, in.
sensibleto the obligations OF humanity and
religion"
The Joint committee to Investigate southern
outrages bad, early In 1872, laid before the two
houses the result Of their labor. III tw Give vol
umes, containing more than 1000 pages OF tes-
timony, giving the narrowing details OF the
horrors which ex-senator johnson, Demo
oons,rained TO refer to while engaged in, de-
tending some who were accused i. p
and Halo and a, few, other Blaine
Republicans like them had, despite this damn.
ing evidence, aided the Democrats, OF t ti
Senate without dissenting Republican vote
10 extend for another year the habeas corpus
clause Of the InEiux act; BSt the iawie ,i eie
Couraged, in view Of tho tremendous Republi
can majorities Of November, given In the teeth
OF Sumner, schHrZ, Irnm6nii. rS ana Gseeiefy
which he had evidently only nominally dis
agreed during the campaign.
Tho great popular vote OF confidence II
peopie that he should be upheld by Congress
in his resoiute endeayor 70 compel obsdienet
TO law, and respect for the rights OF citizens
invited q thorough policy.
WHAT CONGRESS DID AND FAILED TO DO
But nothing was further from the intentiou
of the Blaine faction. II was desperately re
solved to direct public. attention from the grea
business which remained unfinished, and Z
precpitate series OF sensations which should
dull the public sense, and feast that appetite
for scandal which Is an iniirmity OF humai
10 do this 1t was only necessary for the pres
to inaugurate howls, and for Congress to be
come magistrates court for the examination
of the accused.
CREDIT MoBIIIER.
During the campaign OF 1872 certain con
grcssmen had been charged with ,recciy in
four years before on the first day Of the mex
session Mr. Blaine left the speakers stand
TO inaugurate the dismal era of scandal-hu
mittee OF investigation, The excitement pro
duced by the proceedings under this resor
ton was intense and prolonged. After eleye
committee reported that Cakes Ames ought /
be expelled for selling stock TO members so
prices much below the true value. of the stoch
with intent thereby to influence tho votes ant
decisions of such members aud that Jane
Brooks ought to BIO expelled for. having pre-
cured Credit Mobiller stock a. = price muel
below its value TO corruptly influence him a
nmember, and as government director O
the Union Pacific Railroad Company.
Ames was Republican and Brooks was
Democrat. Both were expelled, and this az
ton caused the speedy death of both,
Several members were found to have bongh
some OF the stock wholly on credit paying 70
II ON the dividends Il rapidly yielded, Tn
committee acquitted them OF any intention t
be controlled In their official action by tn
benefits thus derived. Mr. Blaine consldere
the. proposition to buy stock, and decide
against e. lie had mono.
Tho public mind was Infatuated against ever
member who had anything TO do with III
transaction, and some of ilpm la pSpaDa TN
odum OF IT, took issue with Ames as to tn
facts. The committee sustained Ames. aud
did the press. AS showing the value to th
country of this sPHsn Of Indignation, It nee