Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-31
the better at this time for a little of his ag-

BROUGHT ENGLAND TO TERMS.
president Grant did not forget the action
of our old-time foe and longtime rival,
England, during the dark days of the rebel
Ion. The American people might have for
given her sympathy with and the encourage
ment given to those in armed rebellion and
passed over her vilifcation Of all who were
UNFOLDING the flag of the republic, from the
great Lincoln to the raweat recruit: but
when she let loose the pirate Alabama, to
prey upon our commerce. she went too far
and compensation or retaliation was the de
mand.
PAY or fight said President Grant.
1T was the word Of the greatest captain of
the age, at the head Of the most warlike of
nations. How admirable is his language, "A
sensitive people, conscious OF their power,
are more at ease under a great wrong,
wholly unatoned for, than under the restraint
Of a settlement which satisfies neither their
ideas OF justice nor their grave sense OF
the grievance they have sustained
How that sentence smacks OF uncondi-
tional surrender! You can hear the crack
Of the guns of the Wilderness in it. The
Alabama claims were paid to the tune of
SIS, 900, 900 and 0 long etep forward was
taken in international law.
HE settled our northwestern boundary,
which fer ninety years had been a bone OF
contention, and brought the San Juan dispute
to an end, enabling him to say to congress:
1T leaves US for the first time in the history
Of the United States as a nation without a
question Of disputed boundary
"a soldier by profession, he hoped for a
settlement Of international differences by a
court Of arbitration. but realizing that such
action smacked somewhat of the Utopian,
that war seemed to be1a necessary incident
of human progress, and that not until the
coming of the prince lCh peace would men
beat their swords into blow shares and their
spears into pruning hooks. nation not lifting
up the sword against nation, nor learning
war any more he ever insisted upon a con-
dition of preparedness with an army and
navy sufficient to conquer peace and maintain
for the republic the respect OF other powers.
He fully realized that worse than disastrous
war was a disgracefui peace; that where
honor. independence or national autonomy
was the issue there were worse calamities
than war and that as. to, certain grave ques-
tons there could not be arbitration, but
that We must protect ourselves, with our good
right ar1i. ..lu
GRANT AND GREENBACKs.
General Grant became president in 1869.
It was a most trying financial period. The
country was suffering under the war debt
aud from d deprecated currency. All sorts
Of nobtrums were devised by the politiciaqe
to cure our monetary ills. The spirit OF re-
pGdiation was rampant. Congress by a de-
cided vote passed a bill largely increasing
tA0 SOW VI RopSA bSHS SoSS NS
there was not the basis OF ultimate redemp-
ton. 1t was a blow at the public credit.
One Of the leading traits OF the then chief
executive was the purest, honest and perfect
integrity. That which characterized him as
an individual he would make the man char
acteristic of the nation. In his frat message
to congress- he had insisted that all public
debts should be paid in the equivalent of
gold and the direct result OF his insistence
was that congress passed that most i'm
portant bill to strengthen the public credit
But that credit was now to be impaired by
this measure Of evil.
Cheap money was to be issued to make
a passing show Of prosperity, feeting and
dangerous. Paper Promises to pay were to
be given out that would never know a re-
deemer. II took courage and determinat on
to stem this tide of financial imbecility, but
the man Of Appottomax was equal to the
emergency. There came with ponderous
force the executive veto and its reasoning
was SO powerful as to prevent the passage
of the bill, the objections of the president
to the contrary Notwithstanding.
1T 10 profitable at this time OF threatened
disturbance Of our financial policy, most
dangerous to our welfare, to read the short
and forcible sentences from Grants mes
sages during his second, term, when he was
urging the resumption OF specie payments.
How apt they are. The good faith OF the
government cannot be violated toward credi-
tOTS without NdliOuui uinBioNS' ~ 49,
step should be to secure a currency OF nxed
stable value, O currency good wherever civili-
zation reigns.' We must return to a
measure of values recognized throughout the
civilized world. While we use a currency
not equivalent to this standard, specie be-
comes a commodity like the products OF the
soil, the surplus seeking a market Wherever
sere is a demand for it.
.If these words smscked of truth then,
they are now.
HIS ESTIMATE OF THE OFFICER.
There was great threat Of danger near
the end OF his term when there came the
memorable dispute whether Hayes or Tilden
was elected his successor. How splendidly
Grants telegram cleared the air: No man
worthy of the Office OF president should be
willing to hold II II iIcounted In or placed
there by fraud. Either party can AFFORD to
be disappointed In the result. The country
cannot AFFORD to have'the result tainted by
the suspicion Of illexsioo or false returns
This dispatch was written at the Centen-
NAL exposition OF 1ST6i-It was one OF its
best products. 1t emphasized the 100
years and proclaimed lthhtl a fair ballot and
an honest count lay Al, ttie very foundation
stone Of our liberty. sTaY
at Ia said that republics are ungrateful.
Americas treatment Of sher heroes contra
diets the assertion, ana yet, In the unbridled
liberty of a partisan press and the unwar-
ranted charges of politicians In the heat OF
party controversies, thrreds Outlines extreme
cruelty. undeserved abuse and wicked blows
made even this. yytBbld sold er OF
ours vince and finch. There is
something most pathetic In this ut
terance in his second Inaugural address;
Il performed a conscientious duty, without
asking promotion or command and without a
reyengeful feeling toward any section or in
divldual. notwithstanding this, throughout
the war and from my candidacy for my pres
ent office in 1868 to the close OF the last
presidential campaign / have been the sub
ject OF abuse and SANDER scarcely ever
~equalled in pc itical history Yes, he was
indeed villfed and slandered, as Washing
ton and Lincoln had been. but that is one
OF the unwilling tributes ever rendered to
true greatness. The tallest trees are most
. the power OF the Wind
Thine has given full yindication. His
tory has awarded him his place. Great as
military leader, he was eminent as civil
rulCr.
EMBODIED THE ORDERS PRINCIPLES.
His boldness in conflict was only equalled
by his modesty in success. His powerful
determination TO conquer stands by the side
OF his generosity In victory. His sense Of
<onorabIe obligation to those who had sQr-
repdsrsd made the nation pause. when 1t WIS