Year: 1874

The Washington correspondent Of


the New York Sun writes .as follows


Twas somewhat surprised few even


ings ago, while talking to Republican
] Senator on the political prospect Of


1875, to hear him declare that Grant
was apolitical abortion" My friend


was not the Republican member Of


Congress have of late heard express


sentiments very similar to this.
You would not dare to make that


declaration in public said L, hoping


still further to draw him out. You


are too much fettered by the chains Of


party


/" Party or no party" he resumed,


the fact is too transparent, and the


sooner we acknowledge it the better.


He is the worst political abortion the


country has ever had in the Executive
Mansion"


''To what do you attribute this sig


nal failure?" | inquired. | was in


deed anxious to know what had pro-


duced this change of opinion in Sen


ator who had heretofore earnestly sup


ported all that Grant did.


He seems to have no respect for
public sentiment" was the answer.
1.-The fact is his West Point training,
and habits acquired in the army, have
totally untitled him for the proper ad-
ministration of civil government. l
regard his administration as trial for
West Point, which has been found
wanting. Grant has two dangerous
weaknesses. One is an intense love of
money; the other will not mention.
These have led him to make associates
of and be Influenced in his public acts
by men no President should take into
his confidence. It's only too true that
Mosby, the guerilla, would have more
influence over him to-day than L could
expect to obtain" d"


| interrupted him here by asking:
What, Senator, can Grant expect to
gain by this strange friendship for
Mosby? He certainly cannot expect
much political strength for such men
as Mosby and Butler in laying pipe for
a third term?"


Not at all" he quickly resumed.
"The question of third term regard
as definitely settled. 1t never hadany
consideration except among a few
prominent Office holders. Grant un-
derstands that perfectly. He knows
that he has lost the repect of the great
body of the American people, and that
to allow his name to be used would be
sheer folly.


Many of the leaders of the Repub-
lican party have mistaken Gen.
Grants real character. There exists
under that quiet exterior an intense
ambition, love of power, and spirit of
intrigue. He has also that fondness
of display common to all parvenues.
This of itself has seriously injured him
among thinking people. Public senti
ment is undergoing a revolution at
this time such as it has not undergone
for many years.


ITO what do you attribute that, Sen
ator ?" | inquired, interrupting him.


ITO the simple fact that the people
understand Grant and his administra-
tion better to-day than they have ever
understood him before. There is no
Disgusting that, he replied, with en-
phasis.


This very Republican Senator, dur
ing the last campaign, supported Grant
with all his stregth and ability, be-
cause, to use his own words, he was
afraid of Greeley" Two years ago
this very same Republican Senator in
sisted that Grant was stronger than his
party secuted the prediction that
Grant would yet be found the heav-
lest load the Republican party
had to carry. HealsO secuted the pre-
dietion, made to him by the writer,
that the time was not far off when the
Republican party would have to defend
itself against the idol it had set up.


Now mark the change and look for
the result. He frankly admitted that
that time had come already. BY prob
ing down a little further, l discover
that something more than appeared on
the surface was disturbing my Senate
rial friends political equanimity.


do understand you to admit, Sem |
ator, that Grants administration has
been failure?" l inquired.


Il regard it as a misfortune to the
party-d decidedly. The |
very worst feature of it is that he has
allowed himself to get involved in
these venal rings, and to be used by |
corrupt men, who have no respect for /
the principle of any party, but attach
themselves to the strongest for mer-
cenary purposes. Instead of adding
dignity to the executive Office, and pre-
serving it above reproach, he has drag
ged it down into the dirty pool of real
estate speculation"


Was not that the natural result of
what you call his intense love for
| interrupted


Il suppose it may be attributed to
that, was the quiet reply. That in
trinity is what asgiven the independ-
eDt press of the country such power
over his administration. Grants
says he does not like politicians and
yet no one that knows him intimately
will deny that he loves to dabble in
politics. Why, sir, here he is, not con-
tent to. retire quietly and peacefully
from the field at the end of his second
term, attempting to dictate who his
successor shall be.


What object can he have for that,
pray?"


We'll, he fancies there may be ir-
in his administration which
a captious and unfriendly successor
might be inclined TO inquire too close
ly into, especially if backed up by an
unfriendly Congress. | do not myself
think he has anything to fear from
that"


Has he expressed any choice as to
who shall succeed him"


The Senator smiled and continued,
1T is very well known that confer
ences on the subject have been held
between him and q number of promi-
nent Office holders. His candidates
are Washburne and Roscoe Conkling.
But, thinking Washburne hardly avail
able, Conkling is his great card, and he
intends to play it like skillful general
putting his forces properly in the field.
The combinations now being made to
this end are very we'll understood here
has bowed before his idol with
such reckless adulation, and has fat
tered his vanity to such an extent,
that Grant feels he can only pay the
debt by working for his nomination.
This is what has stimulated the Blaine
men to action recently. They under
stand the Presidents movements, and
are already concocting measures to de-
feat them. The old feud between
Blaine and Conkling has never been
healed, and never will be, Conkling
never will forgive Blaine, and Blaine
never will forgive Gambling. And now
the Rleinn men are already snnnh- |