Year: 1876

THE HERALD ON HAYES AND TILDEN.


Greatly Exercised about Hayes charac-
ter, as the New York HcrdEdsand some of
its contributors have shown themselves,
that miraculous metropolitan manufacturer
OF public character is not 10 be congratu-
lated on lis success up to this time in manu-
featuring a Hayes to suit himself The
real Hayes remains to shame the mock one.
Nor is the He' AIDS Hayes SO like the true
one as 10 be able 10 deceive the people. Mr..
Ncrdhof is entirely right in representing
Hayes as having large mind of his Own,
as no weak mediOcrity and when the Her.
aid, pompously overruling its contributor,
announces that it locks on Hayes as "a
mediocre, well-intentioned gentleman,
"who has been lifted by the accidents of
"politiCs to position to which he had no
"title founded on personal consideration"
it exceeds itself in pretentious inbecility.
1t proceeds as follows:


"He has none of the elements of great and
commanding character; neither the breadth
of intellect, the force of will, nor the ascend
ancy over other men with which nature stamps
a man born for leadership


No doubt the writer of this very silly
stuff might stand in Hayes presence una
Dashed. There is an impudence which has
front insensible to shame in all condi-
tions yet it may be doubted whether even
this very cheeky writer could stand face to
face with the simplicity and earnestness of
Hayes without ackno wledSng, at least to
himself, the presence of soul of the first
crder. All the evidence is to the effect that
candor, earnestness, modestY almost too
great, and the simplicity that nearly always
marks true wisdom and high aspiration,
are attributed to Hayes by all who know
him personally and have known him long.
No mediocre man could so impress his
close acquaintances. But the public i'm
pressions made by Hayes have been as in
dicatiye of greatness as the impressions
made by him in private. As an advocate
in courts of justice he acquired great emf
nence, in spite of his almost too modest
bearing, and as an orator, addressing large
assemblies of his fellow-citizens, he has
had, perhaps, no superior, and certainly
few equals. Had he figured at New York
instead of praclicing his profession at Gin
cinDati, he would certainly have been
known to the whole country as lawyer of
great capabilities, and had his course as a
political speaker been in the Empire State
he would have had national reputation as
a splendid speaker.


AS soldier he did not acquire the high
est eminence. His opportunities were not
not Of the first order. A2d perh tps be
never could have gained martial emi-
neuce like that acquired By the President
whom he is destined 10 succ. .ed. Slcn
martial merit as that SO mGdesily devoted
to the service of the country By General
Grant not often shows itself in any sort Of
warfare, and 1t certainly was not to be ex-
pected in a man, trained for the bar, and
almost ignorant of military art and science.
But there was in Hayes, as he appeared in
battle for the Union, modest merit very
like the modest merit that appeared in
Grant. No mediocre man could have been
such soldier as we saw in Hayes. All
things considered, the distinction he ac-
quired in martial life was of the nobler
order.


But, it seems, he was too modest when,
having SO gloriously served his country as
a soldier, he was sent to Congress as ?
member of the gabbling House. He never
was gabbler. Fluent as speaker, capa-
BILE of of-hand oratory, at once accurate
and glowing, he never seemed Ambitious
of distinction as an orator. Somehow-it
would, perhaps, be difficult to ascertain
just how-he did not feel moved to speak
much while he was in Congress. Posi-
bly, the eloquence of the sword, which he
had recently laid down, had almost dis
gusted him for the time with the eloquence
of the tongue. But whatever may have
been his reasons for saying so little in Con-
gress, all who have listened to him, either
as political speaker or as barrister, unite
in the opinion that if he had spoken much
in Congress he would certainly have
ranked with Congressional debaters of the
first class.


Ohio is no backward State. Ohio is the
third State of the Union. When a man is
repeatedly and highly honored and as
| highly trusted in Ohio. even the New
York Herald ought to be able to perceive
that the presumption is, that he is not "a
mediocre gentleman who has been lifted
"by the accidents Of politics to a position
"to which he had no title founded on per-
"sonal considerations. Merit is not al
ways present in success; success can never
be perfect test of merit; but success al
ways affords fair presumption of true
skill aid real merit. The country will be
wholly safe in relying on the judgment of
Hayes, so often given by his native State.
Those judgments testify most eloquently
in his favor.


So does the distinction given to him by
his Presidential nomination. The pre-
sumption that arises from such Il nOmina-
tion by such a party is entitled to very
high respect, and all men really regard it
rs Of high siguificeree. He may have been
misled little when he spoke of reform as
the matter Of paramount interest. We
don't affect to look upon him as infallible.
But We suspect that long ere this he must
have clearly seen that what has been so
brutally distinguished as the "bloody
shirt" was really at that time, and is GER
tain 10 remain for years to come, the matter
of pIofoundest and most practical concern
to the whole country. 1t was not because
such men as Morton, Blaine and Conkling
looked on Hayes as weak that they did
not agree with him as to the paramount
ness ofthe interest in reform. They knew
that ali the people very justly felt deep
! interes. in reform and purifcation, but