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The Presidential Question

The Presidential Question image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
March
Year
1872
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Wasuín-otox, Alarch 1. - The gTö;tt body of both Housos are holding thenisolves ia rosorve ; thoy oxpoet, to-day, Grant's rcnoruination ; and thoy seo more or lesa, tho danger of tho división ;nd deféftt (,f iho Republican party tliat thafc will bring. Many of thuiu, ding the most influcntial memben of the H'ouse, as woll as man y of the bost members of tho Senate,. yet fiicnt in the discussion, wouid like to escapo that renomination and this suro danger. But to deolare this fueling in vol vos risks to themselves that thoy aro not willing to un.dLstake. I suid to two Iending (Jongressmen : " Why, if you two gentlemen, would simply say what you believè ia regard to tho nomination of' General G'runt, sucU declaration would go fac to provent it and save the party." " And dostroy ourselves," they iutormpted, and so silenci-l ; me. Here is the tey tT thu Wushington situation. In tho absonoe of other cnudidato or candidates, hopotully contasUng with General Grant tho Iiopubliean nomination, there is sproad abroad hore, as moro or loss throughout the country, a füeling that it is treason to quostion the j ety of his renotnination - a treason to bo ] punished-bytho opposition of tho j istralion arïd its friond?, not only hero, but at home. Undor this foeling we fiud States instructiug their delíigates to Vote for Graut, and Wó find leading poüticians aequioscing in his renomination, if not openly favoring it, who at he:rt are gainst it, and beliuvo that it will open the door wiio to disruption and defeat. I could name States ana individuáis in illustration - but of what avail ? Every Congrsssman hero has his rival at home, eager to take advantage. of any niistaka to supplant hiin. Ho is kopt in liko duress by his anxiety that thore should be no división of his party to ondanger his re-eleotiou ; and though he muy teel that such división is tlu-eatcmed by Grant's renomination, he hes not tho courage to endanger hitnsclf in saying so, nnd undertaking to lo.id what superficially seems now a forlorn hope. So hu will let tho división come ra one w.iy r.ithcr tñan lead it in another in the hope ofavoiding it altogether. This holds good alike of Dom icrats and Ropublicans, and keops the groat bulk of both houses and of both parties quiet and undomonstrativi', forbid tlicin to be leaders in any chonge, and lea vos thciniu the jiositiou of wai( upon Providence and' tho people. But i'íí" BepuNitan membenqf Coagrta tcere to-d ij o'iliij.-i in s'njn one of tvx papers de tlariug thcir belief that' th interest of the country and the ■partij repiired the uomiiuiti'jn of General Grant or ihe raerse, nuck renomination woukl be no longtr possiblc There are plenty of leadiug Republicana, now nominally neutral, or cing in if not alvooating the President'a reeloetion, who are moro than willing that the country should force his defeat. But thoir faitii iü tbomselVM and their constitucucies 13 ïiot strong enough to overeóme their tours of tho dangor to thomselvea from a t'roe exprussion ot opiuion, and a couragoous action of judgment. Besides, inore or loss of these iuen ure candidatos ibr tho Prosidency or the Yico-Prosidency thomselves, and, while more than willing thit Grant and Colfax should both b ■ put asido, aro not willing to dostroy thoir own chanous for tlio places by exciting tho revenge of their frionds. ïhoy want the favor of the crown in the distribución of tho jowels that may have to be given lip. So Con gress, if Xeit to itself, will renominatn Grant, and so divide if not destroy the Kopublican party, not bvcausu it would, but becuse it daro not use the means neoessary to prevant the ono and save the other. Bilt I can hardly doubt that the instinct of the avorago Oongrnssman leads him, when tbc doors are olosed, ani the curtain drawn, and tho gas is out at night, and nobody cun soe or hear, to mingle with bis acoustomcd prayers for his daily sins an oarnest hope that the country will coiae to the rescue, and oblige a nomination at Philadelphia that will keep the party praotioftlly I and pormit the office-holders ui liis district to serve hiin and themselves without difficulty through another term of Congress. Ifha v.'ould only work a8 he prays perhaps ho would loe his hea.l, tuut the party would certainly be saved. lttiougu the country is thus ahead of GoHgri-sB, tho press in advance of the people, xind the poople in advance of the politicñíuis as a rule,. on this whole subject, I find here ücw and convinoing reaeons for the apprehension that the identiftcation ef the Bepublican party with General Grant in tho ensuing canipaign will be the signal for an important and revolutionary moveir.ent in politics. Though Schurz's speoch was the most brilliantone in the recent debat on the French arms resolution. the mest elfective one, also, in exhibiting the grou&ds far an inVestigation, that oi' Seüfttor Tiumbuü was tho most important ono politically. lt gpw form afld substance, as well as spirit, to the Bepublican opposition to (ieneral Grant's re-election. He boldly an fairly vindioated the Hepublicanism of the Missouri liberal platform and the Cincinnuti Convention, indorsing both as demonstrations of opinión in tho lïepublican pari y, consistent with its past, faithful to its pirit, and necessary toits purity and wamtenance. He put both on the ground of a mo-vement in the Iïepublicau party to bring that party back to its beet spirit, and IwmI it on to the new ■work thiit is the logical amand not only of tho tijue, but of tho characteï and traditiims of tliü party itaelf. His words seem to insure a grent important gatherhiK a' Cincinnati in May - a gathering of Bepublicans alone, not in antagonism to th llepublican party, but in uttr sympathy with ito character and history, and seeking only to rescuo that party from tho dangers that besot it in the i lentification of itsclf with the errors and enmities of the present administration and the corruptions and cafelessuoss of the prusent time. ïho cali for this oanTention presupposes no nouiinations. It aims to be, as represcnted by Senator Trumbull, simply :i spon tanoous and popular moeting üf Kqmblicans jfroni all parts of the country. Boeking to inako a demonstration of opinión within. the party toward eertain reforuis and certain end utterly consistent with tho pitrty'a character and principie?, and only consistent in their viow witlithe party's future. Jts doors and its aetiou m thie light are open, fruo, rrnd independent. What it shall do will Lü detünniajeil by tho men who gather to it, and yet it c;in in no largo senso bind its "ucuibers to any specific action. CertaiEuv ft canuot bind them to ftny noiuiuatious which thg majority thus assoniblüd ïuiglit determino U make. It would bo quito consistent for men to goto this assemblage ai"d take part in its dejiberations, and yet al"i-rward tx acquiesco iu tho noniinutiou of Trant at Philadelphia.. But wliilc this is all true, it ís ;ilso ti-ue that this convention inay tako snc'h SOtion as will inaugúrate a political rovolution, and even determino tbo PresicÚJntialeleclion.. Suppose, fot instance, thaL,. Kathercl in Cincinnati in the ffirat week in May, thcio should bo found - as not nulikely - ouo of tbo laTgest aèsetnblaAea of the purest and most independent Ke publicans of all the States that ever Lus been knovn, and that this body of men, foreeecing then the certaiuty thut the organizatiun of their party had bopulessiy iailen into tho hands ot General Grartt and bia t'riends, and that Ixis ro&oniination. iitilüi X'hiladolphia oouvontion in June was likcly, if not oeitain, sliould determine tliemselvesto present an independent reform Repnblioan ticket for President and Yicu President and apjeal to their party and tho people, first, to induoo tUe Philadelphiii conventlou to adt it, and second, whether it did 01 jju, to eleot it in November ! Suppose this ticket should gonsist of saeh nanios as 6hajUs Swimor and Lyman Trumbull, or, if ycu pleaso, Ljm&n IrambaU and Horaou Greejey, what would bo tho effect of bucU a deujou6tration, backed by such action? ThiH niucli BeemB certain, to-day, that tixo Cjjacinnati CouTCution ia and will jontinue to be a purely lïepublican movement ; thiit it will ïnuko nocoalitiou with thn Demooratio party, while ns Bgainst Grant its candidatos wduld reooiva thu tnost of its votes ; that tho leaders of tho liberal-llepublioaii movement liavo tío idea of coutributim; to tho return of iho I Domocnitiu party to power, or its princip'es to snpreiiiucy : that there is no dangerof the of any othor th i a Republiean to tb next rreridenuy : but that if the zBnagera of tho Republican organization pereist, in .icooí'tho waramd daueera that aro plainly wri ten-on overy hahd, i ■ using their powtr to re-norainate Grant, thoy will b. oonfrontfd by Buch 1111 opposiüon, arising trom their own raoka, and repreaenied by ñames so Bepublican in sorrioe and ia bistory, so powarfnl ia their representatiou of public opinión as will carry away from Gijneral Graat 11 tho flower of li!: Republioan partv and inaugúrate a radicul poütieal revolution.

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus