—Not at all. There was no "sift" to Grant; he stuck to the whole lot until the Republican party told him he must either let them go or lose the country.
By the way, are the Republicans good people?
—Yes; just as good as any other, and a good deal better, if they were only Democrats.
Why do you complain of them, then?
—I don't complain of the honest Republican people of the country. I complain of the Republican politicians.
What is a "politician?"
—Sometimes an honest man like John Morrissey; hardly ever a fool; generally a knave.
What do you mean by a political party?
—The term has two meanings. First, all the honest people of the country who believe in a given set of political principles. Secondly, it means all the political office-holders, managers and wire-pullers, whose business is to throw dust in the eyes of the non-politicians (i. e., the simple voters).