Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-05-03
From Harper's Weekly.
Arrafgning the Prsident.

the country. Not lew among tnc hum-
ber censure Mr.. Buchanan, directly, or
indirectly, for the reiterated illusions to
his age and services But with few ex-
ceptons, all seem to admit that the Odnt
ot'com,1on respect show him by the House
of Representatives in appointing a Com
mittee to enqnre whether or no he had
been guilty Of corruption Justified an en-
phatic protest.
1t is not worth while to inquire whether
Mr.. Buchanan's repeated remarks upon
his public carear and his advanced years
are strictly in accordance with good taste.
'Tis trihing matter at best, and if the
Presidents political rivals have no ground
of complaint but this his record will stand
we'll in history. His career is one Of fwhich
he may weH be proud, and his approaching
retirement from public life imparts an au.
Mority Ia his covnselS on whick he may a0ei
be pardoned for dueliing wiM some en-
phaSis.
The true point to which good men
shcNld direct their attention is simpl y
this: is il right, is IL decent, is II in gooo
taste that tie Executive ofMe Nation Should
be araigned beforeu Commitee ofMe House
Of Representatives on a charge Of corrup.
ton. and that cALuMNIEs, 'CoIED ny DIsAP.
POINTED POLITICIANS, should be publishea
far and wide in tie form Of pubHc dotu.
ments, AND AT THE NATroAL EXPENSE.
The charge in this case is in plain words
that the public patronage of the Govern
,mcnt has been distributed among its SUP
PoRTERs, and not among its OPPONENTS
That charge is well founded and true
Ever since the time of jackson it has
been so. The system is wrong in prin.
ciple, and that it would be great thing
for the country to alter it altogether, we
freely admit. But was established TWEEN
ty wears before Mr.. Buchanan was inau-
gnrated, and he has but carried it out after
the manner Of his predecessors. Ho has
displaced and appointed postmasters, col
lectors Of customs, United States Marshals
and other Government officials in accor-
dance with the well understood princi Piles
which have ruled the Government for
nearly a quarter of a century, which
principles may be briefly summed up in
Tue Itlut, uAlOul, Nlitlt u ltllil Hll'l an
enemy are competitors for an Office ol
contract, the preference, all other things
being equal, should be given to the friend
We repeat that We do not like the sys
TEN. 1t would be far better for the Gov
ernnent to choose its servants on tn,
ground of fitness alone, regardless of thei
political services or their party claims
But the present method having been il
use for over twenty years. and having
been vigorously carried out by seven Pres
idents before Mr. Buchanan, it is mon
strous to iniputc it to him as crime tina
he followed their example.
Independently of this, however. thcr
is an improperly in the investigation
which is now being conducted by Mr. Go
vole and his friends which cannot fail t,
strike every person with ordinay decency
II We are civilized nation we owe SOM
sort of respect to the man we have raise,
to the position of Chief Magistrate. In
suits leUeied against him are oatages upo,
The whoie people. Until he commits often
ses which justify his impeachment in TIN
manner provided by the Constitution, HI
is entitled to some respect, to some i'm
munity from the coarse vituperation ant
brutal calumnies which are the lot of tn
aspiring politician, What weight can h
expect his remonstrances and representa-
tons carry with ioNign po~crs, il we Sc
the axample of shown him up as rogu
aud an agent of corruption? What wi
tho foreign world think of us, if the ma
whom we have chosen rs our Chief Mag
istrate is openly accused of knavery. an,
construtively tried fo' the oilense by
Committee OF Congress? Will they no
be justified in regarding him as type o
the nation? What a feast forcign deSpot
and ariStocrofs wW hare orer tie Bdecen
spectacle? What an argument against De
moeraey and popular Government
There ought surely to be something
some man, some office. sacred from tn
low abuse of party politicians and the as
saults OF vulgar place hunters. We al
in the habit of boasting of our superiori
" to the poor half breed races of the Sou
thern part of the Continent. and adducing
in proof of it. our patient submission t
the verdict Of the ma jorty. however dis
tasteful it be TO the minority. But
that submission be simply evinced by on
abstaining from barricades and emute'
and il It docs not prevent us from doin
our best to bring that majority's verde
into contempt and to degrade the chose
head Of the nation by low devices an,
vulgar tricks, the basis on which ou
boasts rest is pretty slender.
WHERE IS THE CovonE SYSTEM TO END
Next March. perhaps, n Republican ma,
be President of the United States, and il
1868 or 1864 there may be a democrati
majority in Congress. Does any on
suppose it would be difficult for that ma
jority to rake up scandalous tales abou
the distribution of the public patronage
and make it appear that the Prcsiden
has tried to corrupt the people? Tier
are 0hcdys DISAPPOINTED SEEKERS OF or
FicEs AND CONTRACTS who are ready to IN
vent caiananies against Me official who dis
appointed them. IL we inaugurate tn
practice of investigating Committees int,
the distribution OF the Presidential patron
age, It is quite certain that every Presi
dent from this time forth will be pro
claimed to this country and to the worl,
knave and rogue before his four year
end. What will the country gain b,
that?