Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-02-16

- HE President is again mistaken. When IN
4 his letter to Mr.. Seldom, declining to admit
,bs nroprety Of that geutieman's determination 70
=, he saws that he cannot acknowledge the
ris,spce of power OF right In the Legislative Ue-
,-,,,snt Of the Government, or any part OF branch
80 20 control the continuance II Office Of tnese
,inciDal officers 10 each OF Tie Executive FeParI-
,oarts 80 the choice OF whom the Constitution mas
,.,s,s5 in the Chief Magistrate, he entirely mis-
s,stas IN. question, aud argues IRON point which
bss NO relevancy 70 the subject. No one has been
,nnid enough 20 assert that ongress, or any por-
.to, NJ Consrsss has any power 70 dismiss Cabi-
:. .4s,.- No one has been absurd enough 10 deny
.bst tbe riglr to choosS those officers IS, by the
c,..,,itrfiou. vested in the Chief Aagistrate-5y
al .-,tb rs ADVICE AID cgts.at q t.s Senate al
i,,,,-,.,t modification wLsO., doubtless. IN the
hurry OF writing. escaped tas Presidents memory.
The President, therefore, IN his letter 10 Ar. Sed-
T1D took crei, deal Oh p1,us 90 prove PROPOSE
tsn ,vb,ci. no one disputed, all 70 dsproye point
which no one asserted The letteE oi M Bocock'
a, bsbalf Of tke deleg alton from Virginia indicates
The exact nature 0f The issue which the President
has raised; but which they had no thought OF max
Ing. They intended no Interference rHuch less
anv dictat;on. Nothing WAS further from their
thoughts than an attack on the dearly cherished
and desreratelv defended Executive pyerogat.Ve
Of appointment. They found the country in con
d.,ion OF extreme dependency anu gloom. They
observed symptoms which they considered alarm
iar and which indeed had excited the apprehension
Of all thoughtful men. They attributed the gloom
and the dependency and the concomitant alarming
symptoms 20 prevailing distru5t Of the capacity Of
the various Executive agents 70 whom the manage
msnt of the different departments Of the Govern
ment was confded. This distrust was so plainly
pronounced ard SO widely extended tS9t it consti-
tutsd the indspUtsble pUbc opinion Of the country
that very public opinion 20 which the President
declares himself at all times willing TO defer To be
sure he speaks of a well-iniormed and enlightened
public opinion as that to which he would yield re-
spect: but If be means that he is TO be sole and
supreme Judge of the. degree OF information and
enlightenment necessary TO form such opinion, he
might Just as well have said that lie would regard
uobod,s wishes but his own, and that the desires OF
the c9uatry we're 90 be at all times subordinate TO
his views OF course he did not mean this. On
course tie delegation from Virginia could not sup
pose that he would regard oficious and untimely
the suggestions OF wise prudence, and the couu-
sels al the representatives of one Of the sovereign
States % this Contederaey These gentlemen hiut
that more than once the advice OF the Executive has
yeea rendered on subjects within the Legislative
province and such advice has always been received
with due consideration and respect. They had a
right 70 expect at least fair reciprocity OF Sourtesy
IL Is uot known we believe. that they ever refused
o. vote for measure simply because IL had the Tx
ecutye endorsement, or that they rejected the tx
ecutge I'D Sc simply because it was teudcrcdto them
ia IA Indirect and unofficial mode. Ict, when they
intimate that changes IN the Administration mig
be exYeiieut, caJ when a Cabinet officer, prcsUw-
ing allusionto be made 20 himself tender, his re-
si.u5tl the President almost refuses to accept it
not, primarily, because the change might not b,
beneficial, but because somebody bsd asked that IL
might be mads. Thj, seem, 20 be tbe meaning OF
all thai he has said the subject. although he ar
CUES on those other AID totally irrelevant grounds
10 which we have referred. Ii the President
had resolved not TO yield anything - the voice
OF the c0aatry simply because it Is the voice
or the country, and To- reject good advice simply
because il Is given as advS be ought to have SAID
So without ctcumi0cUuon, and spared Us the
elaborate but iuappiicahle dsqu'>i,u the nature
Of tho British Constitution with which he has favor
e. us. The people Of this CouieJeracy care very
little about tine powers Of tie British Ministry the
Constitution Of the British Parliament but they do
care very much 20 see our own Government propcr-
~ administered and our resources taitlSuily and
eaerrc,i-llly employed. They have no luminosity
AGAINST Nj Seldom, or, for augLt We know, against
ANY ofthe Heads Of Departments. They, question:
less, regard with profound admiration the gentle in
terchange of sympathy in tie courteous struggle
between the President aud the late Secretary ol
War. They arc glad that the President was pleased
with Mr. Sedion, aud that Mr.. Seldom rcveres &c
President These are sentiments honorable alike
- both Of the distinguished gentlemen. But this
does nos alter the only important fact, that public
o,iuiou desired and even demanded certain changes
which we're deemed ssary TO the safety Of the
country aud the successful prosecution OF the
If the President had met the question iaiTly and
s,,.relv he would either have denied the existence
of such public opinion, or lac would have fatty Ia
fn,ed 10 he guided by it. lie does neither Of these
things, He only tells US that Congress nor, forti-
oi the Virginia delegation has any right 10 control
the Executive appointments, aud that nobody but
.he Executive has the power TO makesuch appoint
,,.r.s. which is very much the same il the Gas
t,r,,auy we're 70 keep the city of Richmond in
darkness because the people should presume 10 ask
Or urbt or as il the city authorities should close
,be reservoir because the people should venture to
ask for water.