, 1866-12-12

lie P1esident's appointing power has
ceased to be the mighty engine In politics
thal II once Eas; the official patronage of
The Govetnncnt is quite Insufficient to In
lteHcc the result OF an election in whleh
principles arc Involved. 1t amounts to COM
raratiycly little az an clement OF PARTY
strength In the North, During the late ca,a-
ralgu thu President ueed to the uttcrmost
the te7ors Of bis official gulllotlnc, and bought
up q menurspirited Republican wherever
lie lad post Office or clerkship 10 give In
exchange fur very poor soul. At St. Louis
As publicly anncuuced bis determination to
'ksck ont" every ofllcc-holdcs WHO should
deny The faith Of A. J. But the people
luu.hed at him. The great body Of North
erp men, independent and prosperous, If not
wealthy. cared 10 more for his Offices than
ihty did for the empty bottles thai be and
Hogan Light hare thrown to them from the
royal car in which l,c Swung sruuud the cir
Gle. They dt.idcd bis ,nenacrs Of dcc1plsa.
tim; they let him divide Ills bread and
butter an'o'g the hungry rcucsades aud
rnRcnous Coppcraeads; and when the day
ofclcction came, they made It. day IF tclri.
bntiun {or Andrew johnson, aud voted him
down by majority rather Increased than d.
milishcd BY Lib gross abuse Of the appoint
Ing power. THO victnsy OF tho great loyal
party OF The cuuutr5 derives additional lus-
trc'rrom these notable circumstances under
which it YVES achieved. History will stamp
it as u pare victory Of rInciple>. The free
NTH CT the Nufth hasr shpTn that, III ihc
least, tlcy have no price which the Govern
a.cn: can atlo,d to pay.
That andrew .folns0n has abused the ap-
pointing power III G lncst disgtnceful and IL.
iaWo0s manner Is certain. But he has
gained nothing by II except the contempt uf
his conAtrymen. The Republicans, ~ q
Eary, Lave los: nothing by it, Individual
ca:es CT hardship have doubtless occarrvd,
and up one can deny the inianly OF which
this accidental President WAS guilty, whc.
ae inaEs'l,ated The yiudIciive aud treaehrr-
oIs policy VI removing Ablsham Liucotn's
appointus, WHO belonged to the vc.y party
ihAt e1.ctcd hin, simply because they re-
naincd true to It's principles, while
lie sought TO betrny them to
tlelr encn'ics. Nevertheless. for Congress
TO interfere With his ap1oIatlns power,
would. In our Judgment, bt 1leasurs Of at
Least doubtful expcdfrlcy. Thv President Ii
:ca0y helpless, md can hc no morc Of :.
President tlap Congress chooscs TO let hin,
be- The battle was not against Anlrew
1ohnson as u man, but the issue WAS whether
the country should hc Preserved, aud 10. Al
tucn uical tic power Of Government. Let
Congress establish loyal Governments fu the
South-tsovctnnests taat Shall ::fvc ampl!
:rotcctinn to tho loyal population. btscA and
.sbiie, and it will have carried out til
great thought Of the people expressed ut Ii
taiiot-tox in October and November. Bu,
whenever 1t goes into a sqrabble for tho
polls Of of'iee. while it may ln1iet ju,t rctri
aution on the. unworthy head Of m apostate
President. 1t will. nevertheless, 20 outside o
any declared opinion of the peoplc, aud, 1t
our judgment, impcHl the hold It now ha.
upon the pupular mind as the chsmpion O.
ic;4i:;.; .ssainst pertldy and corruption. The
country wants proper settlement Of the
| question of reconstruction =; but anything
like ,iudtctivc legislation will wc7ken .lt
| pA.iy.