The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-12
The Public Offices, and Who Ought to
Fill Them.

ne fuDllC OmCeS, ana VINO Ought TO
Fill Them.
THERE are two things that we are astonished at
the impudence of Democrats in begging for
Office, and the complaoency of the Republican
majOrityin the Senate in making combinations.
By all the rules of political action known in
this country, the Republicans are entitled to
the Federal Offices, and the Democrats are not
entitled to a single one of them. In 1864 the
two parties fought a square out-and-out fight,
and the Republican party won the day. That
victory, by the rules of politics acted on in this
country by all parties for the last forty years,
gave the Republicans right to the Offices.
Nothing has since occurred to impair that
right. The Republican party still remains
the dominant party in the country-over-
whelmingly so. more direct and palpable
issue was never made in this country than
was made before the people last fall and no
party was ever more triumphantly sustained
by the people than the Republican party then
was,
The only complication that has arisen is due
to the fact that the acting President, elected
by Republican votes, has gone over to the
Democratic party, and is seeking to control
the patronage of the country to sustain his
own .treachery, and in violation of the esta-
blished political usages of the nation. Just
such appointments are being made as would
have been appropriate and proper had McClel-
Ian and Pendleton, instead of Lincoln and
Johnson, been elected President and Vice
President in 1864 Under these circumstances,
the Republican party are justified in defend
ing the ancient political usages of the country
by every constitutional weapon in their hands.
The confirmation of the Senate being necessary
to all appointments, the Senate would be per-
fecty justifable not only, but is in duty bound
to insist that every appolntee shall be in
sympathy with the dominant political senti-
ment of the country.
Imagine the relations of parties changed, and
the Democrats occupying precisely the same
position with respect to President and to the
country that is now occupied by the Repub-
licans, and does anybody suppose that Demo-
cratic Senate would confirm Ben. Butler as
Brigadier-General in the army And yet
our Republican Senate has just confirmed
Rosseau. Would old Ben. Wade stand much
chance of confirmation before such body as
Minister to Austria And yet the name of
John p. Stockton is sent into a Republican
Senate, as though there would be an appro-
priateness in their confirming him. No; if
the Democrats had the power that we now
have, and had been sold out by a President
as we have been by Anlrew Johnson, they
would relentlessly refuse to confirm a single
man who was not sound Democrat, and they
would be perfectly right in doing so.
1t is not for the interest of any party in this
country, nor for the country itself, aside from
parties, that political treachery should be sue
Cessful, or should be rewarded. The very
genius of our political system obliges all par
ties to repose implicit good faith in their
candidates. When a candidate betrays this
confidence reposed in him by his constituents
he becomes infamous. If he has since his
election experienced an honest change of senti-
ment, which prevents his acting further with
the party which elevated him to power, the
only honorable course for him to pursue is to
resign. He can then appeal to the people,
and if sustained by them, can go back to his
pOoAOAVA "hN oNN WIN " SOOu OOuoClcnCts DuJ
to hold on to his Office after betraying his con-
stituents is to sound the depths of political
dishOnOr. The example afforded by such men
as Andrew Johnson, Edgar Cowan, and Doo-
little, of Wisconsin, is demoralizng in the
extreme, and, if generally followed, would
render representative government impossible.
Their example would justify Presidential
l., IL
voting for the opposing candidate. 1t is not
for the good of the country that treachery of
this kind should be made respectable. Parties
have their evils, but among their compensa-
ting blessings is the cultivation of that essen
tial requisite of a popular government-per-
feet good faith by representative towards his
constituents.
TIE CONSISTENT BAYARD. - The present