New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-01-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS

IL Il
EIGHTY YEARS OF REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT
IN THE UNITED STATES. by LOUIS j; JENNINGS
First American from the second London edition lmo
PIP. 2ss. G.. Seribner & Co.
This gentleman, for two years the American CORE
spondcnt Of The London Times has published this
book 20 make as be says "the working men of these
islands familiar with ecey detail of the American Gov
eminent as il actually exists" and in his Preface,
speaks of the great opportunities afforded him for
acquiring che information sought-the authors daily
duties calling HIM into close intercourse with many
of the most active public men Of the country" The
working en" who accept the authors statements
as facts, will learn some things that are entirely new
on this side of the Atlantic, even if believed on the
other On page 2j4 Mr.. Jennings informs his readers
that New-Fngland is divided into fire States" and
on page 20 that Territories allowed to send to
delegates to the House of Representatives. On page
ILL., the workingmen are informed that in Illinois,
&c. any person may vote, whether naturallzed OF
not if he has lived six months in hXed perma-
nent residence - the fact however, beng
that in Illinois full citizenship is re-
auired Of aliens TO enttle them to vote.
Equally unfortunate is he in attempting to quote the
Constitution for page 81 he tells his readers that
if there no choice of President by the electors the
House of Representatives chooses one from "the
IRE highest on the list" instead of three; and then
adds in such an extraordinary election one repre-
sentative from each State votes" very awkward
way of informing the workingmen that each State
has one vote to be decided by the majority OF Its
delegation Nor is he any more fortunate In bis
explanations of AmeTicanisms He says OH page l25:
Sometimes whole masses of men are transported
from one district to another a process which has
been named after the inventor, gerryTnandering."
If he had not relied so implicitly the most active
public men of the country" he would have learned
a. mir
accommodating refers to dstrieting a State for
Congressional purposes, as TO reduce the minority
to the smallest possible number OF representatives
of their party-a totally different thing His ailu-
sions 70 the Tenure-ofO Office bill indicate that he
must have known of that bill only from the President
twho honored him once with an interview to explain
his policy and not from perusal OF the Dill Itself
lie SAYS page So During the recess of Congress,
man proved to be guilty of theft forgery may be
In a public Office and the President be poweress TO
remove him until the Senate meet" Whereas, IT is
well known that for any misfeasance OF malfeasance,
che President can suspend any officer till twenty days
after the Senate again meets. But he returns to this
subject again, when speaking of Cabinet Ministers
OH page &C. declaring "by the Tenure-Ot-Ohice bill,
the President and the Senate combined could not ds-
place him" On page $50 he reiterates the charge
against Senator Wade based on his Kansas speech,
adding in a note that Mr. Wade had never repudi-
York Times gentleman of high repute and charac-
Ter" had verified the charges against him, and that
moreover several persons present at the meeting
testified to the reporters fidelity THE fact being
that the Senator had. over and over again. de-
nounced the statement as unjust and untrue, ana
that several Senators, who with him, and heard
the speech testified over their signatures to the
unfarness of the report The animus OF the book
can be inferred from the following extract in regard
TO the negro, to be found on pages @S and 2o9, ana
which needs no comment: They turn him loose m
the South that he may be scoHrge to the people VINO
strove TO destroy the Government; they give hun
Incense not because they love him. but because they
wish 10 qrenqe themselves upon his masters. &c, &c
We pass over his illusions 70 the Executive office
being contended for chiefly 10y hungry pace-hun-
tiers or by the obscure and terate puppets of fac
ton" and those, referring to Congressional bribery
because they have been answered by The AhenGp@'
extracts from whose criticisms on this work-wlnch
If condemns as "one-sided and ungenerous, were
embodied in a recent letter from our special CORE
spondent at London. But we cannot omit adding one
extract givingus ahereofore unpublished remark Of
our Secretary of State 10 this correspondent of our
btterest enemy abroad, The Tines.
On page &c. he says, "Mr. Seward, man of unri-
vailed information upon the machinery Of his
own Government, once said to me, We elect
a king for four years, and give him abso-
lute power, within certain hnhts' "Ilch
after all he can interpret for himself" Such
certainly, was not the opinion of the millions
Who for years labored to elect Mr. Seward to the
office which he thus describes. And although he
after this conversation, publicly asked the people
whether they wished Andrew johnson for Pre-
sident or King" evidently the same ideaIisng in his
mindl the people answered so plainly that the world
could hear and by legislation well as by the bal
lot-box 1--WE do not like him for President and we
will not have him for King