The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-12-01
AsP ointmen.s to Office.

fOrty tnOO8anO O@uCe0 nc VIII DC expect.
cd to fill as soon as he becomes Presi.
dent, partly because he has not asked
our advice, from which we infer Chat he
does not want it-and partly because
we do not suppose he would take it even
if we should thrust it upon him. But
we venture TO submit 10 Our readers a
few suggestions on the subject, SO that
they may not be taken by surprise if
they should find them substantially act
ed on when the administration passes
into Gen. Grants hands. 1.aos 80 q
I. All the Offices Of the country are
filled now. Where they prove to be
well illed-where the new President
finds that the incumbents are honest,
faithful and efficient officers, and not Of
fonsively obnoxious as politicians-it
strikes us that it would .bc wise to let
chem alone. The country will thus have
tho benefit7of the experience they have
zcquired IN tire discharge of the duties.
and the Treasury will be saved from the
nev swarm Of hungry office seekers who
are awaiting their turn. aii' a#a
III. TIE President will find himself
grounded by al army Of persons who
via claim tho right of telling him whom
ae may appoint and whom he must not.
At The head o: the boat will he the mem
bers of Congress, who will begin by de.
handing, a. their right. this control of
his appointments. It would be wise, we
think, for the new President to begin by
deny ing this right in toto, and by refus-
ing, in the most positive manner, thus
to surrender the appointing power into
other hands. ue af @
This claim Of Congressman to dictate
the Presidents appointments. each for
his own district, is comparatively mod
ern; but it has come to be very peremp-
tory and absolute. No ono thing, proh-
ably, decided so many votes in the
House in favor of impeachment as
President Johnson's refusal to permit
ulembers to make his appointments for
him. That is the way in which every
member expects to pay his obligations
TO those who were most active, devoted,
and effective in securing his election.
The Presidential patronage is assumed
Members of Congress are to draw for
the payment Of their political debts !;
their checks on that bank are the 'legal
tender Of the country. It strike US
that it would be well for the new Presi-
dent to dispel that delusion, and to give
Congress and the county to understand
that the Offices OF the country are parts
OF the machinery by which the Execu.
tive falf1lls his oath to enforce the laws
and carry on the Government His
duty and his interest alike require that
none but good men should be appointed
to fill them.
III Congressman may naturally be
supposed to know more about the char
actcr and fitness Of applicants and can
didates for offices in their districts than
the President can and be may, with
great advantage, therefore, call upon
them to tell him what they know about
them. Upon the information which he
,a.y bs able thus to gather from mem
hers Of Congress and others, he can, in
he exercise of his own judgment, be
able to make good appointments, but it
saouid be his judgment. and not their
fishes, which controls the selection.
For member of Congress to tell the
nn.vbS IN hG
pointed, what arc his qualifications for
tae place, is 70 render the President a
eervice; bat for him 20 demand an ap-
ointment in order TO pay off a political
Obligation OF his own, and to tell him
who must be appointed and who must
not, is little short of an imposition and
an insult. eHt
Nv. The President may IS we'll I'M
derstand at first, what he will very soon
learn, that applications for Office backed
up by great array of names Of prom
ly shams-not worth the paper they are
written on, and entitled to the least pos
sible influence. Nine men out of ten,
to whom these papers are presented,
sign them simply because it is easier to
sign than to explain why they can't.
There are many men who make it . rule
to sign every paper Of the kind they
are asked to sign. We can name .
dozen men, Republicans, in this city,
whose names General Grant may rely
on seeing upon every application for
office that is made from other quarters
1t is the most common thing in the
world for men to Recommended" for
responsible places persons of whom
they know absolutely nothing whatever
This ia one NJ tho princinal aonrooo ~