The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-27
RESTRICTIONS ON GRANT.

A new line OF prospective u'isAon ~ S
Republican party appears in the differing
views of some of its politicians on the ques-
ton of repeating or perpetuating the tenure
of Office act. Those who favor congressional
supremacy very naturally wish to maintain
all the strong positions which the overwhelm-
ing Radical ma jority of Congress captured
during their war with President johnson.
The series of reconstruction acts were sue
cessful raids into the enemy's country, rather
than permanent conquests by the congress
sional usurpers. But in the tenure OF ONCE
act they acquired their Gibraltar, from which
they may hope to command the whole
Mediterranean of executive appointment and
administrative policy Ostensibly, the inaug-
uration of Grant will signalize the end OF
hostilities between the Legislative and exeeu-
tive departments. But the English refused
to surrender their Gibraltar on the return OF
peace, and the Radicals are the last people
to be suspected, in like event, OF yielding up
Voluntarily similarly advantageous position;
especially as they can not know, their peace
with the next President being one without
any stipulations on his part, how soon hostili-
ties may be renewed.
The New York Tribune attempts to dis
guise its jealousy of Grant under the cloak OF
solicitude for what it calls the "new prin-
ciple" couched in the tenure of Office act, and
which is confusedly explained as rule that,
on one hand, shuts out opportunity and
temptation for the corrupt and tyrannical
abuse of executive authority. and on an
other hand, improves the civil service by ex-
acting official efficiency as the measure OF
official tenure. 1t is curious commentary
upon the virtue of this principle, principle
so valuable, in the estimation of the Tribune,
that "to surrender it now would be a calamity
only second to the surrender of liberty ITSELF
that since it has been in operation through
the tenure of office, the civil service has been
dist inguished by such prevalence OF inetfi-
cheney, corruption, fraud and rascality as is
without parallel, or even a distant approxima-
ton, in all the previous history of the coun-
try. OF course, Mr.. Greeley does not deign
to notice, or simply snaps bis fingers at this
remarkable contradiction. In his easy and
comfortable philosophy, when facts venture
to come in collision with his theories, it is
very bad, indeed-for the facts.
But, no matter upon what theory the contin-
uance in force of the tenure of Office act may
be urged by leading Radicals, they cannot long
conceal from any one that their real object is
to hamper Grant with restrictions fully as ex-
IRENE and rigorous as those which they have
imposed upon johnson. And the moment
they manifest this purpose in plain and de-
cided form, they must come in opposition to
that class of Republicans who desire to raise
the importance, and dignity, and potency of
the presidential Office, in the person of Grant,
by allowing him the utmost latitude of execu-
tive prerogative and discretion. Everybody
knows that the tenure of Office act was de-
signed by hostile Congress, in the heat of
bitter conflict with johnson. as the most
effectual blow which could be aimed at the
executive enemy. 1t is simply preposterous,
then, to suppose that the continued enforce
ment of the act is not advocated by Radicals
in a far different spirit from that of implicit
confidence and enthusiastic admiration
towards Grant.
The fact is we already see, emerginc, rom
the agitation of this question, the on slinss of
two new conflicting factions of thu Renubli-
can party both, in their several Cavs revo-
lutionary the one seeking { a aoprandize
Congress until the governmer + shall he made
parliamentary, even in WI aar ord nore am.
phatic sense than that of Great britain the
o'.e' :. " nio 8 executive authority
I'M. :. 'naH Je'OD q imperial in grandeur
r 49,. me thing they agree. The
az -: adencies of both point to
sno aDsoip' "a of all power in the central
o. h. at. by the practical obliteration, il
the express abolition, of reserved and
suliar rights of States and local commu-
mites, especially such rights as relate
TO the regulation of suffrage and to
qualification for Office. The scheme OF the
one would subject the country to Congress
sional oligarchy as unlimited and irresponsible
in its rule as the Long Parliament of England
upon the overthrow of Charles 1, aud perhaps
vastly more ambitious and malign in its views
The scheme of the other would assimilate the
political system of the country to that o.
France, where the supreme national authority
is centered in an elected emperor, and based
on universal suffrage, standing army and (
secret police. The latter, bad as it may look
would, doubtless, be a milder tyranny thar
the former, and could, it is likely, command
more elements of permanent success.
The PHoNoGRAPHIc MAGAzrNE.-The secon'
AL. i -