The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-04

year, oeneisi Urant mas been making a very
oommendable proficiency in his political
educational least upon this particular sub.
ject. About year ago General Grant was one
OF the most active, and by all odds the most
efficient man In the country in forcing unon
President, johnson member Of the Cabiuet
whom he did not want. Had Il not beam for
General Grants unexpected taotios-taotios
by which President Johnson was taken in and
d,oeived-the President would have had no
difficulty In getting rid OF Stanton. General
Grants views at that time Inspecting the
right OF the President TO bs the sole Judge
whom he would have In his Cabinet. we're
very different from the views which he holds
on that subject at present. Every body reool-
lects remarkable letter which he wrote to
President Johnson protesting against the re.
moval OF Stanton on the ground that the
people demanded his retention. General Grant
has surprisingly outgrown the idea that
public opinion should be consulted aud de-
ferTed to by the President in the choice of his
confidential advisers.
General Grants notions as to his exclusive
rights in this matter are so high and strict
that he will not even tolerate the advice of
his friendsj and yet he is the same man who,
q year ago, aided in an effort to compel Presi-
dent Johnson to take member of his Cabi-
net from the diota,ion of his enemies. In q
letter which General Grant wrote TO the Presi-
dent about the time that the question OF vera
his motives for accepting the Office of Seore
of War Gd interim in a manner which contrasts
oddly enough with his present estimate Of his
own rights. He then wrote:-"From our
conversation and my written protest of
August l, 1867, against the removal
of MIR. Stanton, you must have known
that my greatest objection to his re-
would be appointed In his stead who would,
by opposition to the laws relating to the
restoration Of the Southern States to their
proper relation to the Government, embarrass
the army in the performance of the duties
especially imposed upon it by the laws, and
that 1t was to prevent such an appointment
that accepted the appointment of Secretary
of War ad interim, and not for the purpose of
enabling you to get rid of Mr.. Stsnton.' In
the same letter he says that he urged the Pre-
sidept to appoint Governor Cox of Ohio, Sec
retary of War in Stanton's place. General
Grant surely did not entertain, at that time, his
present high notions about the right of the
President to be the sole judge whom he would
| have in his Cabinet, or the impertinence of
| giving him advice on that subject. General
| Grant not only presumed to give to President
Johnson q kind of advice which he permits
! nobody to give to him, but when the advice
| was not taken he accepted the Office himse
for the sole purpose of preventing the Presi-
dent making his own selection. Having thus
|
| the Senate, General Grant,. when the Senate
was in session, actively co-operatsd with the
Presidents enemies in thrustipg back upon
| him a recusant member Of the Cabinet, with
whom he could have no official intercourse;
with whom he was not even on speaking
terms. 1t is very pleasing to witness the
ripening influence Of General Grants election
upon his political education! IT his progress
has been equally rapid on all other subjects,
we shall not despair of finding him, on the
whole, tolerably satisfactory President.
The novel course which General Grant has
been pursuing in relation to his Cabinet can
easily be justified. 1t has an excellent ten
dency to educate his political party to just
views of the independent authority OF
the President-a kind of education which
the Republican party greatly needs. 1t
is true that most of the party leaders do not
take very kindly to the lesson; but II he per-
severes, there is no telling what he may not
accomplish in time If he could have taken
his pupils in hand at an earlier stage his sue
cess might not have been so slow; as 1t Is a
very tsite observation how much more diff
cult it is to unlearn errors than to instil truth
into minds that are not preoccupied. 1t is
like the difference between writing upon a
clean sheet of white paper and preparing q
scrawled and blotted sheet for new writing.
If General Grants course is unusual 1t mu st
be remembered In, .extenuation, that the cir
| Cum6tanc6S are unprecedented. an oAtoot
dinary disease requires an uncommon medi-
cine. No President-elect, before General
Grant, has been called to select a Cabinet ir
the face of declared opposition to the rights
of his Office The Constitution subjects hin
to no other restriction than the necessity o
! sending his appointments to the Senate fol
| confirmation. But Congress has interposeC
with law abridgiDg his authority; and wheI
) the dignity of his Office is thus dwarfed anC
: it's independence undermined, it is fitting anC
5 commendable that General Grant should re
? assert the Presidential prerogatives in marked
, and peculiar way. AS against the Republican
party, the singular course Of General Gran
0 Is entirely proper. That party strips tn
8 President of his rightful authority and makes
T him the mere vassal of its will. Genera
: Grant repels this assumption by taking yer.
8 high stand for Executive independence. Ii
:, repudiates Republican advice, and will no
allow that party even to know what he in
Q tends. He tells them, by his conduct, that tn
; selection of his subordinates is his business
q not theirs; that as they dispute his indepen
a dence by their legislation, he means to plac
y himself on the extreme boundary Of his rights
u and to repel, as q meddlesome impertinenee
4 every sort of interference with the absolut
p freedom of his choice. The course whic
l. has excited 30 much comment is
l. natural and deserved rebake
It the Republican encroachments upon tn
Q independence of the Executive. II tn
D Tenure Of Office act had been repealed at th
g beginning of this session, General Grant woul
n probably have responded to and reciprocate
that mark of confidence by oounselling wit
;, his party as all former Presidents have dont
l. But, under the circumstances, he is fully just
,, fed IN setting up an unusual claim to exeml