The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-21
GENERAL CHARACTER OF GENERAL
GRANTS APPOINTMENTS TO OFFICE.

GRANTS APPOINTMENTS TO OFFICE.
From the NJ Y. Times.
We concur in the main with what our
Washington correspondent said recently of
General Grants appointments to office. In
general they have been good-such as COM
mend themselves to the approval of the coun-
try by the fitness Of the men appointed and
the influences that have controlled their selec-
ton. Mistakes have unquestionably been
made, but they are fewer in number than
usual, and have mainly occurred in cases
where the President has yielded to the pres
sure of politicians. We believe, too, that they
have been, and will continue to be, promptly
corrected when discovered.
1t may be true that the percentage of bad
appointments would have been still smaller
than it is 'if people had been as ready to fur
nish President Grant with correct information
about candidates in advance of their nomina-
tion, as they were to decry them after ap-
pointed" But it must be remembered that
the country was assured, at a very early date,
that advice was not wanted, and that people
who volunteered it would injure rather than
improve their standing with the administra-
tion. And as it is, we imagine General Grant
has had good deal more of information
concerning candidates for nomination than he
has known how to dispose OF. We think he
has been good deal embarrassed by the fact
that the moment any man was suggested for
Office, his character, public and private, was
assailed from every quarter, and every pos
sible effort was made to compass his defeat,
mainly, Of course, in the interest of his rivals.
It has not been 80 much from lack of informs-
tion concerning candidates for office, as from
inability to decide how much of it was disin-
terested and reliable, that General Grant has
fallen into the mistakes he has made in this
respect.
And we venture to say that he has suffered
more from members Of Congress in this
matter than from any other single class. In
the first place, they act more uniformly from
interested motives than any other class in
seeking appointments to office. They care
but little for the credit of the administration,
and still less for the interests of the country,
in the distribution of patronage. Their
main object--that to which all other conside-
rations are saorifced-is their own interest,
the securing their own reelection or their
own promotion to higher places: and this
they seek by getting office for their most de-
voted and jealous political supporters. This
is true of members OF Congress IS rule, to
which, possibly, there may be exceptions; but
If so they are very rare.
In the next place members of Congress are
reckless and needless, beyond any other class
of people, in signing recommendations for
office. They attach not the slightest sense
of responsibility to such signatures. They
yl6lu 10 phltIlcT luObiNco thoh O'HOA A-ON
they are more cowardly and show less manli'
ness and self-respect, when. asked to signi
and repudiate the act when done with more
shameless hypocrisy, than any other class
of the community. 1t is urged, for example,
as an excuse TOR General Grants
nomination OF Mr.. Ashley to be Gov
ernor of Montana. that he could MOI
resist the application OF $50 members of Con
gress asking him to do SO. Yet more thar
half these members would not hesitate, i
they had been asked, to say to General Gran
that they signed merely because MIR. Ashley
sat among them and asked them to sign be
cause others were signing, and 1t would lool
ungraoious to refuse, and they did not for
moment suppose that such an application
would amount to anything. Very many O
those who did sign that paper have alread,
urged these considerations in extenuatiop s
their action. Yet the effect of it, whateye
may have been its motive, was to lead Geners
: Grant into perhaps the very worst nominatio
he has yet made. And he must bear the rs
sponsibility of it. The act is his and ali IN
] explanations, disclaimers, and protestation
they can make will not relieve him of Il
responsibility, or put any part Of it on theI
shoulders. n40
II is not easy to say how this evil can b
remedied, but until II is remedied-until th
recommendations, however urgent, Of men
! | bars of Congress, cease to control the Actio