The Portland daily press., 1869-05-06


Court; A Misrepresentation Corrected; Wine
and Water Drinking in Europe; Canada Re-
taliates; A Hint at Teegraphic Reform; Ad-
ventures OF Two Country Gentlemen at the
Astor House; Boanarges in Battle; Don't
Know the Number of His Wives; Vessels
without Bowsprits; Gleanipgs and Gossip.
E~ Fourth Pdge-One of Grants Appoint
meuts; What are they; Marrying and Un-
marrying.
he Alleged Unpopular ~ of lhe New Ad-
mfuistratsOn.
The Chicago Tribune and a few other infiu-
ential Republican papers have given express
sion in temperate and unobjectonable way
to the feeling of dissatisfaction with the course
of the administration during its first two
months of official life which, to limited ex-
tent. peryades the Radical party. Democratic
journals make the most of the straws indicat-
inc disaffection but it will be work of incon-
ceiyabIe difficulty to make serious matter of
them.
In the first place, it was too much to expect
that the immense patronage of new admin
istration, following one of antagonistic politics,
could be distributed so as entirely to satisfy
either the requirements of the country for an
honest and efficient public service or the de-
mands of off1ce-seekers, who are to the places
to be filed as ten to one. As a matter of fact,
the bestowa of offices has not successfully sub
served either purpose, but unhappily it is the
failure in the second and not in the first re-
spect that has given rise to hostile criticism.
That the appointments are not all such as were
unreasonably expected Immediately to follow
Gen. Grant emphatic announcement of de-
termination to have the affairs of the govern
-ment administered economically and intelli-
gently has not excited half of the denunciatory
eloquence that has come from mere disappoint-
ell place hunters and their friends. The wall
of the Office seekers, ,-and it is now a very
plaintive cry,-will only be hushed through
the healing of wounds by the lapse of time;
for it is impossible that all their maws should
! be filled. Time will ultimately take the sting
from the sorrows that seem too grievous
TO be borne, and the great army of the disap-
pointed, always excepting few constitutional
grumblers, will become once more good peace
full and patriotic citizens. Meanwhile it is on
ly exceptional cases that will to any very great
extent exercise the public mind with sympa-
thy and commiseration.
As to the other and more serious ground of
complairt-the failure to fill all the offices
with worthy men-the evil has been exagger-
ated. Take the Cabinet for instance. What
ever unfavorable comment may be made on its
personnel, and however much the preferences
of leading politicians or of localities may have
been disregarded, no one will undertake to say
that it contains either a corrupt Or a positively
inefficient man. Can as much be said of the
three preceding Cabinets? Integrity and COM
potency are the prime requisites of good Cab
met and, If these have been regarded by the
President in making his selection, disqualifica-
tions of secondary Importance may well be
passed over lightly. The office of Commits
sioner of the Internal Revenue is hardly sec
ond in Importance to those of heads of depart
ments The appointment of Columbus Della
no of Ohio to this place has been received, so
far as we have observed, with universal salts
faction. 1t is felt that he will spare no effort
to collect the revenue, and that if corruption
or inefficiency continue to obstruct the work
ings of his department it will be only because
his own resoluteness and honesty of purpose
are overborne by power greater than his own
The two public debt statements issued since
the new administration came into power show
a reduction of $13,0O0,0OO in two months as an
evidence of more prudent management or
more vigor than characterized the former ad-
ministraton. Again. the revenue offices OF
New York, of more consequence perhaps than
those of all New England, have been filled
with men who at least are not suspected of
willingness to afford facilities for the eontinu-
ance of the operations of the various rings.
There are to be added 10 this credit side OF
Gen. Grants account, his recognition of all
classes of American citizens in making bis ap-
pointments. The number of coo ored men hold
ing commissions from Grant is already quite
large. Two foreign missions, the post offices
at Columbia, s. c., and at Savannah, Georgia,
and quite a number of revenue offices, filled
by Africans, are Grants pledges to the people
that he viii faithfully observe the inferential
promise in his acceptance of the Republican
nomination by the Presidency. Again, his
Indian policy-a policy which is evidently an
original conception of his own-cannot be too
strongly commended. If 'Moccasin Thief"
does creep into Office now and then with
broad-brim pulled over his eyes, that fact will
by no means invaldate the Presidents claim
to applause Tor having initiated system that
bids fair to obviate the necessity of employing
large bodies of troops on the plains and the re-
currence of Indian nassacres
But the fact remains that few unworthy
appointments have been made. Those who
are tormented by apprehensions on this ac-
count, should remember two things: first
that the President evidently anticipated his
own mistakes and the necessity of correcting
them when he said in his inaugural that be
hov baoif ifatfo I
appointees il they proved unworthy; second
that persistence in good purpose is one of his
leading characteristics. No one who has faith
fully studied Grants public history can fail to
be impressed by the steady growth of his pow
ers and his perseverance in the pursuit of a
praiseworthy object. As fast as abuses come
to his knowledge, unless moving into the
White House has worked a complete change
in his mental constitution, he will sever off
cial heads until the public service is purified
The reform of administrative abuses by sim
pie effort on the part of the appointing power
to select good men for office is no doubt an un-
satisfactory one. A radical change in the sys
tenn Of appointments is what is really necessa-
ry, but such change is not within the scope
of the Presidents powers. His remedy is an
empirical one, but until theilegislative branch
of the government comes to the aid of the
people by passing civil service bill General
Grant may be confidently expected to make
honest and skilful use of such means of reform
as he can command.
A candid view of the whole situation dis
closes nothing to indicate theabsence of hon
esty of purpose from the councils of the new
administration, and nothing to shadow the
slad hopes which had their birth in its advent
TO power. 1t has passed successfully through
the most hazardous part of its course, unless
unforeseen complications arise, and it is prob
able that the stifed grumbling of to-day marks
the lowest ebb of its popularity. The Repub-
lican victories in Indiana, Califol MIA and Ne
vada on Monday show how little this grum-
bling amounts to.
The Providence journal intimates that Sem
ator Sprague has gone deliberately over to the
enemy, and by way Of proof cites the Con-
gressonal directory for the second session of
the Fortieth Congress, where, in sketch of
himself, written by his own pen, Mr.. Sprague /.
says he was elected to the Senate as a Republi-
can, and revision of the same SKETCH also
made by the Senator, for the directory of the
third session, where he says that he was elect
ed as Democrat The Sprague controversy has
been transferred from Washington to Rhode
Island, where it RACES with the greatest bitter
a