Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-03-06

the caucus Of Radical Senators the othe
day ?"
The President No, sir. Whst?D
Correspondent" He said that hG
thought It unw wise TO eonsidt r the tenure
Of ofIiee bill this session, because, though
persuaded that it would be repealed il
brought to q vote, and though convinced
that you would sign the repeal, he yet
thought that along with your approval
you would send in a message which
would rasp Congress mere than it would
be able to bear at the present time.p
The President" That's Just like VIII
SOD. He has not enough sense to tell 3
thing in words which do not give his
party opponents a handle. The other
day he biurted out that he was against
submitting the suffrage amendment to
State Conventions, instead OF existing
Legislatures, because Conventions would
have to be voted for, and if folks had q
chance to vote on the amendment it
would be lost. This confession ought to
be sufficient to kill the amendment,
though if it kill even Wilson it will be
q Wond r. However, neither he nor any
one else need fear 1 would send in any
thing but my name at the bottom of a
bill repeating the tenure OF Office law. /
/ vetoed that bill, and Of course / would
| approve its repeal, to be consistent, as l
| have been consistent all through. New
ertheless, if, instead of q repeal, Con-
| gress should send me 8 bill modifying
the civil tenure law, or even mitigating
1t, would not approve Of it, as I am
against the whole principle OF the act,
| believing it TO be unconstitutional"
| CorTesp spOndeut-" Mr.. johnson, the
| Senate Will not touch the civil tenure
law, in my Judgment, until Gen. Grant
/ shows his hand, and not then, il he dis
| play the least sign OF Independence. As
| things stand, AMI as they tend, it is i'm
/ probable that the Senate will relinoulsh
| a single feature OF the law, for the SEN
ate fearsi snd does not trust, your success
sor"
The Prgsident-"I have noticed, sir.
/ that you have made much of the aues-
| lion in The World. It was right. The
| whole Of the administr alton hinges upon
it. 1t is the one thing which prevents
q President from being President except
| IN name. All the corruption OF the ser
| vice is owing TO the existence OF this law.
/ L would be useless to suspend men anu
| have their friends and supporters in the
| Senate pass upon their cases. Besides.
eOTru t officials so cover up their tracks
as to make it impossible directly to prove
their guilt in evidence, however strong
| the moral cow ctiona or suspieions you
| entertain ~ their guilt. Then, too,
/ there axe handreds OF Offieisls who, with
out being corrupt, are inefficient. Inef-
ficlency "a a matter Of Judgment, not
avideDee, in most cases, and charges
| based upon such allegations, however
clear to sn Executive, are hard to COM
municate to such number Of men as
e1nsti' U g Senate. Above all, the ten
M ~ rff
disgrace to man, whereas, befere, -
movsl was no disgrace, Rsmcval. toe.
or the apr reheesiOn Of it, Is the best
weapon a. Executive has to insure hor-
/ est adj, Illustrators. Let an official o1ly
/ Sow that fhe President can remove him
! Without notice, and that operates more
/ powerfully 20 Keep him in good behavior
/ Lna1 all the holds he could have sub
| scEioed IN bis favor. My experience here
/ mas cOnyin ed me Of this: That no Pres
| ident can administer this Government
| ss 1t ought to be administered with such
q law upon him. My very literal COM
/ pliancs With is hss demonstrated its in
| efncis-ey. No man who comes after
! me can get along With it. Gen. Grants
| demand for its repeal shows that he un-
| deFstaLds this, and the exertions which
/ his friends make ior its repe9l shows that
they understand it. They vindieate my
veto Of the law and my protests against
| 1t, and they acknowledge their mistake
| in passing it. For my part, I would be
| glad TO see that m.s.aks TectiGed. To be
sure the repeal Of the law would do me
| no good row, bg. sc q patriotic man, de-
| sifous o. having al honest civil service,
/ would he glad to see the law wiped
| out OF The staju,e-b b3Ok.n
COFrespOE dsut-" Mr.. President don't
| you think il Gen. Grant inherits all the
| burdens put upon you, that from your
knowledge or his character there would
be trOuble?n
The President" Neither Gen. Grant
nor any Cther msu can administer this
| Govern Elent with such 3 law. No man
/ can administer it properly either who
has not plan OF policy, il ycu will, Of
| his own, founded upon clear convic-
| ton OF what the Constitution teaches and
| means. Gen. Grant will be peculiarly
| liable to feel restive under this law. 1t
| is onea thing to sit in headquarters, to
write orders and have them obeyed, and
it is quite another TO wish to institute
! measures and action, and find yourself
hsmpered Gs no other President ever was
| before; and to have your executive func-
tioua saor1 ffOm you, and yourself
blamed fer the bungling and corruption
| Of others whom you cannotresch. Pres
idanti2l recommendations will not
amount to general orders by any means.
If Gen. Grant develops an intelligent
understanding of our system, and de-
msnds q firm respeGt OF his right, he
may, in time. get back the powers to the
Executive office which have been taken
/ from it. To do this he must surround
himself in his COUNCILS with politicians or
statesmen who are familiar with admin
istrstion and with the laws, and to
whom can be safely committed the
trusts snd power Of government.
II President wants a Cabinet
of clerks he can get them, but ts
will find the whole load o. government
too much fer his tiae and his mind. IF
he secures experienced statesmen to as
sist him, he will find that himself and
themselves are deprived Of all advantage
which comes frOm accord of action by
the existence OF q law forbiddiug changes
of employees at will. Congress perceives
that the people really disspprOvs Of the
checks put upon me. The effort tina aDlest
men Of the party are making for the
repeal OF the tenure Of Office act proves
that they keenly interpret how public
sentiment calls for it. That clause OF the
Army Appropriation bill which 1 pro-
tested sg ainst, making all the Presidents
orders go through a subordinate officer,
whom L might have removed at any
time this twelve month, and might even
remove yet for insuoorjinatiOn, has been
recommended for repeal. 1t shows that
Congress feels the people are beginning
TO realize the shRckles put upon the
Executive, and demand their ahrogation.
If the people could ss thoroughly realize
the ether difficulties of my situation, and
il once the square issues Of the COnstitu-
ton against centrsliZation could be
voted upon, the verdict would be Just
what it will he when the history Of my
administration is written. But the real
issues have never Feaohe1 the people.
Ths war cries crowded out all other
questions, and the history of the past
four years has been 5istory OF Success
gul juggling OF the real questions and
substitution Of false one. There is hope
yet. The Constitution of this country
will come to the top st last. Even Lo-
gan, in speech yesterday, remembered
that there was Constitution some
where, and began dimly to recall it.
This is favorable, though the very resist
ance Of other Presidents against Con-
gressional eneroachments will hasten
the time when the people will remand
each department. of Government to its