Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-04-15
Th. Pr.,,a.nt ana the party,

The FfeG10ent ana tne f8rtys
There are those who hoped that the
President, who had been elected by the
people, as they said, would discard the
politicians and rely upon the country.
What do such words mean? Who is
the country, and what are the people !?
They are the Republican and Democrat
ic parties. There is not q vast reserved
multitude of people" independent OF
parties. The people are divided into the
great party organizations ana TO expect
That the President would endeavor to
find some one who was in sympathy
with neither, was to expect that he
would be guilty of unutterable folly.
There were those, for instance, who
hoped that Mr. Charles Francis Adams
would be made Secretary of State. The
columns of this paper are the witness of
our appreciation of Mr.. Adams's ability
and service. But Mr.. Adams has chosen
to withdraw from the Republican party.
Upon the eve of an election which in
volved the essential question whether
the late rebels should control the Gov
ernment Mr.. Adams preferred to express
no opinion. Now at such time for a
man like Mr.. Adams not to speak was
to express himself thousandfold more
loudly than if he had shouted. The
people of the country, who felt in every
fibre that the war was real thing, and
that no misfortune was SO threatening as
the presence of Wade Hampton and his
party in the Government, elected Gen.
Grant. Mr.. Adams showed no sign OF
interest or sympathy. His son, infer
entially, under the circumstances, with
his fathers assent, had been coquetting
with Wade Hampton, and was the can
1f "
Governor of Massachusetts. If Gen.
Grants first act had been the nomina-
ton of Mr.. Adams as Secretary of State,
he would have paralyzed the party that
elected him, and opened struggle like
that from which that party has just vic
toriously emerged.
The government of this country Is a
party government. When President
is elected, he is a representative of prin-
ciples and a policy which are approved
by a constitutional majority of the peo-
pie, who are the source of power. Those
people, therefore, have right to de-
mand that those principles shall prevail;
and, in the absence of proper civil
service system the control of the Exc
outive Administration is essential to the
effective organization of the party, they
will naturally expect that the Admin
istration will be intrusted to honest and
capable men, who are also of the party.
If a man believes that the ascendency
of his party is essential to the highest
public welfare, knowing the necessity
of thorough party organization to that
result, we will properly take every hon
orable means to strengthen and complete
that organization.
Now politician is a very elastic term.
Burke and Wilkes, Hamilton and Ere
neau, were all politicians. They took
an active interest in politics and in par
ty organizations. The reproach OF many
of the best American citizens has been
that they are not politicians. Fl the
word has come to have an offensive sig
nificance, it is because those who should
have kept it pure have evaded their
duty. They have allowed it to become
synonymous with rascal. But it has still
q higher meaning, which every honest
man will remember, and every patriotic
man will endeavor to restore. An Ameri-
can who plumes himself upon not being
politician, in the sense of not being
interested in politics, is as wise as the
captain of ship who should take pride
in knowing nothing of navigation.
1t is plain enough that the independ-
ence which General Grant proposes to
himself was not of party. but an inde-
pendence of choice within the party:
Undoubtedly his cabinet as first named
was disappointment; but twas strictly
Republican, cabinet, and whoever he
might have named the disappointment
was inevitable. The disappointment
will continue, and for the same reason;
namely, that the friends of every appli-
cant who fails will complain. If any
man, however, will reflect how impossi,
BILE it is, under our present system, thai
the Chief Executive should accurately
know the character of those whom be
must nominate, and upon the reckless
manner in which candidates are recon-
mended, he will be very charitable in
his Judgment of the nominating powers
The President may hold his subordinate.
responsible, but the subordinates
also must act not upon knowledge but
upon representation. 1t is, indeed, the
people themselves who are primarily
responsible for the character and capac-
| ity of men in Office, for the Senators
must also rely upon representations
Let no Republican, therefore. who hai
recommended any applicant from good
nature, or from any reason but persua
sion of fitness, presume to cavil at the
Executive action.-[ Harpers Weekly.