Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-07-29
THE PRESIDENT AND CON-
GRESS.
Their Observation-Disclosures and
Nature Of Their Differ
cnceS,
An Executive Without a Policy
and a President Without
an Administration

The Washington correspondent of the
Boston Advertiser (RadicaD writes as
follows:
WASHINGTON, July 20, 1S7O.-The re-
lations between Congress and the Presi-
dent are not so good as they ought to be.
l think the President is quite willing to
sacrifice something Of his personal iudg-
ment and preference for the sake of har-
mony, while Congress, as a whole, seems
quite willing that the present want of
harmony should continue indefinitely.
The state of affairs cannot be fairly spo.
ken of as one in which there is active
hostility; in the attitude Of Congress there
IS some contempt and good deal Of in.
difference. This is not SO bad as the
open war of JohnsOn's time, but the stu
tiSn is not promising for the well-bcing
of the party of the country.
Inthe first place the President is neither
q leader nor a politician. Naturally he
sympathiZes with the great body of citi-
Zcns who do not attend ward meetings
and have nothing TO do with nominating
conventions He does not like politics
and he listrusts politicians. He takes no
interest ia city or State intrigues. and
cannot comprehend the political value of
patronage. The characteristics that COM
mend him to the masses count for little
in the estimation of those inside politics.
Disrust on his part breeds contempt on
their part. There is no personal magne-
tism in the man, and, therefore, he wins !
no personal following. lie is liked, and |
respected, and even admired, but he is |
not loved as Lincoln was, or wOrshpcd /
as Webster was, or hated as Clay and
Calhoun were. His traits are of the head /
rather than of the heart. he hes no ap- |
parent selfish ambition, and is utterly |
wanting in sham or pretense. He is a /
good and upright citizen, without desire /
TO be in fellowship with politicians. The |
simple straightfOrwaTdness that made him
& great soldier is not quality to get re-
nOwn among men who spend the whole \
of this year in planning for a renomina-
ton next year. His devotion to duty as /
he sees duty Is something for the Cnlhusi- /
asm of the bIOgraphCr and the his orian: |
devotion to party is a thing beyond his |
comprehension. Consequently he has |
little active support among those who |
manage CT think they manage the affairs
of party.
In the second place, his theory of a
Cabinet is new one, peculiar to himself I
it is a staff, such as the General has in /
the field. Congress thinks of the Presi-
dent and his Cabinet as a wh0le-eiEht
gentlemen working together as one man
q, 1ta H. e H., Al !
ton, these being the ends of the party by
which it was elected. But in this Cabinet
each man contents himself with attending
70 the duties of his special department.
Mr.. Fish and Mr.. Boutwell, did not
trouble themselves about Mr.. CrcsWcps /
fight for the abolition of the franking
privilege; Mr.. Cox and Mr.. Robson had
nothing 70 do with Mr.. Boutwell's effort |
to get a Funding bill; Mr.. Bellnap and
Mr.. Cox gave themselves no concern with !
Mr.. Fish S Cuban question; Mr. Cox was
the onlyman of them all who put himself |
on record last December for reform in !
the civil service; and while Mr.. Hoar
constantly waTTed with the politicians
over appointments, Mr. Boutwell, and !
Mr.. CrcswCl as constantly acted
on the conviction that sDoils in
hCrcnly belong to the victOrs. !
The members Of the Cabinet are
on good terms personally with one an
otheT-cyen in this atmosphere forever |
aglow with Tumor there are no rumOrs of
qUaTTeis among these gentlemen; but each
of them has accepted the Presidents the
cry of duty, and strictly minds the bust
ness of his own bureau or staff position. |
The financial recommendations Of the /
President and his Secretary of the Treas
ury last winter were wide as the poles:
the President was strenuous for the rati
icllIOu Of the San Domingo treaty.. but
il was never limited that any member Of
his Cabinet would be broken OF rest if it
were defeated All this thing is both
novel and unsatisfactory to Congress: ii
looks down from its height on Capitol
Hill and secs an Executive OF the laws,
but it nowhere sees an Administration
it notes that taxes are faithfully collected !
and economically expended, but it misses
the old and familiar sight of a compact
organization Of eight powerful men work
ing unitgd'y for new party triumphs.
In the third place, the President is too
temperate and evenly balanced in his
judgments. The majority IN Congress !
believes TIA: the salvation of the world !
is wrapped up in the success Of Repubh-
can principles as laid down in Republican
platforms The President is neither a
partisan nor party man. He accepted !
The Republican nomination, and means
TO execute Republican viii as embodied
i'm laws made by Republican Congress.
His general convictions and sympathies
are with the Republican party; but he /
does not hold, with your typical Con-
gresham, that 10 possible good can come 1
ou' Of the Democratic Nazareth. Con
g.a would easily pardon almost every |
thin else IF IL found him eager TO further /
party Interests everywhere, aud it scolds |
because .a cannot either see or be made (
to see E.w very essential it is that the |
right man should be appointed Postmaster /
at the VILLAGE If IIarwOol, in southwest !
CTD Missouri.
In the fourth place, he is without de- !
cidcd convictions on many questions of |
pubic p ICY. You and |, being only |
private cl'7ons, may doubt and hesitate, !
and may even change our opinions. But |
the President must be positive and infal- |
hb.e. Ii lac says in December that there I
should be no reduction of the taxes. he !
should not in March advise a reduction Of |
fifty millions. The advice is wise and ju- |
diciOus, but he ought To- have given it !
three months earlier. Congress never !
makes a mistake, and never more clear |
sighted in July than it was in January |
what are we coming to If the opposition |
may twist US with the fact that our Presi- |
dent either has no opinions or is given 10 !
changing his opinions!
In the Ifthplaco, General Grant follows !