The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-11-16

tv against You, and, had not colored
voters been added and mainly controlled
by your followers, the majority would
have been over fifty thousand.
What is it that the people disapprove !?
We can inform you, sir! They deem
it an outrage that you have tried to con-
troll State election 10y gross abuse Of
your power ofremoval and appointment.
They maintain that it is wrong for
President to use that power to force
himself upon the people for a second
term. They desire you, in future, 10
pay better attention TO your own duties
at Washington-the duty which your
masters, the people, assigned to you, and
not to spend your time in meddllng
with State elections. II seems to the
people that you deserve severe rebuke,
alike for neglecting your legitimate at
fairs and for abusing the power intrust-
ed to you, and, being freemen, neither
awed by yonr name nor seduced by
your offices, they give you that rebuke
very plainly.
The first duty of a President is to keep
the pledges made to the people when
a candidate. This you have not done.
You promised to give the country peace,
and pledged yourself to a platform in
which the removal of political disabili-
ties was a most prominent feature.
Soon after YOU became President, you
meditated compliance with the pledge
BY proclaiming amnesty, and again 10y
recommending to Congress removal OF
disabilities, but in each case unscrupu-
lous partisans who want still longer to
be able to elect mere tools of their own
from Southern States, turned you from
your purpose. At this day you are their
tool. Simon Cameron, as unsavory a
man as ever sat in the Senate, controls
YOU as if you were his hired man. 1t
is discreditable that President should
be so controlled by any one; doubly
discreditable that he should be con
trolled by such man; trebly discredit.
able that he should thus be led to de.
part from the solemn pledges by which
his election was secured.
Other duties you have greatly neglect
ed. You should have aided the
country to resumption of specie pay
ments, and to thorough reduction and
reform of taxation, but while you
have done something you have failed
to use YOUR efforts for these reforms. 1t
was,your duty to reform the civil service,
and to make it no longer the tool of
unscrupulous parties. Starting with
the avowed intent, and earning public
approval by much improvement in the
character of officials, you now have suf-
fered Hoar, and at last Cox,t be driven
from the public service, simply because
Of their honesty and independence. 1t
is most painful to see the wide differ
ence between your professions and your
performance. Instead OF having mo
policy to enforce against the will Of the
people" you have tried to force the San
Domingo treaty upon the Senate, and
McClurg upon Missouri, in both cases
using patronage most wrongfulIy. In
stead of reforming the public service,
You have in one respect degraded 1t.
At this day, when any man is appointed
to office, people ask at once, what per-
sonal favor has he rendered or engaged
to render to General Grant? Not even
Buchanan gave offices to men who had
made him presents. And even John
son had for excuse q public policy a
a little broader and higher than a mere
desire for reelection
Accept the verdict of the people, Mr..
President. Learn from them wherein
YOU have failed. Drive from your
presence the shameless fatterers and
corrupt partisans who surround you !;
call back to your advice such true pa
triOts rs Cox; remember the. pledges
which you gave to the people, and set
yourself honestly to the task Of redeem
ing them. Leave the people to say
whether they wish you for a second
TEN, and bear in mind that the Presi-
dencv, at least, should seek the man.
and not the man the Office. Give us
peace, amnesty, reform of civil service,
, reform OF taxation.
Your great name was of priceless
worth to the people of this country I'M
til stained by your own neglect or mis-
conduct. Do your best, sir, during the
rest of your term to remove those stains
by faithful, honest, independent dis
charge of duty so that, when men shall
speak of you, they may have something
besides your military services to remem-
Der with pride and gratitude. BY that
course, and by no other, can you make
it possible for the Republican party to
elect YOU a second time.