The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-04-22
TIE PRESIDENTIAL LGBE.
ING.

ING.
A gentleman, well-known in this
community as a staunch Republi-
can, one who has never failed e
vote the straight party ticket, came
into u Office on last Tuesday
holding in his hand a copy of The
Examiner and Chronicle, of March
Il, a paper published IN New York
CITY in the interest of the Baptist
church, ahd, IN politics, a Republi-
ca journal. He Immediately call
etour attention TO an article in
nd paper, uEder the above tap-
tIon, and remarked: lit must be
given up that Grant Is a failure! y
We read the article through, and
told him that as it had helped to
give HIM a proper estimate OF
Grant as President, we would pub
lrsh for the benefit Of others, who
were still blindly worshIping the
Receiver OF Gifts in and Distributor
# large and petty Offices from
Washington. Here is the article:
Considerable interest has been
awakened bv the fact that Presi-
dent Grant has gone repeatedly 10
the Capitol, ana been closeted with
Senators for the purpose Of urging
upon them measures which he de-
slres TO promote, particularly the
San Domingo purchase. But the
feeling awakened has been rather
languid, far more so than the occa-
sion calls for. The Presidents pro
ceduI g involvesnO necessary wrong,
We assume that he acts from the
most upright motives, and that the
motives to which he appeals in the
breasts of honorable Senators are
ench as IT is no dishonOr to act up
IN. But it is a departure from the
established practice of the Govern
ment, and is painfully significant OF
u revolution effected Or silently 60
ing on under constitutional forms,
for selfish and eOrdId ends.
IL is claimed that President
Grant is doing only what Washing
ton did, and what the law expressly
iro~ides for. The 9Th Rule of the
Senate is quoted:
az h, n the President of the United
States shall meet the Senate in the
Senate Chamber, for the consideration
of Executive business, the presiding
officer of the Senate shall have a chair
IN the floor, and be considered he
head of the Senate. and his chair shall
he assigned TO the President of the
United States
But meeting the Senate Is one
thing; going into q private room
and calling out Senator'S for conf
dental consultation is a very diff
eTent thing, and it is a thing which,
IT it grows into i custom, will de-
grade the Pres ;deAJfal office, that
has already parted with no small
share of it's original dignity. l.
was once thought that the indepcn-
dence of the Legislative depart
lei vas threatened by Executive
power and Influence. What has
become of the independence Of the
Executive =?
DuIing the last administration
there was a feeling on the part of a
large majority in Congress, and in
the country, that the poIIcy of the
President was directed 10 the sub
version of the most valuable results
Of the war. This feeling led TO ve>
ry energetic measures for restrain>
ing him. Those measures were
justified OF the ground that an
emergency existed demanding some
extraordinary curse One cause
for the interest felt in the election
of General Grant WIS the hope and
expectation that harmony would
exist between the President snd
Congress, and the constitutional
system &c made to work according
TO its long>estabIIshed order. But
it would seem that the two Houses.
especially the Senate, having en-
joyed the qualification of debating
10 the President in matters which
the Constitution commits TO his
free decision, are d~isInciIned to
give it UT. They invaded President
Johnson's prerogatIve because they
thought it necessary to do so fol
the public safety. They subject
President Grant to their owo viii
because they choose to, and arc
thus able t control the distributor
Ofthe "spoIls of Office And so We
see the President a lobbyist. We
earnestly hope he will lay aside
his new character, and if he a do
no more keep up the accustomed
forms of Presidential dignity unit
tho time eo8ae when it can be made
more Of a reality.