The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-17
1-.out,ve Term and Patronage,

NJ. Executive Term and Patronage
Th. cincinnati Commercial, one OF Tue
,,,,est and most influential papers IN the
Observation-Disclosures Republiean-oeeiaes
IN favor of limiting the Presiden''", on sn
tn single term for each man elcc'eo ~ M
q and furthermore, in favor Of dimin,sh'.s
and restricting the patronage OF the cue
81 Erscptiye. Both of these proposi.sonS
have been long discussed. ana tha' o' h1l''
;,c IN. Office to single term lot each rFe-
.;dent was practically accepted py inc l'a-
ton before the war.
The Commercial truly contends ina. ~
long as under the laws President Is eilsl-
HE for a second term, he will use DIS once
ond his patronage to secure his reelection
without regard to the public welfare. NO
man can denv the truth Of this position OF
the ommerciai: "The plain duty of an
"American President is to administer the
"Goycrnment merely with view to its
"best interests yet we submit that 1t is q
duty not always attended to with scrupu-
"lous fidelity" We need not so back to
the past, nor outside Of the Federal capt.
tai, for an example.
The Comm, ercidl assumes that the nrst
two years of the Presidential term are en-
ployed in settling the claims and appeals
of office. hunters; and it thu, describes the
business of the two succeeding years
"As the first half Of the Presidential term
is occupied in this way, looking after the
business of others, the last half Is generally
employed in looking afler himself and
giving that heed to his latter end which VIII
enable him to rise from the ashes OF one
term the Phoenix of another and the bread
he has been engaged in casting upon the
waters is expected to return TO him In
proper time, and il it does not, he desires
10 know the reason why"
General GRANT is not satisfied with SIM
ply inQuiring "the reason why" Like
RICHARD, he takes measures to insure the
returning tide, bearing its bread in spite OF
why's" and "why nots." His soldiers
are to fix things to his mind.
The truisms Of the Commercial that
"the history of Presidents affords nc
"instance of one save WASHINGTON
"wbo did not believe that the welfare
.:of the Republic was intimately asso
"ciated with his reelection;" ''that there
"is no man PRESIDENT who does not esteem
"himself little more than anything else
seven though it be the land Of his brit
"and the screaming eagle;" and "that
"after all, Presidents are only men, ant
''much like other men"--Will be uni
versally admitted. That from such being
as Presidents it would be well to take ava!
all the things that are calculated to diver
their minds from the public business anC
to concentrate their interest and attention
upon their own personal ambition and pro
motion, none can deny.
The eligibility of President for reaec
ton to second term, and the vast patron
age of the Executive are the bane Of the
Presidential Office, and seriously Injurious tt
the national welfare but how are they tc
to be abolished? As We have said, prior
to the war it had become the settled policy
to reflect no man to the Presidency; but
that did not destroy the hope Of reelection
IN the breast of the President, and he con-
tinued to reward his supporters and punish
his enemies. SO it must be the law that he
shall not be reelected before the abuse OIL
With regard to the corrupting patronage
of the Executive, how is that to be taken
from him? A party in power will not take
from it's leader in the Presidency the means
Of dividing amongst them the offices and
the jobs ofthe Government, and the "outs'
have seldom the power to carry any mea-
sure against the "ins." In turn, when the
fri ,hno
Gins" they are unwilling to be cut off from
the spoils, and so this evil, incorporated
with our system Of Government in the be-
ginning, is likely to remain the cancer of
the body polite until some radical change,
the nature OF which we cannot foresee.
There can be no doubt that the patronage
OF the Federal Executive is the great
fountain of corruption in this country.
Every neighborhood in this vast country
has its oflce.hunters, who spend their days
in politics and in seeking Office but few
can succeed. The disappointed having
deserted their private occupations 10
secure support out of the public
treasury, are few of them ever after
successful, and thousands turn to be USE
less citizens, many of them sots, and the
great bulk of them mere burthens upon
their friends. Their fates are not much
worse than those of the successful Office
hunters, for they, after a term, are turned
out to seek occupation and support by in
dlvidual enterprise and industry, of which
they have but little left after period of
ease and sensualsm in the corrupt Federal
capital. How many thousands of such
"turned-out" partisans have been doomed
to linger out lives of disappointment and
misery-those dependant upon them being
lett to fortune and chance, their education
neglected, and their moral training disre-
garded In this way does the Presidential
patronage disseminate vice and pauperlsm.
The evil ramiGes the whole land. Every
partisan working for the hope of reward
has his friends and relations, and through
this social and blood relationship the entire
framework of society is involved in this
great curse of the land.
But, We repeat, we see no strong ground
Tor hope that it will be abolished. Yet we
are eratified by every instance Of opposition
70 1t, and especially when it appears in an
influential manner. We therefore call at
tention to the views of the Cincinnati
Commercial with good degree of satisfac-
lion. The country suffers more disturbance
and serious injury to her solid interests
from the patronage of the Federal Govern
ment and the eligibility or the President to
second term than from any other cause