The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1872-05-25
U,,iversaJ Satisfaction Impossible

U1ltUerS0L SATISFACTION Impossible.
We are not and never have been of those
who claimed that President Grants Admins
tration was infallible. He has made many
mistakes in the selection of men for Federal
positions. We know of no man who has occu-
pied the Presidential chair who has not. He
has made changes in many cases when he has
been convinced that the appointment was a
bad one or damaging to the public interest. We
frankly admit that he has not moved as
promptly in many instances as we have wished
him to, and he has not made changes where
we think he should make them. But there are
others who think otherwise. Many good, honest
men differ from us in this particular 1t is
impossible to make any appointments that
come fresh from the hands of the President that
shall be entirely satisfactory to every one. And
when you come to consider that the President
has directly or indirectly in his hands the a2-
pointment of perhaps fifty thousand men to
office, how is it possible then that be can make
all these appointments without finding great
many selfish Republicans to complain and the
entire rank and file of the Democratic party to
set up an immaculate howl, when he cannot
make one appointment without displeasing
somebody Suppose those who criticise and
grumble and finally join the opposition had
succeeded in getting themselves and their
appointments have been any more creditable
to the Administration or the Republican party
than those are that were made? Or suppose
these critics had been empowered with making
all the appointments to suit themselves, is it
at all probable that those appointments would
have been any more acceptable to The mass Of
the party or woul they have i --sted less com
ment and criticiI at the hSads IF the Demo-
cFg patty
1t must be RENE Tbered that for every Office
to I'll there are on n average at least five APP
plicants for the position. Each one of these is
backed up by somebody. 1t is almost an i'm
possibility to find an applicant for an Office
who cannot find somebody to recommend him
and to say something to some influential man
in his behalf. Almost every applicant arms
himself with 6 numerously signed petition, on
which appear the names of some-and fire.
quently many-prominent men in the party.
In addition to this he procures letters of recon-
mendation from various sources. The sppli-
cants for place-high and low-come thus
backed and recommended. This pressure is
made upon the administration from all sides
in behalf of every place seeker. Perhaps in
many cases the applicants for any given place
are all equally deserving oft, and the appoint
80 H. h. 60 h.
governmental welfare is concerned. But the
friends of one are little more active than the
friends of the others and the President acting
according to the best light he has upon the
subject appoints the one. The other four and
their friends each think it great hardship.
Each applicant thinks his claims the strongest
and so does his friends. The four and their
friends are soured, become cold, indifferent
and after a while degenerate into chronic
grumblers. But whose fault is it? Some body
has to be appointed and every applicant not
appointed must be disappointed. Many of
them it is true have sterling patriotism enough
to forego this failure to get positions and stick
to their principles through thick and thin.
But it is not the case with all of them. Their
dissatisfaction, though in the majority of cases
not intended for that purpose, breeds opposi-
ton. In the present case who is responsible
for the opposition to President Grant, himself
or his enemies We have not yet seen a reason
given for the opposition that has not grown out
of what we have detailed above. VIII some
one tell us when we had President against
whom such opposition could not have been
brought with equal force and propriety No
administration can show a record that so
strongly recommends it to the support of the
American people as that which shines forth
from President Grants
Suppose the Democrats, who make constant
complaint had made the appointments would
thecountry have been better served by Tarnma-
nv experts at emk-yiag treasnries l77,.. hes,axe
now by competenA officials H6al was it with
Andrew Johnson President Grants admins
tration has been burdened with the trouble and
expense of convicting the thieves that grew up
under that honest Democratic administration.
If elected, will Horace Greeley make no mis-
takes, will he appoint no one who is unfit and
will he disappoint nobody by appointing all
who apply Must the nation look to Tammany
for supply of honest officials +?