The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-06-14
afheeliug &egister.
GRANTS GIFT TAKING.
The Presidency q Perquisite.
INsTANCES,


INSTANCES.
Lawyers cite what are called lead
ing cases." A few Of these show tn
Presidential will in constant operation
with little regard to precedent or reason
so as to be = caprice, if it were not
pretension. Initiating the Popes IL
nepotism, the President has imitate'
them in ostentatious assumption OF in
fallibility.
TEE PRESIDENTS INAUGURAL ADDRESS
Other Presidents have entered upor
their high office with certain modesty
and distrust. Washington, in his in
angnral address, declared his "anxie'
u.-. also his sense of "the maguitud'
OF the Misunderstanding q distrnstfu
scrutiny into his qualifications. JEFF
ferson, in his famous inaugural, so re
plete with political wisdom, after de-
claring his "sincere consciousness thai
the task is above his talents" says:
al approach it with those anxiou;
and awful presentiments which the
greatness Of the charge and the weak
ness of my powers so justly inspire.
K land humble myself
before the magnitude OF the under
taking"
Our soldier, absolutely uutried in
civil life, entirely new msu, entering
upon the sublimest duties, before which
Washington and Jefferson had shrunk,
said in his Inaugural: "The response
bilities Of the positson l feel, but accept
them withom fear." Great predecessors,
with ample preparation for the respon-
sibilities, had shrunk back with tear.
He had none. Either he did not see
the responsibilities, or the Cesar began
to stir in his bosom. In either case he
was qualified.
SELECTION OF HIS CABINET.
Next after the inaugural address his
first official act was the selection Of his
cabinet, aud here the general disap-
pointment was equaled by the general
wonder. As the President was little
known except from the victories which
had commended him, it was not then
seen how completely characteristic was
this initial act. Looking back upon it
we recognize the pretension by which
all tradition usage and proprlety were
discarded, by which the just expecta-
tons OF the party that had elected him
were set at naught and the safeguards
OF the Constitutional Government were
subordinate to the personal pretenslons
OF one man. In this cabinet were per-
sons having small relations to the Re-
publican party, and little position in the
country--some absolutely without
claims from public service, and some
absolutely disqualified by the gifts they
had made the President. Such was the
political phenomenon presented for the
first time in American history, while re
ported savings OF the President showed
the simplicity with which he acted
To committee he described his cabi-
met as his "famiiy" with which no
stranger could he allowed to interfere,
aud to a member Of Congress he an
nounced that he selected his cabinet ito
please himself and nobody else be.
ing good rules unquestionably for the
organization Of household and the
choice Of dOmestics, to which the cabl-
net seem TO have been likened. The
personal government lowered in the
Navy Department, where gift bearing
Greek was suddedly changed to a score
tary. No less parsonage than the
grand old admiral, the brave, yet mod
est Farragut. Was reported as asking, on
the 5th OF March, the very day when
the cabinet was announced in unat-
fectcd ignorance, do You know any
thing OF Borie?' And yet this uncon-
spicuous citizen, bearer OF gifts to the
Presiden', was constituted the naval sill
perior of that historic character. Ii
others were less obscure, the cabinet as
unit was none the less notable as the
creature OF Presidential will where
chance We'd with favoritism as arblter.
Cnquestionably the President has a
discretion in the appointment OF his
cabinet, but ii is a Constitutional dIscre'
ton, regulated by regard for the in-
tercsts OF the country, and not by mere
personal will; by craftsmanship and moi
bv favoritism. A cabinet is a national
institution and not a Presidential per
quisite. unless our President is allowed
to copy the example of imperial France
In ali Constitutional Governments the
cabinet is selected on public reasons
and with single eve to the public
service, it is not in any respect the
family" of the sovereign, nor is it "to
please himself and nobody else" Eng
lish monarchs have often accepted
statesmen personally disagreeable when
they had become representatives OF the
prevailing party, as when George i'll
the most obstinate Of rulers, accepted
Fox, and George ", as prejudlced as
his father was obstinate, accepted Cans
ming, each bringing to the service com
manding abilities. By such instances
in a Constitutional Gov rnment ia the
cabinet fixed by constitutional and
not a personal body. 1t is only by
some extraordinary hallucinstion that
the President of republic ded Gated to
constitutional liberty can imagine him
self invested with q Transforming pre-.
negative above that OF any English SOW
ereign, by which his counselors are
changed from public officers to personal
attendants, and great constitutions
body, in which all citizens have com
mon interest, is made perquisite OF the
prao;Jant