New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-04-27
QUASI cEsARIeN.

that the sovereign power, which belongs
of right to the whole body of the people,
can not be- conveniently exercised in
this diffused form. It must, there
fore, be delegated to certain chosen
individuals. These, by force of Gus
tom, often forget the derived character
of the powers they exercise, gradually at
tach to them the notion Of ownership, and,
sometimes, casting off all feeling of re-
sponsibility, make use Of the military arm
to aid them in usurping arbitrary sway.
In this way have grown up all the tyrani-
cal governments whose records stain the
pages Of history; but never until the peo-
pie, by their degeneracy, were prepared to
be tyrannized over.
Under our system of government no
man is indispensable. Circumstances may
indeed arise comforting on a certain indi-
viduala temporary political superiority as
the representative of certain principles;
but, after all, it is the principles that are
important, not the man. If, therefore,
after having been raised by his fellow
citizens to position of great power and
responsibility for the express purpose OF
maintaining such principles, such a
chosen standard-bearer should depart
from them, or, ignoring his comparative
personal insignifcance and the purely
representative character of his official
position, should endeavor to initiate the
successful usurpers to whom allusion has
been made, or even to perpetuate his
tenure of Office by undue exercise of its
influence, he would soon be taught his
own impotence. For the moment pub
lie servant under free government as
sumes the right to administer his Office in
his own personal interest, that very mo-
ment he forfeits the right to administer it
at all.
To this rule there are no exceptions;
the higher the Office the greater the out
rage of its abuse. 1t must, however, be
admitted that the political adage, ''to the
victor belong the spoils," devised by
Democratic administration to justify the
wholesale redistribution of the places, po-
itical and non-political, in its gift, among
partisans, has of late been virtually adopted
as sound doctrine by all parties, and SO
far has it been carried that we now see a
Republican President extending it beyond
the limits Of party to personal friends;
nay, even to relatives, so that the highest
office in the gift of the American people
has become an official brokerage, and the
Presidential patronage is peddled out to
the personal supporters, the present-mak-
ing friends, and the remote or near rela-
tons by blood or marriage of the Presi-
dent. Worse still, this canker sore is
stretching its roots to the remotest parts
of the country, through the medium of the
legislative branch Of the government. AS
the President rewards his friends, rela-
lions and adherents with Office, so
each member of Congress desires to dis
tribute the.federal patronage of his district
so as to subserve his own interests and
insure his reelection. This he can only
do through the great appointing power,
the President, whom, accordingly he
courts and serves, cencealing the baseness
of this subserviency under the specious
pretense of supporting the administra-
ton" Thus sort of official feudalism is
gradually establishing, whereby the GEN.
trail appointing power retains in his SER
vice numerous powerful vassals, who in
their turn have their sub-vassals, and
these, again, still inferior ones, together
forming a circle with the Presidential
chair for its centre, and the boundaries of
The country for its circumference, the
whole chained together by the iron bands
If self-interest, and revolving for the adj
vantage of the occupant of that seat. But |
here is something stronger than iron
bands, stronger even than federal patron
lge-the will of a great nation reused to
This will may be ignored;
t can not be- defed. In vain may parti- |
ian whippers-in yell to the wanderers to
.eturn to the line The wanderers, out
numbering, perhaps, those in line, will go |
their own road, and choose their own
eader.
The necessities which arose during the
ate war for stretching somewhat the au-
hority Of the executive have completely
eased, and although the nation, in the
lmost universal enthusiasm which greeted
be successful termination of that war,
expressed their gratitude by calling to the
xecutive Office military chief, it was
18th no intention that the duties of that
flee should be executed in a military
pirit. On the contrary, it was with the
xpectation that the natural or acquired
roneness of military men to exercise ar
itrary power and to disregard the will of
ne people, should be subordinated to the
enius of American civilization. This
xpectation has been disappointed.
he limits of the executive power
re misunderstood, or worse still, dis
9garded by the President. Under the
anne of party alleg ance, his chief vassals
'ould compel the support Of Republicans
,roughout the country. Through the
5ency Of his sub-vassals, customhouse
tdcials, etc., he would pack conventions,
lctate to the press, and control in every ,
ling the local nolitics of States Tbo4 | ,