The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-06-14

The case of our President is excep
tional. Notoriously he has taken gift
while in the public service-some, a
least, after he had been elected Presi
dent--until "thei Galena tanner of /,
few hundred dollars year." to borrow
the words of my colleague Mr.. Wilson,
one of his supporters, Is now rich IL
houses, lands and stock, above his sala
~, being probably the richest Presiden
since George Washington. Notoriously
he has appointed to his Cabinet severa
among these "Greeks bearing gifts,
without seeming to see the indecorum
if not the indecency, of the transaction
At least two, if not three, of these
Greeks, having no known position IL
the Republican party or influence in the
country, have been selected as his coun.
sellors in National affairs, and heads OF
great departments of Government.
Again do 1 repeat the words of our
Scriptures: ga gift doth blind the eyes
of the WISE" Again, the words Of
Washington: eff 1 accepted this,
should I not henceforward be consid-
cred as DEPENDENT"
Nor does the case of the first Secreta-
ry of State differ in character from the
other three. The President, feeling
under personal obligation to Mr.. Wash
burne for important support, gave him
a complimentary nomination, with the
understanding that after confirmation he
should forthwith resign. cannot for
get the indignant comment of the late
Mr.. Fessenden, as we passed out of the
Senate Chamber Immediately after the
confirmation: "Who," said he, sever
heard before of man nominated Sec
retary of State merely as compliment?'
But this is only another case of the
public service subordinated to personal
considerations.
Not only in the Cabinet, but in other
offices, there is reason to believe that
the President has been under the in
fluence of patrons. Why was he so
blind to Thomas Murphy? The Gus
tom-house of New York, with all its ca
pacity as a political engine, was handed
over to this agent, whose want of recog-
milton in the Republican party was out
balanced by Presidential favor, and
whose gifts have become notorious.
And when the demand for his removal
was irresistible, the President accepted
his resignation with an effusion of SEN
timent natural toward patron, but
without justification in the character of
the retiring officer.
Shakespeare, whc saw intuitively the
springs of human conduct touches more
than once on the operation Ofthe gift. Il, IL
do thee service for so good a gift," said
Gloster to Warwick Then again how truly
spoke the lord, who said of Timon,
mo it to him
But breed. the giver return exceeding
All use of quitta uce,"
and such were the returns made by the
President.
Thus much for gif-taking, recipocated
by office The instance original and with
out precedent in our history.
THE PRESIDENCY PERQUIsITE.
| have now completed the survey of the
two typical instances s-nepotism and gilt
taking officially compensated-ln which we
are compelled to see the President In
these things he shows himself. Here is no
portrait drawn by crictic or enemy it is the
original who stands forth. saying, Behold
the generosity practice to my relations at
the expense of the public service, also the
gifts / take, and then my way of rewarding
the patrons always at the expense of the
public service" In this open exhibition
we see how the Presidency, instead of a
trust has become perquisite. Bad as are
these two capital instances, and important
as if their condemnation, so that they may
not become precedent, | dwell on them
now as illustrating the Administration. A
President that can do such things and not
recognize at once the error he has commit
ted, shows that supereminence OF egOtism
under which Constitution, international
Law, and municipal law, to say nothing of
Republican Government in its primary
principles, are all subordinated to the
Presidential will, and this is personal gov
ernment. Add an insensibiGty to the hon.
est convictions of others, and you have
characteristic incident of this pretension.
USREPUBIICAN sUBoRDINATIoN OF THE WAR
DEPARTMENT TO THE GENERAL-IN-CHIEF.
From the Executive Mansion pass now
to the War Department, and there we wit
ness the Presidential pretensions by which
law, usage and correct principle are lost
in the will of one mar. The supremacy
of the civil power over the military IS
typifed in the Secretary of War, o civil
ian, from whom army officers receive or
ders. But this beautiful rule, with its les
son of subordination to the military. was
suddenly set aside by our President, and
the Secretary War degraded to be clerk.
The 9TH of March witnessed most impor-
tant order from the President, reconstitu-
ing the military Departments covering the
Southern States, and placing them under
officers of choice, which purported to be
signed by the Adjutant General, by COM
mand of The General of the Army, but ac-
tually ignoring the Secretary of War.
Three days later witnessed another order
processing to proceed from the President,
whereby in express terms the War De-
partment was subordinated to the General
in-chief, being William I. Shedman, who
at the time was promoted to that command.
Here are the words: "The chiefs of staff,
corps, departments aud bureaus will report
to and act under the immediate orders of
the General commanding the army" This
act of revolution, exalting the military
power above civil. showed instant fruits
in an order of the General, who, upon as
suming command, proceeded to place the
ment upon his military staff, so that for the
time there was military dictatorship,
with the President at its head, not merely
in spirit, but in actual form. By-and by
John w. Rawlings, a civilian by education
and respecter of the Constitution, became
Secretary of War, and, though bound to
the President by personal ties, he said
"check ro-the King" By General Order,
issued from the War department March 26
1869, and signed by the Secretary of War,
the offensive order was recinded, and it
was enjoined that "all official business
which by law or regulation requires the
action of the President or Secretary of
War will be submitted by the chiefs of
stats, corps, departments and bureaus, to
the SECRETARY of War" Public report said
that this restoration of the civil power to it's
rightful supremacy was not obtained with
out an intimation of resignation on the
part of the Secretary.
PRESIDENTIAL PRETENsION AT THE INDIAN
BUREAU.
At the same time occurred the effort to
absorb the Indian Bureau into the War
Department changing its character as
part of the Civil Service. Congress had
already repudiated such an attempt, but
the President, not disheartened by legisla-
tive failure, sought to accomplish it by
manipulation and indirection. First ele-
vating a member of his late staff to the
head ofthe Bureau, he then by military
order, dated May I, 1869, proceed to detail
for the Indian service large list of "of-
ficers left out of their regimental organiza-
ton by the consolidation of the infantry
regiments" assuming to do this by author