The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-06-20
SUMNER ON GRANT.
Terrible Arraignment Of tn c Grant Ad.
administration. .-.-PersOnal Gov.
ernmeet...- NepOtism..-.
Etc, Etc.

PRESIDENTIAL PRETENsIONS.
"On what meat doth this our Caesar
feed that he should assume so muchp No
honor for victory in war can justify disc
bcdience to the Constitution and to the
law; nor can it afford the least apology for
any personal immunity privilege or license
in the Presidential Office. A President
must turn into king before it can be said
of him that he can do no wrong He is re-
sponsible always AS President he is fore
most servant of the law, bound to obey its
slightest mandate. As the elect of the
people he owes not only the example OF
willing obedience, but also of fidelity and
industry in the discharge of his conspc-
uous office with an absolute abnegation OF
all selfseeking Nothing Tor self, but all
for country. And now, as we regard the
career of this candidate, we find to our
amazement how little it accords with this
requirement. Bring it to the touchstone
and it fails.
Not only are the Constitution and law
disregnrded, but the Presidential office IL
treated as little more than plaything and
| n peruuisite-when not the former, then the
latter Here the details are ample show.
ing how from the beginning this exalted
trust has dropped to be a perfect lndul-
gence, where palace cars, fast horses, sea-
side oiterings, figure more tl,an duties;
how personal aims and objects have been
more prominent than the public interests;
how the Presidential Office has been used
to advance his own family on scale OF
nepotism dwarfng everything of the KIND
in our history, and hardly equalled in the
corrupt Government, in which this abuse
has prevailed; how in the same spirit Of
fee has been conferred upon those from
whom he has received gifts or dement's, thus
making the country repay his personal OBJ
legations; how personal devotion to himself
rather than public or party service has been
the standard of favor; how the vast ap-
pointine power conferred by the Constltu-
lion for the general welfare has been EN-
Moved at his will to promote his schemes,
10 reward his friends, to punish his oppo-
nonts and to advance his election to Sc
cond term; how all these assumptions have
matured in personal government, semi
military in character and breathing the
military spirit, being q species OF Caesar
ian or personalsm, abhOrrcnt to repuDli
can institutions, where subservlence to the
President is the supreme law how IN main.
tanning thi, subservence he has operated
Inv n system of combinations, military, po
litical and even Senatorial having thelr
orbits about him, so that like the planet
Saturn, he is surrounded by rings; nor does
the simiitude end here, TOR his rings IKE
: those of the planets are held in position
. by satellites; how this utterly unrepnbllc,a,nl'
!, ism Caesarism has mastered the Republl,
: cnn mrty and dictated the Presidential
. will stalking into the Senate Chamber IT
self while vindictive spirit visits good
1 Republicans who cannot submit; how the
C President himself, unconscious that fres
q ;dent has no right to quarrel with anybody
insists upon quarreling until he has become
the great Presidential quarreler, with more
Z, nuarrels than all other Presidents together
C and all begun and continued by himself
o how his personal followers back him up II
). nuarrels: insults those he insults, and then
:. not departing from his spirit, cry out will
~ Shakespeare, 1--WE will have rings, ant
. things and fine array" and finally, how TN
o chosen head of the Republic IS Know
It chiefly for his Presidential pretenslons, III
Ia terly indefensible in character, derogator
70 to the country and of evil influence. ma
'o king personal objects primary pursuit $
: that instead of a benificent influence he !
y a bad example through whom republlca
ri institutions suffer and the people learn I
TX do wrong.
- Would that these things could be torgo
- ten, but since the oiicious friends OF IN
. President insists upon second term, the
r must he considered and publicly discussed
q. When understood no one will vindicn
,t them. 1t is easy to see that CaesarlsI
even in Europe is at n discount that pc
e. sonol government has been beaten on tn
1t, ancient field, and that Caesar with Se
ar otor Mt his heels" is not the fit model Il
,y onr Republic King George iii, of En-
al land, so peculiar for narrowness ana oDs' !
:" nocv had retainers in Parliament WI
's' went under the name OF the hing
or Friends Nothing can be allowed ne
n to Justify the inquiry; Have we MI
or George among us? or that other questlo,
ot Have we party in the Senate OF u
ho Kings friendsY
n PERSONAL GOVERNMENT UNREPUBLlcAN.
ho Personal government is autOcratc.
is the one-man power elevated above
else, and is, therefore, in direct confil
with the republican government, who
sst consumate form is tripartiic-eX eXecutl'
of legislative, and judicial-each indepen
eli ont and co-eaual. From Mr.. Madison,
ne tbe Federalist, we learn that the accun
100 lion oi these powers in the same hand
mr. may justly be pronounced the very ucn
lts. ton of tyranny. And so any attempt
W,- either to exercise powers OF ano'her IS
les ,yranical invasion always reprehenslble
sa- nroportion to its extent. John Adams te
,at- ne most instructive words that 1T IS by b
'er- ancing each of these powers against
ur- other that the two effects in human nat'
toward tyranny can alone be checked
restrained, and any degree OF freedom
served in the Constitution (John hdar
are Works, vol. iv.. p 1885,
at Then again the same authority says
ers. perfection of this great idea is ny CIV
- each division q power to defend itself b
my negative. Qbed, p. 1861 In other wol
10" each is armed against the invasion Oh
the others. Accordingly, the Constitution
any virginia, in l776, conspicuous as his
rcd ;caj precedent declared expressly:
" ..Tba legislative, executive, and Judiciary
With r.,,msnts shall be separate and distinct, so
md neither exercise the powers properly oelsongn
| the other nor snail any peIeuh eAeN.' - y"
and NJ more than one Of then at the came time.
lun- The Constitution of Massachusetts.
not tine from 1880, embodied the same prl
Tn ple in memorab words;
,;no .Tbe Legislative department shall never
lih6 ,rc;se the Executive and judicial powefs OF g
lev ~ them. the executive shall never exerc'e y
o,iatiye and Judicial powers, or either Q, y
OI sna iudicial shall never exercise the IegsM.,
"a ,scntiye powers or either Of them 10 inc enu
"be- 1t may DC E''''
A government of laws and not OF mt
the object of republican government:
more mo il is the distinctive essence wit
esti. which it becomes tyranny lhere
y $50 nersonal government in all its FORMS
the eesnecially when it seeks to sway the az
less Of any branch to overturn its constitu
lis de al negative, is hostile to the first prime
there Of Of republican institutions, and an UNI
about ,;onable outrage That our Presldeh
habi- has offended in this way is, unhappll!
annarent