St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-06-07
Summers Philippe.
\ BITTER BLAST AGAINST THE PRESI-
DENT.

\ BITTER ELA>T AGAINST THE rRESI
In the L. S. Senate Friday afternoon
| Mr.. sumner opened his speech Will
/ the announcement that he was mem
her of the Republican party, and ON,
of the Straightest of the sect. He haC
never failed to sustain its candidate.
and advance its principles. Not with,
ont regret could he see it suffer. nol
/ without il pang could he see it changed
from its original character, for such {;
change is death. Therefore. he asked
/ with no common feeling. that the peri
| which menaceS it may pass away. IL,
stood by its cradle and WIS not willing
to follow its hcarse. He then proceed
ed to detail the rise and progress of tn,
party and his connection with it, as !;
party necessary and permanent and al
ways on the ascending plane. But
alas. how changed. Once, principl,
WAS inscribed on its victorious banners
and not Il name only.
1t is not difficult to indicate when tn,
disastrous change eXalting the will al
one man above all else became mani
fest. Already it had begun to show it.
self in personal prctcnsionS. when sud
denly the President, elected 10y the Re
publican party. precipitated upon til,
country IN i'll considered and i'll omen
eel scheme for annexation of Il portion
Of san Domingo. in purStlauc" ot Il trra
" negotiated 10y one of his own house
hold. 1t was pressed for months hN
every means and appliance of power
Reluctant senators were Subdurd IT, IL
support while trcadiug under foot tn,
constitution in one al liz most distinct
i've Republican principles: the PreSi
dent seized the war powers of the M
/ ton. instituted foreign intervention and
capped the climax of usurpatinn 10y
mcnaceS of violence to the black rcpub-
lie of Ilayti, thus adding manifest out
rage of international law to manifest
outrage of the constitution.
/ He (Mr. Sumncr) would gladly leave
this matter To the Judgment already re
corded we've it not put i'll iSSIie again
10y extraordinary efforts To place its an
/ thor for Il second term aS President.
and since Sileuce gives consent all thc>,
efforts are his efforts. They become
/ more note worthy when ii is considered
/ that the name of the candidate has he
come IL sign of diScord. dividing instead
of uniting the Republican party. Let
/ the party split. SAYS the President. Il
will not rcnounce my chance of IL sec
ond term" ON what meat does this
our Caesar feed. he that should assume
81 much No honor for victory in wal
can justify disobcdiencc To the Consti-
tuition and to law. nor can it afford the
4
ty. privilege or license i'll the Presiden-
tial office. \ President must turn into
IL KING before it can he said of him that
he can do no wrong. He is responsible
always. As President. he is the fore
most servant of the law. bound to obey
its slightest mandate. AS the elect of
the people he should he not only the rN-
ample of willing obedience. but also of
fidelity and industry in tn" discharge of
his conspicuous office. with an abroga-
ton of all self seeking nothing for self
but all for the country and now. as we
regard the career of this candidate. we
find to OIlr amaZememt how little it ac-
cords with this simple requirement.
Bring it to the tombstone and it fails.
Not only are Constitution and law dis
regarded. hut the Presidential office it
self is treated as little more than IL play
thing and perquiste. When not the for
mer then the latter.
Here the details are ample showing
how from the beginning this exalted
trust has dropped to he il personal in
diligence where palace ears. fast horses
and seaside loiterings figure more than
duties. How personal aims and objects
h.,Nn hnan thn,, h.,
public interests. How the Presidential
office has been used to advance his own
family on il scale of nepOtism dwarfing
everything of the kind in our history.
and hardly equalled III the corrupt gov
ernments where this abuse has most
prevailed. How, in the same spirit,
office has been conferred upon those
from whom he has received gifts or ben
etit>, thus making the country repay
his personal obligations. How person
al devotion to himself rather than pub
lie or party service has been made the
standard of favor. How the vast an
pointing power conferred by the con-
StitutiOn for the general welfare has
been employed at his will to promote
his schemes, to reward his friends. to
punish his opponents. and to advance
his election to Il second term. How all
these assumptions have matured in il
personal government. Semi-miltarV in
character and breathing the military
spirit, being species of CTsarism or
pcrsOualism abhOrrent to Republican
institutions. where subServiencr to the
President Is the supreme law. How in
maintaining this subserVience he has
operated by Il syStem of combinations
having their orbits about him, 50 that.
like the planet saturn. he is surrounded
10y rings.
Nor does the familiarity end here. for
his rings. like those of the planets. are
held i'll position by satellites. How
this utterly um-republican CiesariSm has
mastered the Republican party and die
tated the Presidential will stalking in
t" the Senate Chamber itself. while Il
vlndlctlve spirit visits good Rcpubl-
cans who cannot submit. How the
President himself, unconscious that "A
President has no right tn quarrel with
any body, insists upon quarrelling until
he has become the great Presidential
qualIeller, with more quaIrcls than all
the other Presidents together. and all
begun and continued by himself. How
his personal followers back his quaIrels:
insults those he insults, and then. not
departing from his spirit, cry out with
I'VE will have rings and
things, and fine array" and, finally, how
the chosen head of the Republic is
known chiefly for Presidential preten-