The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1872-04-18
The Presidency as q Perouiaite.

OF its opportunities, the mode of perform
ing Its daties Is generally that which viii
( Insure the most money. There is Il preju-
dice IN the minds of the nlasses
OF the American people against
men who carry an Itching palm" iuio the
higher Offices of the Government. States
nianshIp, patriotism and impartial Judge
ment can rarely be looked for from one
whose estimate Of tue duties of his office
makes tie salary his chief inducement to
accept It. hen, therefore, Colonel For.
1 ney exhibits himself before the country as
dlcker.ng with President Grant as to
! vile her the latter could afford to resign a
/ lie Office oI eighteen thousand a wear in
| consideration Of one term of the Presidency
ut twenty-five thousand 4 year, and when
We nn4 the President accepting the first
/ term on an implied promise that he should
! have second al the same salary, We are
/ c0npelied 10 ask, III what estimation does
/ the President hold ms office? If is val
/ liable only for its perquIsites, there are
/ Certain railroads ana several life insurance
companies winch would pay rs high L sala-
| ~ the Presidency. The position Of
| Collector Of the Port Of New York, which
the prtsluent has 50 jealously kept within
&le limited circle of tbs confidential frien is,
would pay at least twice as much. True,
1t has iess dignity, and affords fewer op-
pOrtunltIes tor moulding the policy OF the
/ uLtIOn. 1t Is not so sublime Il held where
! III To exercise the powers and display the
requirements OF Il ueep, powerful, isi d.
HerStIed mind, III Il manner to quicken the
march OF progress or enhance the welfare
vi III, country or the world. But for all
this, man whose thoughts are upon money
does not care. lie necessarily dcSpses
them as visionary ami meaningless phrases.
Ans conversation with Fofney harm0-
nlzed IN spirit with the general DRIFT of the
President personal ANA Official course
since his election. Ills cabinet appoint
lnents, as ORIGINALITY made, were parceed
out among very few rich men, who had
Ied TIE way IN mahlng hun valuable pres
ents al houses, ETC., while General.
Two OF them We're gwen to his two person
al advisers While a General. Gratitude for
past services Or tavOrs To himself indIyidu-
any dictated the al polhtment of kawlins,
Stewart, Bore, FISH anu iioar, no one of
whom, eAc,p t perhaps, Mr.. \. 4. Stewart,
wollI have D~cn at THAT tImt, selected by
amy other person Tor IA Cabinet position.
ne Cabinet "p!, ointm=nts seem To be val
ued as petqdiNives Tor paying private debts,
not rs Il lne.tna OF pacing Statesmen in
charge of the uUreramtut. Messrs. FISH,
Borne, ana llOdr were appointed for the
pleasing manner III NhiCn they had enter
tanned the President. Of course such
mode OF appointing, inyltei the whole
country TO compete for office b. making
presents, ami rendering other pccuniary
ana uprSU,lai StTN ices
In tnesa or any other appointments, no
Eepubhcan leaders were consulted. No
impression gained entrance into the Pre,-
dent NINA that the Republican party, ana
Its leaders IL the Senate or House, or
country at large, We're to have Voice in his
counseis. HE Vice President and the
leading Republican members of Congress
might as we'll have been Democrats for ali
the STARE they We're invited to take in the
coun>ela oi their chief II WAS nos IA Re-
publican victory, hat victory of the Gen-
eral aud HIS family that lifted HIM t.
power.
We have not often alluded 10 the APP
poihtmeuts OF relatives, because, however
numerous or worthless tuey might be. We
do not rce;tr.. them II, pab.c.y 50 Iemora-
liZing as the appointment OF patrons-of
By subServiency to IA ini.vl u Il whether
10y entertaining HIM, giving INN houses or
otherwise pushing his private Interests.
tere this system OF polite corruption con-
Eliminates the fountain Of Official dignity
and power the lower stream cannot run
clear The favoritism of the President for
Murphy, growing out Of the social festivi-
ties at Long Branch, may seem to be mere
goOI-tel-0WshIp 80 lOag as 1t Is confined to
the amusement of the watering place. But
wien MIrphv receives instructions to pack
tie New York Conventions in 1871, with
delegates who believe that Grant ought to
DC renDmuatel i'll 1872, ami when he pro-
ceeds to do this by fraud, force ami bully
ing, We perceive Il relation between the
watering place festivities and the disgrace
fIl ana tyrannlcgI movement in the pri-
mary conventions which is not attractive.
We cannot assent 10 the low estimate
which regards the Presidency, with all its
great poWcr>-cXceeding for the time those
of any other human potentate-as the
mere means of enrichng ones self and
relatives, and rcWaruing those who aid in
the same work. Yet this ha, been Presi.
dent Grant ; estimate of the position, and
its consequences have led to most of the
um,aluts against HIM. 1t Is not 50 much
that tie Is nos a stitesmln As that he iues
lot conceive thai he ought to be. He as
sEmes that any other persons In his place
would have the same picayune ideal OF the
Objects for which he was placed there, viz:
to ct money, AMI to help those who help
him. fhis, in sgi,ation, is known as log
rolling, aud the courts OF law have called it
by some severe names. Whether 1t is any
better in executive administration, the peo-
pie are beginning to inquire. Chicago
Tribune (ReDuJLcan!.