The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1872-07-12
IIOnOring the Office,
(From The New York Tribune. !

HOnOring the Office.
(From the New York Tribunc.)
IL Gen. Grant has not been success
FIJI administrator Of the public affairs,
has he at least been reputable and de-
corous President, who has kept his Of
flee free from scandals, and won for his
strict devotion to duty the respect of
honest men! Let us see about that.
lie has done what no President ever
vcnturcd to do bciorc-trcatcd the Pres
idcncy as prize bestowed upon him for
his own uses. Until his time the Chici
Executive was regarded as the chiri
servant of the people. Ills Office was
not a prcrO9ative but trust, cntailing
labor and responsibilities, and demand
ing for its discharge patriotism and
sclf-sacriiicc. Gen. Grant has taken il
for valuable piece of property OF
which he may dispose at his own good
pleasure. When he formed his Cabinet,
he selected the secretaries as Il militia
general might select his military family.
The departments were not put under
the charge of those who were iittc~t.
either personally or politically, to d.
rect them, but distributed among favor
itcs.-thc men who had given him
houses and money, and bcfricnhcd him
when he was poor and in trouble
Then came the host of needy relations.
Some he placed NJ the gate of the palace
where scandal says they took tolls of the
applicants for place; and the others
he sent away filled with consulates, and
collcctor,hipS, and post-oflices, and the
other good things that fail from the
White House table. OF course these
family dependents have disgraccd them
selves and their country; but their pa
iron will not remove them.
In time the poor relations were all
provided for: even the Presidents ia
thcr had a post office; and then patron
age took new form. Heretofore it had
been sheer ncpotiSm now the re-nom.
nation come near and it changed to po-
ilical corruption. "Compacts" were
made with Senators and local politi-
clans to control the Convention. The
country press was literally bought with
public Offices. Jealous and competent
funcliOnarics were turned adriit to
make room for political managers or to
punish suspected disailrcton toward
the "mrcat movement fora second term
There was n regular bargain and sale
between the President and the petty po-
liiiciars who were supposed to control
district elections. "PIcasc remember
writes one of these small persons
whose letter to Gen. Grant we print
ed the other day, "ihat in n few weeks
we enter upon a campaign for county
officers who are to govern and manage
the next Presidential election, and it
will be beyond my power to stem the
tide unless You let me have plenty Of
offices to give away. And the compact
which the President made with Senator
Spencer in Alabama is substantially the
same which he made with Mr.. Tom
Murphy and senator Conkling in New
York, and senator Morton in Indiana.
and other distinguished statesmen and
orators in the other parts of the Union.
Now fresh scandals have come 30
LIGHT. One Of our contemporaries pub.
fishes the story of William ID. Farrand,
who paid $1,000 to the Presidents bro
thcr-in-law to get him nominated to a
conSuI>hip in Peru, against the protests
Of the State Department and the oppo-
sition of the Peruvian Government. aud
who, losing this place because the Sen
ate would not confirm the nomination.
afterwards paid the same brOlhcr:n-
law Sl,OOOto get him appointed to an
other. We have no proof that this sto-
~ is true; but what we know of the
Presidents disgraccful system Of dis
pcn>in" patronage leads us TO believe it.
And we have no doubt that it will he
generally believed. The people have
lost all confidence in the powers that
rule at Washington. They have seen the
Chief Magisiracy DEGRADED by the most
odious system of ncpotism, which has
always been an unpardoma.lc offence
in American eyes. and a selfish dcvO-
ton to personal interests of which the
past history of the Presidency furnishes
no example. They see that our soldier
prcSdcnt-parily, we dare say, through
annoyance of the duties of civil ruler
has introduced grosscr corruption
into political life, and brought fresh dis
credit upon an Office which his prcdc-
ccs,or had already done so much to de-
Grade. johnson merely taught us that
high Office could not elevate II vulgar ma
turc. Grant has shown how the pros
iitution of great power TO base uses can
lower the whole tone of political socic
ty,