The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-06-20

OccupieQ. aL Inc Time With MS QutIe
as Secretary of War and his contes
with the President. i followed, ,bysay
ing s:but You took part in the Presi
Dental election andmade succe siof
j of speeches for him in Ohio and Penn
lsylVania.'a stI spoke, said he,l t-but
never, in TO luced the name of Ger
Grant. lspoke for the Republican
party and Republican cause.
Insisting upon reelection, the Pres.
l.ident challenges inquiry, and puts
himself upon the. country But even
if his pressure for reelection did not
menace the tranquility of the country,
tits important that the personal pre-
tensions he has set up should be ex-
/ posed, that no President, thereafter
may venture upon such ways, and no
Senator presume to defend them. The
case is as clear as noon. In opening
this catalogue select two typical in
stances, nepotism and gift taking, Off
cially compensated, each absolutely
indefensible in the head of the Repub-
! lie, most pernicious in example,, and
showing beyond question that surpas-
4 sing egotism which changed the Pres
idential Office into personal instru-
I mentality not unlike the trunk Of the
CtEguants d0Q9kCA4f AOA seAAl = 1llAetl
as well as great, from provision for a
relative to pressing treaty on re-
luctant Senate, or forcing d relation
ON reluctant people. Between these
! two typical instances l hesitate which
to place foremost, bat, since the nepo-
| tism of the President is a ruling pas
sion, revealing in primary instances
his nature since it is maintained by
/ L., -, >f ska 81
/ fensive character; since, instead of
| blushing for it as an unhappy mistake,
he continues to uphold it; since it has
been openly defended by Senators on
| this floor; and since no true patriot,
anxious for Republican Institutions,
can doubt that it ought to be driven
with Kisses and scorn from all proba-
bilitv of repetition, begin with this
undoubted abuse.aiil7s snerlhifg
There has been no call of Congress
for a report of relations holding Office
or stipend or money-making oppOr-
tunity under the President. It is eY-
ident that any resolution calling for it,
moved by Senator not known to be
for his reelection, would meet with
opposition, and an effort to vindicate
republican institutions would be de-
n0uuCeu dS dLl dS5duit OA tuO 1tIO6ls
dent. But the newspapers have plac-
ed enough. beyond question, forjudg-
ment on this extraordinary case, al
though thus far there has been no at
tempt to appreciate it in the light of
history. One list makes the number
of beneficiaries as many as forty-two.
1t will not be questioned that there is
at least bakers dozen in the catego-
| ,s,,k1 E Of 49, he
President billete1 on the country,
not one of whom, but for this
this relationship, would have been
brought forward, the whole constitu-
ting case of nepotism not unworthy
of the worst governments whose
Office Is family possession. Beyoud
this list of thirteen are other relations,
showing that this strange abuse did
not stop with the Presidents relatives
but that his relations obtained ap-
pointments for others in their circle
so that every relation became the GEN.
ter of influence, while the Presiden-
tial family extended indefinitely.
Mr.. Sumner. here quoted from
American authorities on nepotism,
and said that but one President (Ad-
ams) had ever appointed relatives to
condemned these appointments. Mr..
Sumner then answered the apolgists
of the President, and continued:
Assuming that in case of positive
merit designating citizen for par
point a relation, it would be only
where merit was so shining that his
absence would be noticed. At least
hc OK n mo b n tho fsifi0nu
a candidate without regard to family. |
But no such merit is attributed to the
beneficiaries of our President, some
of whom have done little but bring
scandal upon the public service. At
least one is tainted with fraud, and an
other with commission of the Re- |
public abroad has been guilty of in
discretions inconsistent with his trust. |
Appointed originally in open defiance
of Republican principles, they have |
been retained in Office after their un-
fitness became painfully conspicuous. !
By testimony before Congressional
Committee, one of these-a brother
in-law, was implicated in bribery and |
1t is said, that at last, af-
ter considerable delay, the President
has consented to his removal.
GlFI IAAERs
Here I leave, for the present, this
enormous pretension of nepotism
swollen to elephantiasis, which, as no.
body can defend, pass to gift-taking,
which with our president has assum-
ed an unprecented form. Sometimes
public men, even in our country, have
taken gifts; but it is not known that
President has before paid patron
with office. For public man to take
gifts is reprenensible; for a President
to select Cabinet cOlnsellors and 9TH
er officers among those from whom
he has taken gifts, is an anomaly in
annals. The ancient pa
triarch feared Greeks bringing gifts.
and these words have become prov
erb: "But there are Greeks elae-
where than at Troy" A public man
can traffic with such only at his peril.
At their appearance prayer should
be said-''lead us not Into tempta-
ton" s-a
The President notorious has taken
gifts while in the public service
some, at least, after he had been elect
ed President-until the Galena tanner
of few hundred dollars year ito
borrow the word of my colleagues,
one OF MS SuppOIeOisJ is now flcn IN
houses, lands and stock, above his SAL
ary being probably the richest Presi-
dent since George Washington. He
has appointed t9 his Cabinet Greel
bearing gifts, without seeming to see
the indecorum if not the irdeoenoy of
the transaction. At least two, il not
three of these Greeks, having no
known position in the Republican
party or influence in the country,
have been selected as counsellors in
NATIONAL affairs and heads of great de-
partments of the government,
Nop deps the pase of the first SEQ.
retaryy. of State, appointed as CON-
pliment, differ In character from the
other three. The President, feeling
under personal obligation to Mr..
for important support,
gave him complimentary nomina-
TIM nm nAaYoton1iuor that Of