Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-06-05

tainted with fraud, and another, entrusted
with the commission of the public affairs
abroad. has been guilty of indiscretlons
inconsistent with his trust. Appointed
originally in open defiance of Republican
principles, they have been retained in office
ar.er their unftnesS be6an1e painfully appar-
SIT BY the testimony before the Congress
sional Committees, one ofthese Ga brother-ln-
law) was implicated in bribery and corrup-
ton. 1t is said that at last the President
has consented to his removal.
Here leave for the present this enormous
pretension of nepOtism, swollen to elephant
inc size, which nobody can defend, and pass
to gift-taking which, with our President, mas
assumed an unprecedented form. Noterl-
ously he has taken gifts while in the public
service-some at least after he had been
elected President, until the Galena tanner OF
few hundred dollars year Ito borrow the
words OF MY colleague, one OF his support
/ ers) is now rich in houses lands and stock
above his salary, being probably the richest
President since George Washington. lie
has appointed to his cabinet Greeks bearing
| gifts, without seeming to see the indecorum,
| if not the indecency, of the transaction. At
| least two, if not three of these Greeks having
no known position in the Republican party
or influence in the country, have been Sc
lected as cOunsellOrs in national affairs and
heads of the great departments of the gov
ernment. Nor does the case Of the first
Secretary of State, appointed as compl-
ment, differ in character from the other
three Not only in cabinet but in other
offices there Is reason to believe that the
President has been under the influence Of
patrons. Why was he so blind to Thomas
Murphy whose gifts have become not OrIous,
and when the demand for his removal was
irresistible the President accepted his reSlg-
nation with an effuSiOn of sentiment natural
toward patron, but without justification IN
the character of the retiring officer.
| have now completed the survey OF the
two typical instances, nepOtiSm and gift tax
ing, officially compensated, in which we are
compelled to see the President. In these
things he shows himself Here IS no pOr.
trait drawn by critic or enemy. IL Is the
original who stands forth saying " Behold
the generosity practice to my relations at
the expense of the public service, also the
gifts take, and then my way of rewardlng
the patrons, always at the expense OF the
public service In this open exhibition we
= see how the Presidency, instead of a trust,
; has become a perquiSitc
Mr.. Sumner continued at great length IN
the citation of instances to show the preS'-
Dental will in constant operation, with little
regard to precedent or reason. other Pres
dents have entered upon office with GER
tain modesty and distruSt. He had none.
The lust expectations of the party which
elected him were set at nought in the selec-
ton of his Cabinet. This personal govern
ment lowered in the Navy Department,
t where a gift-bearing Greek was suddenly
changed to a Secretary.
Mr.. Sumner condemned the President :
} appointment of a military dependent to the
f New York general order business; the nom
e nation in disregard of law, of y. I. Stewart
as Secretary of the Treasury the establish
ment of a military headquarters at the
: Executive mansion the taking away from
- their proper duties of officers of the army
to make them Presidential Secretaries, in
defiance of law; the Subordination OF the
War Department TO the General-in-C hief;
t the attempt to devolve the duties Of the
, Navy Department upon a deputy, so that
orders were to be signed - y. f. BOTIc, Sec
. rotary of the Navy, per D. d. Porter, Ad-
miral.' The efforts to absorb the Indian
: Bureau into the War Department.; military
interference of elections the efforts TO secure
e the repeal of the tenure of Office act which
$ limited the President power of appointment
S and the Presidential interference with polit-
4 zeal questions and party movements IN
D Mr.. Sumner also again referred at length
k To the San Domingo question in terms OF
= condemnation.
e With sorrow unSpcakabe have I made
e this exposure of prctensiOnS, which, for the
D sake of Republican Institutions, every good
r citizen should wish eSpunGcd from history.
$ But ! had no alternative. The President
1 himself insists upon putting them in issue.
p He VIII not allow them TO bc forgotten. A.
a candidate for reelection he invites ludE-
ment, while partiSans acting in his behalf
5 make it absolutely necessary by the brutality
5 Of their assault on faithful Republicans
5 unwilling to see their party like the Presi-
4 Dental Office a personal perquiste.
If his partisanS are eXactinE, viudIctvc
and unjust they act only IN harmony
2 with his own nature. Too truly represented
in them, there IS not a ring, whether military
or senatorial, that does not derive distinctive
character from himself Therefore what they
do and what they say must be considered as
done and said by the chieftan they serve.
After characterIZing Grant as a great
Presidential quarreler, Mr.. Sumner said the
question of duty is now presented to the
Republican party. Can we take the fearful
responsibility of the prolonged empire of our
ambitious Caesar With the adoption of
these Presidential pretcnsionS, the party
loses its distinctive character and drops from
its sphere. Its creed ceases to be Repub}i-
canism and becomes partisan. Its members
cease to be Republicans and become Grant
men. Ii is no longer pOlScal party. but
a personal party. For myself I say openly
| am no mans man, nor do l belong to any
personal party.
Mr.. Sumner also made arguments in favor
Of the one term principle, and concluded as
follows | wait the determination of the
National Convention, where are delegates
from my own much honored commonwealth,
with whom | rejoice to act. Not without
anxiety do | wait, but with the earnest hope
that the Convention Will bring the Repubi
can party into its ancient harmony, saving it
especially from the suicidal folly of an issue
on the personal pretenSions of one man.
June Magazines,
nIn With m .In Ii,