Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-10-25

a. NJ
even during the period of his re iremenf
from the army, never having taken any
interest III civil affairs, it was not to be eX-
pected that he would suddenly develon
into a statesman; but it was expected d
nay, 1t was demanded by his oath of office
-that he would make an honest effort to
administer the duties of the Presidency
not according to his caprice, but according
70 me constitution and laws, and
iOr ine Lest interests of the people.
buI ms declaration accompanying the
very nrst act Of his administration
was that he "selected his Cabinet
to please himself and nobody else" and
referred to them as his 'family'' in the old
military style. He sent his official COM
munlcatlons signed "By order of the Presi-
deht. Horace Porter, Brevet Brigadier
General Secretary" and the same Brevet
DngadIer General delivers his messages to
congress. The three Brigadier Generals
"'o: are his Secretaries hold those offices
IN direct violation of law. Although one
OF Ehe fundamental principles of our Gov.
erilhen i Is the supremacy of the civil over
| Lne military authority, he ATTEMPTED to
subordinate the Secretary of War. a civil
officer, to the General of the ARMY and un-
dertook to have the duties of the Secretary
OF The Navy, another civil officer, perform
| ed by Admiral Porter. He also ATTEMPTED
to absorb the Indian Bureau, a part of the
civil service, into the War Department.
Long before the KIl-Klux bill was passed
he had used the army to interfere with
electlons and aid in executing the Revenue
Law TO such an extent that Gen. Halleck
and Gen. Sherman were compelled for de-
| cency's sake to protest against it. In the
teeth of his earliest declaration already
me1 Toned, viz: that he would have no
policy Contrary to the will OF the people,
| and that he should execute every law of
| C-n9ress, whether he approved it or not
he not onl y, as l have already stated, de-
manded the repeal of the old law establish
| Ing the Treasury Department so as to get
III a. L. Stewart as Secretary, but he early
demanded the repeal of the Tenure of Office
! Act, and his organ in Washington openly an
/ nounced that he would not send in any nom
nations until Congress acted upon that sub
! Ject, upon which it was declared the
! President "felt strongly" In other words,
! he lnSolently announced that Congress, a
! coordinate branch of the Government,
must legislate as he directed, or he would
not appoint men to fill public Offices Ore
or bis most important office-holders, the
collector OF the port of New York, gave as
a reason for his determination to control a
State Convention in that distant State
"that it was the Presidents wish-that he
should be authority on the subject" If
these acts, and the numberless others which
might be named, had been perpetrated by
| INN as the head of party and for the pur-
| pose OF maintaining the supremacy of that
party, they would have been revolutionary
and outrageous, but would have found
some Semblance of excuse, however made
! quate, in the diseased condition of our
! politics. But not even this poor apology
can be offered. lie has not and never had
| any special sympathy with the Republican
party, and was not elected by them because
! of his devotion to their principles. They
chose him for his availability, and he ac-
cepted the office as part of the debt which
! he considered due to HIM from the people,
part having already been received in
! houses and stocks from those whose wealth
he claimed to have saved by successfully
ending the war. And, ever since his Ad-
mlnlstration commenced, not only the. well
fare OF the country, but the interests of his
party have been subordinated to his per-
! sOnal professions and the attainment of
bis personal aims. Allegiance to him and
| loyalty to his personal interests are the
passports to public position and favor. He
J seems to regard his office as a means
whereby bis personal fortunes and those of
! his family are to be advanced conye-
| nience and comfort to be enjoyed and
profited by as much as possible-rather
| than trust to be diligently and faith
| fully executed for the good of the people.
Need L specify the acts upon which this
assertion is based? Are they not notO-
! IlOusly the shame and reprOach of the
American people?
prefer, not only as a matter Of taste,
out Ill Difference to the instincts Of citizen
ship, not to dwell upon the reckless man
ner IN which the President has provided
Tor his relatives, and has rewarded his
pecuniary Eenetactors with public offices.
ii IS not only more in accordance with nv
taste, but it is vastly NOR. important to
! me, TO you, and 10 the American people, to
| consider his disregard Of those other an
higher Obligations of his Office in the faith
ful performance Of which are involved, to
large extent, the liberties of the people
his violations of the laws and the Constitu
ton OF the country, and his substitution
instead thereof Of a personal government,
an anomalous dcspOtism, a Caesarism,
without Caesars brains
1t is not my purpose to do more than
glance at The large majority of these acts.
80 far as the San Domingo affair is con-
cerned, shall merely Say, in the language
OF Nh. Sumner, that it involved all open
violation OF the Constitution in more than
one essential Tequirement-Open violation
its most beautiful principles fragrant in
suit, with menace Of war, to the Haytien
gOVernment-laWleSS assumption Of terri
.Orlal sovereignty i'll foreign jurisdiction:
employment OF the navy to sustain a usur-
per-" &e., DC; about as formidable AN
accumulation of charges as could well be
extracted from any single enterprise of the
Executive; but every one of them is true,
and they make out case Gas the same
Senator truthfully said) ''more reprehensi-
Die, as also plainly more unconstitutional
and more illegal than anything alleged
against Andrew johnson on his impeach-
ment."
Indeed, SO fragrant was his conduct in
this matter that he was characterized on
the floor OF the Senate as ''the head of |
powerful and costly ku-klux operating !!
abroad i'll defiance of international law and I
the Constitution of the United States"
This was the way, in the early DAYS of his /
administration, that he usurped the war
power and exercised it abroad. About .
the same time his military officer Ia COM !
mand of the State of Georgia, openly and
contemptuously violated a law Of Con-
gress, then recently pa sed to meet that
particular case, and not only was that Off
GER instead OF being sent to the peniten-
tlary as the law provided, not reprimand
ed or punished, but the only notice ever
taken OF his conduct was by a Committee
OF the Senate, headed by Edmunds, of
' ermont, strong friend of the President.
who resolved, in the mildest terms. that
they felt constrained to say that the ac-
ton of the officer was contrary to law: and
that was the end of it Now. Wha. do
you suppose was the act? Why, it was
Inc issuing OF an order prohibiting certain
men VINO mad been elected to the Legisla-