New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-09-04

ericau people VIII 90 AZ tuo OVhA"e 49,
cure this beautiful praise yet again ior our
GIFT-TAKING. ~,
like ncpotism the taking of gifts by puono
sorvopi is condemned by history. No honesI h''uio
%, UNFOLD II. How well did our late Gen. Ihoiiias
90 admirable in character. rebuke this abuse Wnen
he rerlicd 70 an offer Of $4,000. as am 'oiu'
Il On IN NV menw If not form OF oilDeI9 ~ S
siard in no4,ra and this has long becnrecoShl1eu'
from the Bible down TO our day. According W 'uV
lattcrit is destructive; "The king by luugmOn' y
tablisbeth the land but he that roceVe'h sii'S
tbroveth it," proverbs, chap xxx, V 81 nV.0
= ,lo oxan,Dle of Washington brightly light-
ing the true republican pathway Inc sa'no -
do,t who ,yould not appoint relation woulu ho'
- . Off oven when out of office. HIS eN'lhpio
- a. harmony with tho lesson of colonial days
a, Ionc 40, as April o. 17OS Queen Anne, IN com"
.,,,ioo.;oD 20 / ord Combury Governor OF New
Tcsrsov laid down the following ruie' tna'
o;thcr tho Governor, Lieutenant -Govelnor
C,or,roDder-n-Cnief or President OF inc
Conncil. do receive any gift or present lIoni
the Assembly or other on any account OF Ia any
manner whatsoever, upon pain OF our nis'o'' Ui
pleasure. and being recalled from your Government
This ruo is as good for our day as Tor that III VINO"
twas ordained by royal authority. There Is an
other instance which shonld not be forgotten IL IL
tbatof Lord Wellesley, the accomplished brother Oh
,ho Dnlre of WELLINGTON A work so common rs
that Of Smiles on Sclf-Help, records that while gov
erpor-Generll Of Iidia, he positively refused
rrosent Of 100000 from the directors OF the East
India COMPANY on the conquest OF Mysore ana nero
the terms of his refusal are important III Is not
necessary Cor me TO allude to the independence OF
nv character. and the proper dignity attaching 10
INV Office O.hcr reasons besides these important
considerations lead mo to decline tins testimony
which is not suitable to think OF nothing put
the army. should DO much distressed to curtain
the share Of these bravo soldiers" His refusal re-
NAMED unalterable At o later period, when nearly
81 wears Of age embarrassed by debts, and entirely
Withdrawn from public life, he allowed the Com
many TO vote him much smaller sum, In consldeIa-
ton of bis signal services
GITT-NiAREBs APPOINTED TO OFFICE.
The allowances voted by Parliament to Mall
borough and Wellington on account OF thelr Nleto-
ries can be no precedent for the acceptance OF g1s
from fellow-eltizens The distinction is clear. But
the case against tho present incumbent is not only
that while holding high Office he accepted gifts from
fellow-ctizens bat subsequently, appointed the GIT
makers to Office, thus using the Presidency to pay
of his own personal obligations. Please bear TINS IN
mind and when some apologist attempts To delehu
the taking of gifts. let him know that he must go
sill further and show that the Presidency, with all
its patronage is perquisite to be employed for the
private advantage of the incumbent
sANTO DOMINGO
Next in illustration of the prevailing misrule is the
Slnto Domingo business, with Its eccentrlcltles OF
wrong doing and this, too. is now in ISSUE AT The
Thought of this unprecedented enomity, where
wrong assumes such various forms, 1t is hard to b
silent but shall be brief. The case Is clear anc
stands on documents which cannot be questioned.
keep within the line of moderate statement, when
say that from the beginning of our Government
in, On relations has bppD abgO
lutcy indefensible 1t will not do to call it simply
"A fault and an insOlence; it was an elaborate con
trvance conceived in lust of territory, pursued il
Ignorance, maintained in open violation Of the Ma
tolal Constitution, pushed forward in similar ylO
l.Hon Of International Law in fundamental prin
cipos, aud crowned by intOlerable indgnity to the
BlcA Republic even to the extent OF menaclDe
hostilites and the sinking Of its ships-all without
authority of Congress. and by Presidential preroga-
tive alone. In this DRAMA the President, like q
favorite actor assumed every part In negotiating
the treaty. he was President; in declaring war, hC
was Congress- in sending ships and men, he wa
Commandcr-in- Chief; and then, in employing private
influence with Senators, to promote his scheme
according TO the promise in the protocol with Baez
signed in his name by Orville Il. BabcOck entitled
therein "Aide-de- Camp of his Excellency Gen
Ulysses s. Grant, President of the United States OF
America" he was lobbyist. That such things can be
done by a President without indignant cOnuenlha
ton loud and universal, shows a painful democrat
ization i'm the country. That their author can be
presented for reelection to the Presidency, whose
powers he has thus misused shows dsheartening
insensiblity TO public virtue. Here l remark that
40 long as the President confined himself to Dego-
tiation he was strictly within the line OF the Con-
stitution. Even if indiscreet in character and i'm
polite in object, it was not unconstitutional. But
in Selling war powers without the authority OF
Conpress-in unfolding the usurper Baez, that be
might sell his cOunt-y-in menacing the Black Re
public and then ~ playing the lobbyist to promote
the continuance, the President did what no other
President ever did before and what for the sake OF
Republican institutions, should be rebuked by the
American people. 1t was the knowledge OF these
proceedings that changed essentially my relations
10 the question.
PERSONAL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
allude with hesitation to personal msrepresenta-
tions Oh She matter 1t has been said that l prom
ised originally to support the Treaty. This is a
mistake knew nothing of the Treaty, and had no
suspicion of it until several months after the pro
toco and some time after the negotiation was com
pleted; and then my simple promise was that 1T
should have from me " the most careful and candid
consideration;' and such gave it most sincerely.
AT inst my opposition was reserved and without
allusion TO the President 1t was only when the
strange business was fully disclosed in official dOcu
Inents. communicated in confidence ito the Senate,
and it was sill pressed, that felt impelled to a
sterner resistance. Especially was / constrained
when found how much the people of Hayti suf-
fered It so happened that / had reported
the bill acknowledging their independence and
establishing diplomatic relations between our
two countries assuring that equality which
had boon violated. Not unmOyed could /