The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1872-06-05

". ~ SSS'osuiy VI tue ho
(Ytewart) being one Of those from whom
the president had received gifts.
THE MILITARY RING.
He next spoke Of the military ring at
the white house, and said the executive
mansion assumed the character of a
military headquarters. To the dishonor
Of the civil service and in total disregard
of precedent, the president surrounded
himself with officers of the army, and sub
stituted military forms for those Of civil
life, detailing for this service members of
his late staff. although congress has shown
purpose to limit the employment of
military officers in the civil service by
three different statutes.
Mr.. Sumner condemned the president
for the taking away from their proper du-
ties officers of the army, to make them
presidential secretaries, in defiance of law /;
the subordination of the war department
to the general-in-chief; the attempt to de-
volve the duties of the navy department
upon deputy, so that orders were to be
signed "A. Il. Boric, secretary of the
navy, per ID. ID. Porter, ADMIRAL the eff.
fort to absorb the Indian bureau into the
war department military interference at
! elections the efforts to secure the repeal
of the tenure-of.oiiice act, which limited
the presidents power Of appointment, and
presidential interference with political
questions and movements In distant states,
from Louisiana to New York.
Mr.. Sumner also referred again at
length to the San Domingo question, in
terms of condemnation, and said the whole
contrivancr, besides being wrong to the
black republicans Of Hsyti, was An insult
to the colored race not only abroad, but
here Mt home. How chief magistrate
with four millions of colored fellow -citi-
zens could have done this thing passes
comprehension.
The colored orator. Frederick Douglas,
was selected by the president US one OF the
commissioners 10 visit San Domingo and
yet on his return, at most within sight of
the executive mansion, he was repealed
from the common tsble of "a mail steamer
Oh the Potomac when the other commits
sioners were already seated, and through
him was the African race insulted and
then equal rights denied. But the presl-
dent, whose commission he had borne,
neither did nor said anything to right the
wrong, and few days later, when enter
tanning the commissioners ut the eXecu-
tive mansion, actually forgot the colored
orator, whose services he bad sought. But
this indignity j. in union with the rest
After insulting the black republic. it is
easy 10 see how natural it was to trea;
with insensibility the representative OF
the African race here.
| stay this painful piesentiment under
its variou. hesds. beginning with nepotism
and gift-taking, officials compensated, and
ending in contrivance against Sar
Domingo, with the indignity to the Afri.
can race, not because it is complete, but
because it is enough. With sorrow
unspeskable have made this exposure o
pretensions, which, for the sake o
epublican Institutions, every good either
should wish expunged from history. Blu
l had no alternative. The president
himself insists upon putting them in issue
He will not allow them TO b. forgotten
As n candidate for reelection he invite
judgment, and now the question Of duty il
presented to the republican party. ! like
that work. 1t is at the mandate Of duty
that we must act. Do his presider tia
preten ions merit the sanction Of the party
Can republicans, without departing from
all obligations, whether of party or patriot
ism, recognize our ambitious Cesar as tn,
proper representative? Can We take tn,
fearful responsibility of his prolonged
} empire l put these questions solemnly
as member of the republican party, will
all the earnestness of life devoted to tn,
triumph of this party. With me, party
, was country and mankind but with tn,
, adoption of all these presidential preten
sions, party loses its character and drop
J from its sphere; its creed ceases to b'
republicanism and become Grantism-
; men. 1t is no longer political party
but a personal party. For myself ] say
! openly, am no mans nor dc / belong L
any personal party.
Mr.. Sumner spoke at length on the one
term principle. The attempt to charge
the character of the republican party
said Mr.. Sumner, begins by an assault on
the priuciple of the one term for
resident. The influence of tire president
has increased, ia increasing, and might BE-
diminished but in this excellent work well
worth the best efforts of all Nothing i.
more important than is the limitation &c
one term. There is a demand for reform
in the civil service, and the president
formally adopts this demand, but he neg.
lects the first step which depends on him
self. From this We may Judge his little
earnestness in the cause. Beyond all
! question civil service reform must begin
by the Limitation of the presidency to one
term, so that the temptation to use the
appointing power for personal ends may
disappear from our system, and this great
| disturbing force cease to exist. If the
President is sincere for reform it will be
easy for him to set the example by declaring
his adhesion to the one-term principle.
But even if he fails we must do our duty.
In abiding to our foreign relations,
Mr.. Sumner said be felt bound to say that
never before has their management been
so wanting in ability and so absolutely
without character. In every direction is
muddle, muddle. With Spain, middle
with Cuba, muddle with the black repub-
| lie, muddle with distant Corea, muddle
with Venezuela, muddle; with Russia,
muddle with England on all sides one
diversified muddle. Laughter To this
condition are we reduced. when before
in our history have we reached any such
pass as that to which we have been car
ried in our questions with England. Are
these laurels for the presidential candi-
| date?
THE PHILADELPHIA CONVENTION.
Mr.. Sumner concluded-I wait the de-
| termination Of the national convention,
where are delegates from my own much
honcred common wealth, with whom re-
joice to act Not without anxiety do |
wait but with the earnest hope that the
convention will bring the republican
party into ancient harmony, saving it, es-
pecially, from the suicidal folly of an is
sue on the personal pretensions of one
man.
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