The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-04-16
Executive Tindictiveness.

The temper of the Presidents reply to the
delegation of the South Carolina taxpayers
can with perfect justice be characterized as the
parallel of that displayed in the offending
speech Of Gary in the convention. It lets one
very far into the conception of the President
regarding his Office. He holds it as q per-
quisite, productive of other perquisites indef.
nitely. This interview betrays also his view Of
it as power for personal employment, such as
for Furnishing enemies and rewarding favoritss.
He appears to care little for the lamentable
condition of South Carolina, but every thing
for the attacks made on himself in that quarter.
election as vindication of his personal char
acter against the aspersions of his political
enemies thus lowering the contest to the level
of personal wrangle. His recent unfortunate
speech confirms the severest judgment that was
ever pronounced against him on the score of
low conception of his Office. To imagine JEFF
ferson responding even to committee of his
political foes in q similar strain would be i'm
possible for any one who has the slightest &C.
quaintance with JeAerson's character. And it
is no exaggeration to say that the abuse heaped
on Jefferson, not merely political but foully
personal, exceeded anything that has ever
caused the wrath Of Grant 10 rise. Much Of
came from the pulpits and from the lips OF
cultured men, and, therefore, it was far more
stinging than volumes of Gary speeches, gar
bled as this one was. Yet Jefferson would, as
President, have received his defamers with
dignity and courtesy that showed no trace of a
ranking spirit within. We have never had
an Executive in this country who would so far
have forgotten what was due to his high posi-
ton and to the people who placed him there.
The worst abuse is ever the soonest dissipated
in its effects by time, and, as Junius observes
to a public character in England with whom
he dealt more severely than with all the rest,
no man who is really innocent troubles him
self about charges of theft or murder. But
the case in President Grants hands is still
worse than has yet been stated. He would
oppress and keep down State upon which he
had let loose his minions, because few men
within it have employed every citizens right
to wag their tongues against him and his ad-
ministration. He has but to push his theory
little further to assume to punish his tra-
ducers, and command all criticisms to be silent,
Were he tenderly careful of the inestimabie
right of free speech, he would much prefer
that it should degenerate into the widest IL
cense than to seek to curb it of the power on
whose untrammelled use popular liberty inevi-
tably depends. The public denunciation OF q
newspaper by the President is novel exhibi-
tion of official rage, but no attacks, were they
wholly unjust, can excuse fault not more Of
propriety than of justice. The Executive is
the agent and creature of the people, sworn to
represent them in his Office; he can, therefore,
have no quarrel with any portion of them,
much less may he govern his official conduct.
by any resentments, which, on any sort OF
provocatiou, he is inclined to entertain. This
episode in the Executive intercourse with the
people Of State leaves little unexplained IN
reference to the ignoble tone of official eharac-
ter now prevalent, and fully confirms all that
the late Senator Sumner said of the occupant
of the Presidential chair. If the President
may not wholly forget his Office, neither, may
he use it for the indulgence of his hatreds and
standardization Post.