New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-24
THE JyFLUEyCE OF MEDDLERS.

There is not much valuable information on
beef contracts and affairs of that KIND III the
reply which Agent Saville has prepared to the
charges of Mr.. Marsh. but there is little
remark at the close which does deserve atten-
ton. DR.. Saville admits that there was some
suffering among the Indians at the Agency last
Winter, but he attributes it entirely to I" the
"infucnce of such mcddlers as those who
"bring these charges" How perfectly charac-
teristic that is of the manner in which this
blessed Government is conducted. Meddlers
is lust the. word. There used to be an idea,
in old times, that the people were the high
est authority in this country, and that
they had perfect right at all times
to inquire how the public functionaries whom
they appointed and paid to take care OF their
business were dischargng their trusts. 1t was
perfectly proper for them to complain OF lax
or inefficient service, to watch for frauds, to
rcbuke ignorance, idlencss, OF dishonesty. But
we have changed all that under Gen. Grant.
The President has always regarded the Ex-
ccutive Office as personal reward bestowed
upon him for his military services, and
he has consulted only his own pleasure
in dispOsing of its patronage, portion
ing out the Offices among host OF
relations, and when all the family was pro-
yided for, tossing the rest to bc scrambled for
by the supporters of the Third Term and the
Force BILL 1t seemed tn blm a great piece of
impcitncnce when the newspapers spoke in
their usual vcna and liccntiOus manner OF the
behavior of Mr. Casey in New-Orlcans and the
appointment of Orvlle Grant as an indian
Trader. He was so much iDcenscd at
the criticisms upon Boss Shepherd that
he nominated him as District Commits
sioncr after Congress had abolished the
whole District Government in order to
get rid of him; and he resented
so bitterly the "mcdders" who caused AS
sistant District Attorney Harrington to be in
dicted for IL felonious conspiracy that he took
that interesting person out OF the dock and IN
yited him TO formal reception at the White
House. The unbridled, ETC., attacks upon the
Hon. Columbus DeanO are so plainly per-
sonal afffont TO the President that he will not
remove Mr. Delano while they continue, though
he knows that Mr. DelanO ought to he removed.
The Presidents subOrdinates seem To he
taking their cue from him, and all the Objcc-
tionable officials throughout the country, when
their shortcomings are pointed out, are, so to
speak, replying to the people, "Mnd your own
business That il is the business of the private
citizen or the Independent journalist to criticise
the conduct or capacity of government officer
never enters their minds. Their notions of
obedience and discipline are indirectly borrowed
from the barracks. Think for moment how
fast this fashion of thought has spread; how
it has ruled the politics of the Administration
party in every State of the Union; how 1t has
shown itself in the action and debates OF Con-
gress how it appears every day in the tone of
the party press and the demeanor of official
personages. The insOlence of Mr.. DelanO to
Prof. Marsh, the demonstrations of regard from
the President to Shepherd and Harrington, the
habitual language of portion OF the Republ-
can press toward honest Republicans who do
as Messrs. Foster and Phelps, for instance, did
in New Orleans, all spring from the same idea
that meddlers must be put down and common
people must keep outside the charmed circle
of the court.
Yet the people are beginning 10 inquire
whether it il not the " influence OF meddlers'
to which the country must chiefly trust for its
preservation. Without it we should have been
in Il bad enough way by this time. 1t was the
influence of meddlers that broke up the Tam
many Ring it was the impairment curiosity
of those old meddlcrs O'Conor and T;lden that
sent Tweed to the penitcntiary; they were
meddcrs who upset Boss Shepherds antOcracy
in Washington; meddlers who drove Mr. Rich
arlson ont of the Treasury and Mr.. Williams
ont of the Department of Justice meddlers
who uncovered the Indian frauds which are
now disgusting the country. We should like
to know, indeed, what an Administration like
this would not do ii meddlers would only let
1t alone.