New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-03-21
POLITICAL STRAWS.
THE REPUBLIC ON TRIAL.


A PRESIDENT MORE POWERFUL THAN KING-DE-
FECrs Of VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF THE GOV
ERNMENT.
To the Editor Of The tribune.
SIR: Those Americans who can look soberly
and fxedy at events without being deluded by PARTY
catchwords beginning ask themselves il insti
buttons not really failure. And their reflections
something like the following:
Under the name OF Liberty" we are governed bya
President who really has and far power than
English King Queen The presidential Caesars"
do what no English sovereign would venture to do We
have Cabinet which, instead OF being directly respon
sbe TO the people, in England responsible only TO
tho President The Secretaries his creatures whom
he makes and unmakes England is ruled, not by Ca
but by Prime Minister, who cannot hold Office for
day after he orfets public confidence Our Caesars have
imposed upon a vast army of oficehoders, whose
first duty is 10 work FOR party" keep faction in
power; that OF attending TO their functions quite sec
onary The result is that public offices are as rule
badly filled and our public service badly performed II
specific instances needed let tine following snihce:
Look at our Postal service the straw bids, the dis.
honest clerks at headquarters Ii naturally follows that
mails cannot be depended upon. either for regularity
certainty honesty Compare the state Of things be-
You'd the water Regularity and certainty charactezes
il. A London banker once told me at he had never
jewels aud bank notes iii largo amounts through the
mails without hesitation. How IL 1t with usf No man
safely put greenback in letter 10 send 1t 10 miles
No temptation too small Ihaye had to stop an En-
glish illustrated paper TO which had subscribed; 1t was
stolen out of the mails with the utmost regularity Not
copy IN four reached me. To I've sure, this Is Inc
meTeSt tie. but Ii is straw that shows how the wind
blows Look the Excise Senator Gordon is pr pared
with arTays OF documents showing that since 1861 we
have been plundercd $500 100000 This he contrasts with
the English excise, which, carefully kept aloof from
politics, collects without loss mucn heavier tax than
ours which il has been admitted could not be here
collected at all.
As the Army Navy Departments, the slckening
scandals around us require no word from me No Amer
lean now meet foreigner OF read foreign paper
without humiliation. No single case " fraud however
bad could produce this feelng IL is the general rotten
the hdcous corruption that surrounds us by which
shamed. Utterly diseraced ~ we nave been
years by municipal and state governments, we
hitherto felt that IN the higher tone and superior
honesty of our National Government We had an incEoi
and were safe. But find that there Is no tfIn
hold left 10 us anywhere. At this day the American
people drifting IL knows not whittier. If there any
truth in history dishonest republic cannot 1--we. It's
inevitable fate is 10 become empire lie worst iea
rc sOwnCSs to recognize the danger ana 10 guard
against it, Party Try TO create the idea tbd these
crimes characteristic symptoms Of disease, nut
only isolated facts. l even read that Gen Bclknas
crime disgrace TO the Republican party
When such assertions be made, the makers must
have wonderful faith in the Creduly OF Their tools We
have now reached crisis must throw of the disease
OF sink under it, From tins time forward no man should
any candidate for any Office whom he does not
know TO be an honest For the question now IL
actually this Have got honesty enough among us TO
save uSl A REPUBL.CAS.
Ihiiadeiphid. March II, 1876.