Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-05-11

nize the superior authority Of the con-
stitution, and should exercise the powers
required thereby Of President. The
acts to which reference is made in the
resolution of the House relates to the
establishment of the seat government
and the providing of suitable buildings
and removal thereto, Of the offices at
tachsd to the government, &c. 1t was
not understood at its date and by Gen
eral Washington to confine the Pres
ident in the discharge of his duties and
powers to actual presence at the seat of
government On the Both Of March,
1871, shortly after the passage Of the
act referred to, Gen. Washington issued
an executive proclamation having refer
ence to the subject Of this very act
from Georgetown, place remote from
Philadelphia, which then was the seat
OF government, where the act referred
to directed that Gall offices attached to
the seat OF government should for the
time remain. That none Of his sue
cessors have entertained the idea that
their executive offices could be per-
formed only at the seat of government
is evidenced by the hundreds upon
hundreds of such acts performed by
my predecessors in unbroken line from
Washington to Lincoln, memorandum
of the general nature and character of
| some of which acts is submitted here,
and with which no question has ever
been raised as to the validity Of those
acts or as to the right and propriety Of
the executive to exercise the powers of
his Office in any part of the United
States. q. S. GRANT.
1t will be perceived that the message
is dated Washington, without the usual
prefix of executive mansion" Accemr
panying the message is memorandum
Of absences Of the Presidents Of the
United States from the national capital
during each of the several admins
trations. and of public and executive
acts performed during the time of such
| absences. This memorandum contains
the following information, and much
more of the same general character,
only the most important Of the acts
recited in the memorandum being
| selected for mention in this abstract
President Washington was frequently
absent from the capital. He appears
to have been thus absent at least 18l
days during his term. In March 1871,
the seat Of government being then at
Philadelphia, he issued a proclamation
dated at Georgetown in reference to
running boundary for the District of
Columbia. He signed at Mount Vernon
an official letter to the Emperor of
Morocco, and from the same place
issued the commission of Oliver Walco,t
as comptroller of the treasury, and the
proclamation respecting the whlskey
instruction in Pennsylvania also the
proclamation Of the treaty of 1875
with Spain, and the executive order of
August 4, 1892, relative to the duties
on distilled spirits, Sc. When at
Germantown he signed sundry com
missions. He proposed to have Mr..
Yrujo officially presented to him at Mt:
Vernon as envoy extraordinary and
minister plenipotentiary frem Spain,
and Mr.. Yrujs went there for that
purpose, but the ceremony of presents
ton was prevented by an accidental
omission of the minister to bring his
credentials.
President John Adams was absent
from the capital during his term of four
years. on various occasions, 385 days
He discharged official duties and per-
formed the most solemn public acts at
Quincy, Mass, in the same manner as
when at the seat of government
Several of them are recited, and it is
also specified that on the 2Sth of Sep
TENDER, 1897, he forwarded to the Sec
rotary of State commission for a
Justice of the Supreme Court, signed
in blank at Quincy, with instructions
to FIJI in the name of John Marshall if
be would accept, and If not, that Of
Bushrod Washington.
President Jefferson was absent from
the seat of government during his two
terms of Office 796 days, or more than
one-fourth Of the whole official period.
He signed and issued from Monticello,
among other things, seventy-fve com
missions.
President Madison was absent 637
days, and President Monroe was absent
70S days, independent Of the year 1924
and two months of 1925, for which
period no data was found. The latter
transacted public business wherever he
happened to be, and sometimes while
travelling.
President John Quincy Adams was
absent during his single term two
hundred and twenty-five days, and his
memoirs (vol. 8, page 75) speak of his
practice of leaving with his chief clerk
blank papers signed by him ito be
used when necessary for proclamations,
remission of penalties and commissions
of consuls.' He speaks also of doing
this same thing IN regard to patents
and land grants.
President Jackson was absent from
the seat of government five hundred
and two days. Among other important
acts performed by him when away from
Washington was his signing at Boston
the famous order for the removal of
the deposits from State banks. The
memorandum at this point refers to
President Jackson's refusal in 1888 to
furnish the Senate with a copy Of a
certain paper alleged to have been read
by him to the cabinet, and mentions
that in January 1887 he refused to
allow a comnittee of the House of
Representatives to make a general in
vestigation of the executive depart.
ments without specific charges, on the
ground, amongst others, that the use
r A. Q..:o1 hooks ou1 racor1a far