The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1876-05-11

Some time ago the Democratic
House Of Representatives passed a
resolution calling upon President
Grant to state whether, during his adj
ministration, he had not spent con-
81 derahle time away from Washing
ton, and whether he had not performed
executive acts or duties at q dis
lance from the seat of Government
established by law. The President
has sent message in reply, which
may be boiled down into, "It's none
Of your business !" He informs these
o&cious 'nosers" that while he is
ready and willing at all times to fur
nish Congress with any information
the Constitution requires him to give
or which his judg ment may indicate
as likely to be of service to them in
the discharge of their duties, he would
remind them that the Executive
isanindependent branch of the govern.
ment and that the Constitution no.
where gives the House of Representa-.
tiyes the right to require of him an
account as to how or when his purely
executive duties are performed. If
this information is asked for purposes
Of impeachment, the President, with
quiet irony, proceeds to remark, it is
in derogation Of that right which be-
longs to every man, no matter what
his position, to be protected from be-
ing made witness against himself:
He has performed his duties wherev-
er he has been, and rapidity of trav-
81 by railway and the facilities of
communication by telegraph have
made intercourse by the Executive
with the departments almost as easy
as though he were at Washington.
He propounds to his Democratic
friends the little conundrum as to
whether, had the rebels succeeded in
driving the Executive out of WASH
ington City, the seat of Government
established by law, his official acts
performed at other places would have
been questioned on this ground ?
The Constitution nowhere limits or
restricts the Executive in the dis.
charge Of the duties of his Office, nor
could an act Of Congress so restrict
him. He is President of the United
States in whatever part of the Union
he may be, as much as he is while at
Washington, and he has the same
powers. 1t may be stated in this
connection that at no time has Presi-
dent Grant, since he became the Ex-
ecutive, ever stepped outside the terri
tory of the United States, not even
when at Niagara Falls.
Accompanying the message
is a memorandum showing the
absences Of different Presidents
from the Capitol, even when
there were not the present rail-
way and telegraphic facilities.
Washington was absent at least 1871
days, and performed a number of i'm
portant official acts at points distant
from the capitol. President John
Adams was absent during his four
years 3S5 days, and discharged SOL
emn duties at Quincy, Mass, and
elsewhere. President Jefferson was
absent 1876 days, or more than one
fourth Of his whole official period,
and issued and signed from Monticel-
10, among other things, seventy-five
commissions. President Madison was
absent 637 days. President Monroe
was absent 7O8 days, and transacted
public business wherever he might
happen to be- President John Quin-
cy Adams was absent 223 days, and
was accustomed to leave bis chief
clerk blank papers signed by him for
proc!amations, com missions, land
grants, etc. President jackson was
absent SOP days, and some of his
most impor tant acts were performed
when away from Washington. Van
Buren, was absent 131 days; Tyler,
163 days; Polk, 81 days; Taylor, 81
days; Fillmore, go days; Pierce, 81
days; Buchanan, 81 days.
No mention is made of the absences
Of Presidents Lincoln or johnson,
nor does President Grant vouchsafe
any information as to his own ab.
sences or as to what official acts he has
performed away from the capitol.
The message is very generally ap.
plauded, and the oHicious members
Of Congress who proposed and pass
ed the resolution Of inquiry admit
the force Of the reply and are anx-
ious to cry "quits."
By-the-way, how are the Democrats
satisfied with the results of their eff:
forts, thus far, to "catch Grant?
A TORNADO at Chicago Saturday
destroyed a large section of the
Michigan Southern depot, burying
Al