The daily gazette., 1876-07-12
From the New York Sun.
Astounding Doctrine of Mr.. Hayes

He is In Favor of Having the United
States Governed by Permanent
Aristocracy OF Officeholders.
RUTHERFsRD B. HAYES has written
letter accepting the nomination of
the Republican Convention to the off.
ce OF President of the United States.
Mr.. Hayes is represented by his
friends and conceded by his opponents
to be an honest man. We therefore
receive this letter as the avowal of his
real sentiments on the subject of gov.
ernment; and we are not little sur.
prised to find them directly at variance
with the Republican and Democratic
ideas on which the Government of the
United States was founded.
1.-THE old rule, the true rule" saws
Mr: Hayes, that honesty, capacity
and fidelity constitute the only real
qualifications for office, and that there
Is no other claim, gave place to the
idea that party services were to be
chiefly considered. Thus, according
to Mr.. Hayes. "honesty, capacity and
fidelity constitute "a claim" to office.
This he declares to be "the true rule. :"
NO"t shN WhOiS thCOl1 vi lEtG, It :
publican government is included in
this proposition. We hold that all Of
| fees are established and maintained
solely and exclusively for the public
convenience and the public advantage
and never in any degree for the benefit
OF the persons holding them. These
persons are to be fairly paid for their
labor, that is all; and there is no such
thing in free country as public Of
| fee existing for the sake of the officer,
NO one, therefore, has any tclaim" to
be a public officer. Claim, as here
used, means right. A person elected
10 office has right to it, unless he
forfe'ts 1t, for the term for which he
Is elected; while person appointed,
and removable at pleasure, may be
turned out at any time.
The doctrine of Mr.. Hayes is "that
the officer should be secure in his
tenure as long as his personal character
remains untarnished and the perfor.
mande OF his duties is satisfactory"
That means, practically, for life. There
Is hardly any real difference between
term for good behavior and for life;
for If king, W no holds even by
hereditary right, departs widely from
good behavior, revolution steps in and
puts as end to his tenure.
What! Here we have bold proposi.
tion that the eighty thousand office
holders of the United States shall be
convertedinto permanent aristocracv.
holding their places for life! How
long would it be before this tenure for
life would be converted into a her.
editary right?
1t is to our apprehension a plain pro.
position to overthrow the Government
OF the People, and to substitute for it
a Government of Established Office
holders. Mr.. Hayes is undoubtedly
honest; but we believe the sentiment
of his letter of acceptance will be
deemed as odious by the people of the
onlted States as any ever expressed by
Louis Napoleon in France. Louis
Nopoleon was at first in favor of an
empire for life, and then of making
it hereditary.
Our forefather, the founders of our
Government, entertained sentiments
directly the opposite. OF those espoused
by MIR. Hayes. When it was proposed
to make the offices of Senator and
President offices for life, the plan was
rejected. They limited the duration
OF the office of Representative in Com
gress to two years; that of President to
four, and that of Senator to six. There
is no law prohibiting the continuous
reelection of any of these, but custom
has limited the President to two terms,
and Mr.. Hayes has recently had an op-
portunity to see with what disfavor
the idea of electing an incumbent to
third term was received.
ndeod, after distinctly pledging him
sells, if elected, to conduct the admistra-
tion OF the Government upon the princi-
pie OF keeping public officers in office du-
ring good behavior-which means for
hfe-and to comply all constitutional
powers vested in the Executive to that
end, he goes on in the very next para
graph OF his letter to announce his "in-
nexible purpose, if elected, not to be a
candidate for election to second term!"
Sne would suppose that a mole could see |
iar enough to perceive the inconsistency
between advocating that all other offices |
should De held for life, and insisting
that for the President the doctrine OF |
only one term is indispensable.
f. There is something necessary in the
way OF civil service reform, and it is this |
That no man shall be appointed to office, |
or retained in any Office, who is not fully
qualified anda proper character to dis |
charge its duties. And that is all. Any
measures calculated tc perpetuste office
IN individuals tend toward the destruc-
tlon OF equality and freedom. Under
such a system, the arrogance, the ,inso-
lence OF office would grow apace and vast
ly until 1t wonld tecome unsupportable
among free people.
Frequent changes in public offcers-so
that no unit person is appointed
most salutary in their influence. Con-
stant reductions of the officers to the
ranks IS the true rule in civil life. No
monopolies of offices and honors; uni
versal Justice and equality; these are the
true doctrines of government. Against
these Mr.. Hayes declares himself OPP
posed.