The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-05-12
TuC PRESIDENT. ABSENCES.
Thc Example 10 thr to"n'ry Is Not
wholesome.
llfrpm tho Baltimore FUN.

From tho Baltimore Sun.B
The ncasnge Of President Grant re-
fuaing to submit information in regard
to his absence from the scnt Of Govern
mcnt nnd his performance nf official
nets whilo absent, is written in u style
which Il h decided improvement upon
most of his communications to Con
rrcss. and exhibits ~ familiarity with
procedonis whicl, could bo expected only
uf experienced civilians. Whilst IT. Is
true that, under the Constitution, tho
Executive functions are not limited MS
to the place whore they shall be cxer
eiscd yet as u statute enacted some time
in the last century provided that all OK
ecuiivo acts shall be performed ut the
seat of Government. II might reasonably
have occurred to the House to ask Preei
dent Grant for some information on
this subject. without wnrranting the
reply, which Is substantially that Of
the message, that ii is none Of their
business that the executive branch of
! the Government Is responsible for its
arts, ng the Legislative branch Is for it's
acts, and that ~ long ms he attends 10
his duties t. is no concern Of Congress
whether he stays nj ihe capital or not.
What Il good constitutional law for the
! President in equally good Tor Congress.
which ms il moved, in former days.
7
from Philadelphia to Washington aud
oven Ut one time eat in Baltimore.
might move from place to place now II
/ il saw it, IT might. on this hypothc-
aia, spend it's winters in tlotidn. or 4 he
summer in the North or Northwest. for
7 ita powers are no more limited OF cHI'a-
bile Of Limitation ~ 10 the place where
they shall he exercised than those If
tho President. Indeed. ms tho Preai-
dent says, the rnpidiiy Of travel and
facility Of almost instantaneous cor
rcaponlcnCc with officers Of the sent II
government which the telegraph affords
to the President. in Whatever section
of the Union he may be. might be
availed or by Congress, so that one
House could sit in ono section and one
in another, and communicates with each
other almost as quickly by telegraph
as If they remained in the capitol The
President seems not to comprehend
that the question to which Congress
calls hi4 attention IA not one Of consti-
tutional law, but Of propricty. or will Of
the Congressional statute, which pro
viIed for the perfor nance Of executive
acts at the seat OF government. II would
evince Il moro intelligent appreciation
| Of his duties MS President Of the United
! States to stand 40 straight upon III
1 >
/ that Is. to do oven more than the letter
Of the law required Of him, than 10 take
/ himself away for months from the
capital upon every opportunity Of pleas
lIre and aolf-lndulgence, and then plead
| that there was no constitutional prOyis-
4 ion against his going where hc pleased.
He would scarcely have undertaken to
absent himself without leave from head
quarters when in army command. evon
il he had not been responsible to the
| highest authority in the Govern
ment Even If there had beer
no military law against such II
proceeding ne would have become
4 law unto himself, and, while
no one would think Of depriving the
President Of necessary relaxation, surely
as much might be reasonably expected
OF him in his present position as in the
ordinary military one. lie ought to
recognize the power Of example, and
should be able to see for himself the
effect of bad example upon those about
him. As it is we have had n peripatotic
Government. members OF the Cabinet
| following the Presidents fashion OF
prolonged absenteeiSm and rambling
around the country, and even subordi-
nate officials, where they had the op-
portunty, following in the footsteps Of
members Of the Cabinet. No one ex-
poets the President to coop himself up
in Washington and be denied all re-
| freshment and recreation, but 1t IS
perhaps not asking too much that he
should perform his duties in spirit
and manner which indicate that his
chief aim is the public welfare, and not
! as II lie desired to subordinate both to
his peasonal ease and qualification. The
! effect Of the example upon the country
itself is not wholesome.