The New York herald., 1876-03-05
Delknap's Fall and tho Republican
PARTY.


the whole tree of corruption back to his
idea that the Presidency was personal
possession and not trust The theory
of representative government in England
and in the United States until the time
of Grant was that the Cabinet should be a
council of statesmen representing the
party, men experienced in the duties of
administration who possessed the conf
dence of the people, and whose acces-
sion to Office would satisfy the demands of
the party BY this means the government was
kept near to the people. Cabinet officers felt
that their promotion in the party and their
chances of advancement before the country
| depended upon their devotion to the public
welfare. 1t was not merely chief they
served, but party and the country. The
President brought into his Office the
dangerous and extraordinary idea that
he was to command the country rs
he commanded the army. 1t was per-
sonal Office. Republicanism became Grant
ISM The function of the republican party
ceased when it elected him President, just as
H in Bonaparte's times the function of tho
pIebiscihms. He gave offices to supporters as
Napoleon was won't to give his crosses
of honor to reward personal SER
vices. Having laid down this pernicious
principle he first called to his Cabinet
men who had been his cronies and who had
made pleasant personal impression upon
him. Then he quartered his relatives and
40 A11a
he could find room for them-from Kremer
who was made Minister, down to the Dent
who, we believe. still owns a swindling trade
store in New Mexico Having done this,
and to strengthen himself with the only
power he had to fear, the Senate, he began
at once to debauch it with patronage. Sena-
tors were shamelessly bribed, until the whole
republican majority was debauched with
power and place. Every republican Sen
ator became O creature of the President.
Wherever we look in the country we
find the federal offices filled with the
friends and fatterers of Senators. The
roll call in New York is little more than the
roll call of the friends of Mr.. Conkling. In
Pennsylvania we have no one in Office who
cannot swear allegiance to the tribe of Cam
eron. So down the whole blue book we
have list of the offices which have been
used by despotic and arbitrary President
to degrade the Senate.
This degraded republican Senate, and
every Senator has the Presidents patronage
in his pocket like bribe, became the coarse.
dumb, accomplishing register of his will |
1t is only worthy to be- ranked with the Sen |
ates of the later Roman Empire. When the |
President ut the outset of his administration |
asked the Senate to allow him to violate O
law to oblige O friend, there was only one
Senator, the lamented and illustrious Sumner,
who dared to say in his place that the dignity
of law was even higher than the whim
of President of the United States. The
example was soon forgotten. Every creature
Grant sent into the Senate was confirmed
The only time when independence was
shown was when the President forgot to
oblige some Senator like the carpet Dagger
West Then the Senate interfered and
claimed that ''the claims of States should
be recognized" Even Grant was not al
lowed to name officers in such States as Ala |
bama or Louisiana, for instance, who were not
acceptable to West and Spencer. So from step
to step the whole patronage of the govern
ment was used for two purposes namely,
to aggrandize Ulysses S. Grant and to keep
the Senate subservient to his will We |
have now, as we have had since the accession
of Grant to power, government as personal |
as that of Louis Napoleon. 1t bears its fruits
in the Belknaps the Babcocks and the Shep-
herds, even as the imperial government bore
its fruits in the De Mornys the Persignys,
the st. Arnauds. The end in France only
came when France, bleeding, torn, humili-
ated, stripped, her fields in desolation, her
cities in flames, her sons at the mercy of the |
foe, saw the Emperor a prisoner at Sedan
and the Empire overwhelmed with shame
and disaster. Where will the end be with
us2 1t was only the other day that the
HERALD printed On able and elaborate article |
from one high in authority in Washington
advocating the nomination of the President
for third term. We called attention to it
as the elimination Of the third term move
ment, as the official declaration that party
with debauched Senate in power, with n
retinue of latterers, jobbers and adventurers
swarming about it, with thieving rings in
whiskey, in real estate, in mining shares, in
post stores, proposed to use this power to
perpetuate the dynasty which now rules the
country and which bids fair to 60 into history
rs the worst administration we have ever
had--worse even than those of Buchanan and
johnson.
We repeat that Belknap is symptom of
tho disease, not a sporadic case of personal
dishonesty. This miserable and degraded
wretch, who only yesterday was the Secre-
tary of War, is sample of the men who now
govern the country. For this and for all