New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-11-29
THE ONE-MAN POWER.

THE ONE-MAN POWER.
The REPUBLICAN has treated the Execu
tive Department of the Republican gov
eminent from the standpoint of principle
From the day when the greatest party
that the world has ever known, the Eng
lish Republicans, brought the head of 6
tyrant to the block, confscated the super.
stitious robberies Of an ambitious an6
corrupt clergy, dispersed the House of a
legislative nobility, and constituted gov.
eminent upon the basis of John Hamp.
don and Sidney, with the people, as the sole
source of power, the rule of the ''single
person or one-man power" has been
shown alike absurd and unnecessary. A
temporary restoration of that power OF
rule convinced the English people of its
enormity, and since the expulsion OF
the Divine right and the call Of a
Protestant ruler from among free
people, the governm ent of England has
been the government of the people,
through az executive which only rules
through the elective authority Of the peo-
pie.
The legitimate successors of those Eng
lish Republicans made the same fight
against the one-man power of George III.
that their ancestors had made against
Cbo Vic, ,p1 Io~,ac Ct,,ork Tbo, olo;,,ol
the right Of British citizens to represent
their own taxation. They were denied
this right, and they declared their indie
pendence of government which would
not assure them the equality OF all other
British citizens. Naturally these men, in
organizing an Independent government,
steered very clear of the monarchy, hier-
archy and class caste which their ances-
tors had quilted England to escape. They
fought the war Of independence without
any one-man power at all. Washington
was the willing subordinate of these Re-
publicans. Jefferson and Franklin, as their
commissioners, conducted all their foreign
relations, which resulted in the loans of
Holland, the fleets of France and the
recognition Of Spain. Robert Morris ad-
ministered their revenues, provided and
protected their credit and currency.
When they organized a more perfect
union their contempt for king put the
one-man power into the hands of tenn
porary executive, who is but an agent of
representative will. The American jeal-
ousy of the one-man power was such
that the Republicans Of the earlier era de-
nounced Washington himself for his court
etiquette, charged John Adams with as
Stunning monarchical powers over ex-
pressions of opinion and over foreign i'm
migrants. The only open claim of sub
stantial executive power was made by the
Democracy on behalf of President Jack
son, who asserted the power to execute
the law as he understood it, and not as in
terpreted by Congress or as expounded by
the Supreme Court. This last claim has
been repudiated, and all Republican
Presidents recognize and admit their
subordination to this law, as enacted and
expounded by the proper constitutional
authorities.
When, therefore, We see such clamor
and madness about the selection of a
agent Of the American peo-
ple-when We absolutely read of people
so ignorant of the structure of this gov
eminent as to fancy that the duration of
the Union or the faith of its obligations
depend upon the question which single
person shall be their executive agent, we
turn with renewed admiration for the wis
dom of those men who provided against
the contingency of human liberty depend
ing upon any one man or set Of men,
There was one man in old times called
king maker. There are many millions OF
men al this time and in this country who
can make and unmake their ruler, as
easily as :. Louisiana planter can dis
charge one overseer and employ another.
Whether this people can find at the mo-
ment the executive which suits them
whether this mode of selection may have
been abused whether the executive
agent be in place or the agency
vacant, is matter OF small
import to all these millions. When those
industrious insects. the bees, lose the
ruler which they have fathered into roy.
atty they Immediately take some other
grub, and by the same preparatory pro-
cess qualify it for the succession. During
this interval the hive goes on precisely as
before. It's labors, its vigilance. its per.
sonal care is uninterrupted until the
convenience of an executive agent shall
have been again provided. It would be
precisely SO in this republic provided any
casual interruption or even lapse IN the
executive succession shall occur. The
acciden. will be repaired and the incum-
bent agent replaced without variation
in the national funds or an interruption
in the industrial functions. The established
monarchs, clergy and nobility Of theworld
have been following this republic from its
foundation with delectation Of its prin-
ciples and q hope Of its failure They
have worse motive than that irresistible
curiosity which impelled the man to fol.
low the tiger trainer in the expectation
Of the tragical termination Of having the