The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-05-12
powers required thereby of the Presi-


1t was not understood at its date, and
by General Washington, to contine the
President in the discharge of his duties
and powers to actual presence at the seat
of Government
On the Both OF March, 1871, shortly
after the passage of the act referred to,
General Washington issued an Execu
tive proclamation having reference to
the subject of this very act, from George
town, a place remote from Philadelphia,
which then was the seat of Government.
where the act referred to directed that
all officers attached to the seat ofGovern
ment should for the time remain. That
none of his successors have entertained
the idea that their executive offices
could be performed only at the seat of
Government, is evidenced by hundreds
upon hundreds of sueiI acts performed
by my predecessors in an unbroken line,
from Washington to Lincoln, a memo
randum of general nature and charac-
ter of some of which acts is submitted
herewith, and no question has been
raised as to the validity of those acts or
to the right and propriety of the Execu-
tive to exercise the powers of his office
in any part of the United States.
(SigneD U. S. GRANT.
1t will be perceived that the message
is dated Washington, without the usual
prefix of Executive mansion" Accom-
panying the message is memorandum
of absences of Presidents of the United
States from the national capital during
each of the several administrations and
of public and executive acts performed
during the time of such absences. This
memorandum contains the following in
formation, and much more of the same
general character, only the most impor-
tant of the acts recited in the memoran-
dun being selected for mention in this
abstract. President Washington was
frequently absent from the Capital He
appears to have been thus absent at least
ISL days during his term. la March 1871,
the seat of government being then at
Philadelphia, he issued proclamation
dated at Georgetown i'm reference to run
ming boundary for the District of Co
lumbia. He signed at Mt. Vernon an
official letter to the Emperor of Morocco
and from the same place issued the COM
mission of Oliver Wolcott as Comptroll-
er of the Treasury and proclamation
respecting the whisky insurrection in
Pennsylvania; also the proclamation of
the treaty of 1876 with Spain, and the
executive order of August 4th, 1872, rel
ative to the duties on distilled spirits,
Sc. When at Germantown he signed
sundry commissions. He proposed to
have Mr.. Yruio officially presented to
him at Mount Vernon as envoy extraor-
dinary and minister plenipotentiary from
Spain, and Mr.. Yruio went there for
that purpose, but the ceremony of pre-.
santation was prevented by an accident,
the omission OF the minister to bring his
credentials.
President John Adams was was absent
from the Capital during his term of four
years on various occasions, SS5 days.
He discharged the official duties and per-
formed the IaoGs solemn public acts at
Quincy, Mass, in the same manner as
when at the seat of government. Sew
eral of them are recited, and it is also
specified that on the 2Sth of September,
1877, he forwarded to the Secretary of =
State commission for Justice of the
Supreme Court, signed in blank, with
instructions to iill in the name of John
Marshall, il he would accept, and if not
that of Bushrod Washington.
President jefferson was absent from
the seat of Government during two terms
of office, 79G days, or more than one
fourth of the whole official period, and
signed and issued from Monticello,
among other things, sevepty-fve COM
missions.
President Madison was absent 637 days,
and President Monroe was absent 7Oo
days, Independent of the year 1924 and
two months of 1926, for which period no
dates are found. The latter transacted
public business wherever 10 happened
to be, and sometimes while travelling.
President John Quincy Adams was
absent during his single term, 222 days,
and in his memoirs (voluIie s, page 75)
speaks of his practice of leaving with
his chief clerk blank papers signed by
him to be used when necessary for proc
lanations, remission of penalties and
commissions of consuls. Hespeaks also
OF doing this same thing in regard to
patents and land grants.
President Jackson was absent. from
the seat OF government SOP days. Among
other important acts performed by him
when away from Washington was his
signing at Boston OF the famous order
for the removal of deposits from State
banks.
The memorandum at this point refers
to President Jackson's refusal in 1888 to
furnish the Senate copy of certain
papers alleged to have been read by him
to the Cabinet, and mentions that in
January, 1887, he refused to allow a
committee of the House of Representa-
tives to make general investigation of
the Executive Departments without
specific charges, ON the ground, amongst
others, that the use of official books and
records for such purpose interfere with
the discharge of public business. Other
Presidents were absent from Washing
ton and performed numerous oEicial
duties while absent: Van Buren, 131
days; Tyler, 16S days; Polk, 81 days;
Taylor, 81 days; Fillmore, GO days.
Pierce, 81 days; Buchanan, 81 days.
No mention is made Of the absences of
President Lincoln or Johnson.
If there was less fashionable folly
there would be more honesty in the
world-more happiness at the fireside-
more neighborly kindness-more I'M
spotted Ch.istianity-more- of every
thing that is sensible, just, right aad
ennobling. Most everybody in this fast
age is living upon q strain-trying to