The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-05-08

made In the resolution Of the House re.
| lates to the establishment of the seat OF
/ Goternment and providing OF suitable
| buildings and removal thereto Of the
Offices attached to the Government, &c.
| Ii was not understood al its date and by
General Washington To c0ntne the Pres
ident in the discharge of his duties ana
powers to actual presence at the seat -
| Government. On the 30ih Of March, 1871,
shortly alter the passage OF the act re-
| ferred to, Washington ISSUED an EXeea-
| tive proclamation having reference TO
| the subject OF this very act from George
| tvwn, a place remote from Philadelphia,
which then was the seat OF Government,
| where he act referred to directed that
| ''aii offices attached to the seat OF Gov-
erumenI' should for the time remain.
That none oi his successors have enter
tained the idea that their executive
offices could be performed only at the
seat OF Government Is evidenced by the
hundreds upon hundreds of such acts
performed by my predecessors in unbro-
ken line from Washington TO Linceln, q
memorandum OF the general nature and
character OF some OF which acts is SUBJ
| mitted herewith, and no question has
been raised as to the yaliulty OF those
| acts or to The right and proprlety of the
Executive to exercise the powers Of MS
''4ss - s' &. s. GRANT.
WASHINGTON, May A, 1876.
PRECEDENTs FOR THE ACTS IN QUESTION.
I 1t will be observed that the Message is
dated Washington, without the usual
prefix of "EXecutive Mansion" Ac-
| tompanying the Message Is memoran-
dunn of absences OF the Presidents oil the
| lJhibed States from the National Capital
during each of the several Admins ira
tions and OF public and executive acts
performed during the time of such abb
sences. This memorandum contains the
following Information, and much more
| of the sstme general character, only the
most Important of the acts recited in the
memorandum being selected for mention
| In this abstract:
| President Washington was frequently
absent from the capital. He appears to
have been thus absent at
east one hundred and eighty-one days
| during his term. In March, 179l, the
seat OF Government being then at Phil
adeiphia, he Issued a proclamation,
dated at Georgetown, in reference to
running the boundary for the District oil
Columbia. He signed at Mount Vernon
an official letter to the Emperor
of Morocco, and from the same
place Issued the commssion of Oliver
: Wolcott as Controller OF the Treasury
and the proclamation respecting the
whisky insurrection in Pennsylvania
} also the proclamation of the treaty oi
1895 with Spain, and the Executive or.
: der OF August 4, 1892, relative to the
at Germantown he signed sundry com.
missions. He proposed to have Mr.
Yenjo officially presented TO him al
Motiht Vernon as Envoy EXTRAORDINARY
and Minister Plenipotentiary from
J Spain, and Mr.. YehiO went there for
that purpose, but the ceremony Of pres
J entatiun was prevented by an acci-
! dental omission OF the Minister to bring
mis- credentials.
President John Adams was absent
, from the capital during his term OF foul
, years, on various occasions, three hun
dred and eighty-fye days. He dis
} charged Official duties and performed
the most solemn public acts at Quincy
Mass, in the Same manner as Wnen al
the seat of Government. Several of them
are recited, and it also specified that OF
the IS h OF September, 1877, he forwarded
to the Secretary Of State commission
i. for a Justice of the supreme, Court
signed in blank, at Quincy, with instruc
tiOns to fill in the name OF John Mar
shall, if he would accept, aud if not, tha
, OIL BuSQr0U w H3uluS Lous
i President Jefferson was absent from
the seat o. Government, during his two
terms of office, seven hundred and nine
ty-slX days, or more than one-feurth oi
the whole official period. He signed
and issued from Monticello, among
other things, seyenty-fye commissions
President Madison was absent sil
hundred and thirty-seven days, anC
President Monroe was absent sever
hundred and eight days, Independent O
the year 1924 and two months of 1925, fo
which period no data are found. Th
latter transacted public business wher
ever he happened to be, and sometimes
while travelling.
President John Quincy Adams wa
absent during his single term two hun
dred and twenty-five days, and in hi
memoirs (vol. 8, p. 75( speaks of hi
. practice OF leaving with his Chief Cler
blank papers signed by him, to be use,
t when necessary for proelamations, nc
t mission OF penalties, and commission
/ OF ConsuIs. He speaks also OF doing tn
: same thing in regard to patents and Ian
! grants.
i President Jackson was absent from
the seat OF Government five hundred an,
Q two days. Among other important act
I performed by him when away fror
w dbAthk tph W ttc Aio olkuAuk db bO6b01 Ill
: famous order for the removal Of deposit
e from State banks. The memorandum q
: this point refers to President Jack on'
refusal in 1888 to furnish the Senate
= copy of certain paper alleged to hav
been read by him to the Cabinet, an
= mentions that in January of the yea
9 1897 he refused to allow a committee {
: the House OF Representatives TO make
: general investigation OF the Executiv
b Departments without specific charges
9 on the ground, among others, that th
= use Of the official books and records 70
. such purpose would interfere with til
| discharge OF the public business.
Other Presidents were absent fror
Z Washington ana performed numerou
i official duties while absent, includin
r Van Buren, 131 days; Tyler, 1853 days
Q Polk, 81 days; Taylor, 81 days; Fillmore
: so daysi Pierce, 81 days; Buchanan,
q days.
No mention is made of absences I
: Presidents Lincoln or johnson.