Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-08-10
PRESIDENTIAL PENSIONS.

4
ner in which the proposition to award a
pension to President Grant, after his re-
gtirement from Office, has been received by
the country. In few quarters the pro-
poeal has been discussed with becoming
dignity, but for the far greater part tho de-
bate, if it can be 60 called, has not shown
American society to advantage.
In order to be just in this matter it is not
needful that the whole ground taken by
Ghose who urge that all retiring Presidents
ought to be pensioned should be taken
without dispute. All we urge is that the
question shall be considered an open one
and argued with becoming iberality. 1t ap-
plies just now to General Grant, but the indi-
vidual reference is less than its application
as a pational principle. The true considera-
tion is-would it be advisable in the heat of
present politics to commit the Government
to narrow minded precedent which would
operate against the granting of this relief
IN many worthy instances in the future?
If the result here is a refusal we would
have it SO given that it would not debsr
action in the cases of future Presidents,
and We would further have it so given that
no offense should be felt by tie iilustrious
citizen who now occupies tho chair, and
whose priceless services to the country, it
may be said, seem in danger of being for
gotten By the people whom he redeemed.
Lake many another good thing "Repub
fican Simplicity is liable to abuse. 1t is
entirely proper that we should set our faces
sternly against tho manifold grants Of per-
sonai privileges which are 80 great bur-
then to the tax payers of como countries,
but it is also desirable that we ST ould not
Go too far in that direction, nor Ly an ex-
efeise OF economy for which there is no
real reason, make the country appear petty
ana narrow to men at homo and abroad.
Now it is feet that enough consideration
Il not paid the Presidential cfica. Tie
reference ls not to the incumbent hut to
the Office itself. We do not pay it les pect
enaugh VIC DO not make it raull as it
should with tho other soyereigntes cf tie
earth. Added consideration, it appears to
'1s, could be given without sacrificing any
thing essentially Republican. 1t sounds
very liberal to say that President should
leave the White House and be from thence
forth no more than private citizen, but
= % not sound notion We should make
-1ore OF the Office than that, and by making
-4oie OF IL ourselves we shoGld induce other
SoVefnments to hold, higher than they
Tho application Of this view is evident. If
the retiring President should be honored in
the manner indicated tho Office wonId be
elevated by just so much, and the whole
Republican system might gain in character.
Whether it would be desirable 10 mako the
rule constant is another matter, but We
would at LEI 81 h&vo the governme ment affirm
its villirgntsJ to go honor this high tf-
ice. Ii honors can be paid in other WAYS
all the better AMI perhaps other methods
may be devised, Tha proposition to make
the retiring President Senator for life is
not feasible without extensively amending
tho constitution, but it might not be inap-
propriate to mako the change. Certainly
the matter is mcst important one. The
p sople OF all countries have found lite their
true advantage to elevate the chief ruler
shipin every way, ard because our chief is
President, rather thana King or Emperor,
the rule which governs all society does not
cease to hold.
In the case of President Grant, and un.
til the whole subject is put upon the basis
which it's Importance warrants, we have no
hesitation in expressing our own feeling
Ahat il the pension would be acceptable to
the outgoing chief, it ought to be granted.
We do not care to so into the question Of
whether General Grant has or has not anv
need of monoyahelp. We put the whole
topic on higher ground. We regard it az an
honor;-as one of the few ways we have of
showing an ex-President that he is held in
constant recollection. And in the case OF
General Grant the honor would be paid not
only to chief magistrate but to citizen
who, after Washington, did more than any
other man for the salvation of the American
Republic