National Republican., 1877-07-03
THE True INTERPRESkf7D1 or TIE
RECENT EXECLTIrE ORDER.


RECENT ExECUTTrE ORDER.
II will he o pleasant assurance to thou
sands holding positions under the Govern
mcnt, and to the great body Of the people,
who have been led to believe by the ex-
trcmc construction put upon the recent Ex-
ccutivc order by parties inimical TO the Ad-
ministration and to the success of the Re-
publican party, that the effect of the order
was TO deprive citizens in the public service
of their freedom of opinion and action-it
will he satisfaction to all to know that no
such ultra purpose inspired the order, and
that il will not I've so Interpreted in its OK
ecution. The object of the President is
simply to eliminate from political action
the motive to do wrong Us n means Of pro-
noting the achievement of personal am
bition, recognizing, ns he does and rs all
must do who have observed the operations
Of the primaries, the fact that any excess of
zeal in local politics prompting corrupt prac-
ticcs in the choice of delegates to popular
assemblies called together TO transact the
business of the people, has its source in pri-
vutc projects for personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
rather than in desire to advance the pub
lie interests. Thus it has been the practice,
particularly in the large cities, by means
well known to the initiated, to make public
conventions, proicSscdly assembled to excr-
else the sovereignty Of the people and TO
declare their will, exert the supremacy Of
the politicians instead and proclaim their
antiquities as party enunciati0ns. This
has been done by n system of tutclagc and
apprenticeship by which a certain clique or
league Of politicians train and educate
sufficient numbcr of experts in the business
of machine politics to control the primaries
and carry the choice Of delegates in the i'll
tercst Of the ,jHntd, whose members thus
bear away the honors of the convention and
in turn reward the instr,umentalitics Of their
success with the minor plnccs in the public
service, State aud National to the exclusion
of the people, who are thus cheated oriH-
nally in the exercise of their suilmgcs and
are ailcrward deprived Of n share in the
public patronage by the authors of the pre-
imiuary fraud upon their sovereignty.
II is this system Of iugglcry by which
faction has fastened itself upon the yitals OF
the nation, under the prctense of patriotic
zeal in behalf of the public welfare, that
the President has sought TO crush by the Or
| der promulgated, and not the demolition OF
any principle of liberty, rs has been so in
dustriouSly asserted by portions of the pub
| lie press interested to undermine the popu-
| iarity of the President and in retaining the
| organization of professional primary manip-
ulators and platform builders. We are as
surcd by those fully advised of the purpose
of the order that it il not intended to inter
icre with the freedom or expression Of any
nau's opinion or TO lop or limit the privi-
| lcgcs of the citizen, whether in or out of
office. The oflicc-hOldcr will be at liberty
to exercise his Judgment and discretion in
all the relations Of the citizen the same as
before, and to advocate his views in all rr-
spccts ms fully ~ ever; but he shall not par
| ticiIate in the machine operations of local
politics, nor pledge his support to candidates
in return for promised ihvors. In short,
the order il chiefly directed toward custom
house aud post Office abuses, and intended
for the renovation of the service in respect
H all corrupt practices. And when an
| alyzcd and expoundcd it is only an inter
diction of corruption in politics ofall forms,
and in no sense prohibition of the enjoy
ncnt of any civil function with which the
citizen is clothed. II will not interfere
with the privilege Of writing or speaking
on political subjects with the greatest
freedom, nor will II molest any political re-
lation maintained in common with citizens
in general for the proper discharge OF civic
duties, or for the purposes Of agreeable as
sociation. Hence il will not disturb Tho
State organizations in the District, which
always have been more social than p0litica
in thnir objects, except, perhaps, in respect
of the character Of their campaign activity
Such being the full intent and meaning d
the order, we submit that its effect will bt
beneficial to every interest of the people
and that they should assist in its execution
with great popular unanimty.