New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-24


President Hayes has been in Office more than
three weeks, the Cabinet has been in exist
ence q fortnight, the Secretaries must by this
time have become acquainted with each other
and their chief and probably with some Of
their principal subordinates and yet the South
ern question is not settled. Isn't 1t too bad
that things are allowed to go on so? President
Hayes might have turned around from taking
the oath of office and Immediately closed
ND the whole difficulty with military order
or proclamation, or some such administrative
panacea, commanding Chamberlain to scatter
and Packard to dispersc, but he didn't seem
DISPOSED to do it. The truth, we presume, is
that the President does not understand the
merits of the question and the situation OF
affairs at the South. The able editor knows
all about it, of course Had the able editor
been in President Haycs's place the business
wOud have been attended to at once. With
a single stroke of the pen he would
have brought order out of chaos and the
reign of Justice and law out of a
condition of violence and anarchy. In any
where from five minutes to half an hour he
would have decided all the questions arising
ont of the rival claims of Chamberlain and
Hampton in South Carolina and Packard and
Nichols in Louisiana, established peace and
order and harmonious relations between the
two races throughout the SOuth-in short,
Strengthened out completely the whole snarl OF
politics from the tanglc of corruption, bull
DOING military rule, caTpet-baggery, and
scalawaggery into which it has fallen.
1t seems a pity that the able editor has not
had the opportunity TO accomplish all this, for
we know he could have done 1t by the way he
talks about it. Not being III a position him.
self, however to settle the Southern and in
deed all other questions upon the basis of
truth and justice, and to the entire satisfac-
ton of all mankind, he does the next
best thing; he informs the President how
it can be done, and tells the people that
it must be done at once or ruin i'm
peads. In this view of it the able editor
and the leading statesman unite. OF course
the people at large can do nothing but assent.
And so, as we learn from various sources,
there is universal dissatisfaction at the mex
cusable delay of the President. The press
and the people of this country are remarkable
for their patience and sweet reasOnableness.
They did not ask that President Hayes should
compose the Southern difficulty before he took
the oath of Office, or even before he left the
platform when he delivered his inaugural adj
dress. They were willing he should take
ample time for full consideration of the
subject in all its phases. They did not expect
him to act in the matter until, say, after din
ner that day, and there was no disposition to
hurry him from the table We are a patient
people We mean 10 give our public servants
plenty of time, but we brock no trifiing and
tolerate no useless delay. 1t begins to be sus-
pected that the President wants too much
time. The public gave him good two hours
without complaining. After that, was it
strange the inquiry should be made,
with a tinge of querulOusneSs in il,
:" For goodness sake, how much time does the
Imam want?" Boy" said Western tray
eler to dingy youth imperfectly apparcled,
.'where's your shirt ~ Mothers washing it,"
was the answer. Haven't yOu got but one
- shirt ~ asked the traveller. Look here"
said the boy, in tone of sconful rebnhc for
so absurd a question, do you expect boys
"a-going TO have n thousand shirtsG President
HAYES must be made to understand that
though the public is patient, there's il limit TO
its patience as there was 10 the boys wardrobe
We repeat that the reasonable expectation
of the public regarding the lying down to-
ccthcr Of the lion and the lamb must not be
thwarted or further postponed. great many
philosophic persons have given themselves
reason TO believe that Immediately after the
Inauguration Of President Hayes that show