Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-07-11
EXECUTIVE MANSION,

Ihe following circular has been
issued by President Hayes:
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WAsHrsGroN, June %, 1877.
SIR desire to call your attention to the
following paragraph in a letter addressed by
me to the Secretary OF the Treasury, on the
conduct TO be observed b. the officers OF
the General Government in relation to elec-
tions 90 No officer should he required or
permitted to take part in the management
Of political organizations, canvssses, con.
ventions, or election campaigns" Their
right to vote and express their views on
public questions, either orally OF through
The press, is not denied, provided 1t does
not interfere with their official duties. No
assessments fer political purposes on officers
or subordinates should be allowed. This
rule is applicable to every department of
the civil service. IL should be understood
by every officer OF the General Government
that he is expected to conform his condnct
TO its requirements. Veiy respectfully,
K. B. HAYES.
The principle advocated in the
circular is in perfect accord with the
principle that underlies the Southern
policy of President Hayes, and he
who has been laboring under the be-
lief that the President has been feel
ing about in the dark for something
not defnable, had better pin his faith
to some other belief, for it is he who
is in the dark.
The perfect harmony that exists
between the principle that underlies
the Presidents Southern policy and
the principle as advanced in the above
circular, demonstrates, to certainty,
that the Presidents policy is not a
sectional, hap-hazard policy, but a
broad policy that embraces the whole
people of this country.
1t is the same doctrine that he de
clared to the people of the South
when he told them that the politics
of the respective States, and coun-
ties, towns, and townships of States,
should be free from General Govern
ment influence; that the officers of
the General Government had no right
to interfere in matters of politics in
way that creates the impression
that they are acting as the agents of
governmental such way that the
office-holder becomes the ruling
power, instead of the people, and
so hold the expression of the peo
pie in check by packed conventions
so that an honest expression of the
people is rarely expressed through the
reports and resolutions Of conven-
tions.
In the Southern case the President
takes the position that the military
shall not be used so as to extend
any pet schemes of the Administra-
ton, for it has no pet schemes, but
that the military shall be used for its
regular purpose, that of maintaining
peace and good order, and stability
of government
In the Civil Service case, to which
the circular relates, the principle is
The same as applied to the South,
namely, that the Office e-holders shall
not be used SO as to prosecute any
pet schemes of the Administration,
for i. has no schemes outside of good
government. Under the circular the
cfIce holders are not to be machine
in the hands of government for po-
litical purposes, but the office-holders
are to be machine in the hands of
government to give good government
to the whole people.
Certain people have been loud in their
disapproval of the order. They declare
that its enforcement will destroy the
organization OF the hepuollcan party.
Such declaration as that Is about the
same thing as to declare tina: the Re-
publican party is its Office holders, and
that declaration is about as true as the
declaration that the Pope of Rome can
send a man to Plory or misery in the
future world, just as he pleases. The
first is political he-esy, and the sec
end is a religious heresy.
Instead of destroying the organiza
tion it will have the tendency TO
strengthen it with the people, for they
know it means that they are to be free
from packing processes of the office
holders, and that if an Office holder does
not behave himself properly, they can