The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-10-10
PRESIDENT HAYES


Circus, and now we are disposed tc
let all that pass and to speak Of the
man and his administration serious
". We cannet, however, let the &C.
CASTOR pass without condemning and
eondemning; emphatically these Pres.
idential shows.-this habit that our
Chief Magistrates seem to be fall
ing into OF late years of taking them
selves around the country to be
feasted, and wined and whiskied and
battered by the people and especial
~ by the office-seekers OF the cities
and towns of the Union The Presi-
dent Of the United States ought to
be a man OF dignity. He represents
the power and the manly honor of
the people OF this great nation,
and his department and acts should
be such as to command the respect
of all men. The President should
not be a jumping jack, exhibiting
his antics aud cracking his jokes
before crowds at railroad stations
and other public places. 1t is un-
worthy of the high Office he holds
and is calculated to bring the posi-
ton into contempt. However, Mr.
Hayes motives in his recent trip
Northwest and South are doubtless
good, and we do not condemn him
any more than we do some Of his
predecessors who have taken the
same kind OF electioneering tours.
II is the practice we are condemning
now and not the man.
So far, during Mr.. Hayes career
as President OF the United States,
he has acted wonderfully well. He
has been the President Of the whole
people and not of party or a Sec
ton. He las taken the heavy foot
Of arbitrary power and military OPP
preston from the Southern States
and made peace throughout the
borders of the whole country. He
has furled the banner Of Hate and
has proclaimed that the people OF
all sections of this Union are equal.
He has refused to make further war
upon the people of the South; he has
sent his armies away from our
State Houses and Court Houses and
has told the people OF Louisiana and
South Carolina that they are as
free and as independent, in every
sense, as those of Massachusetts or
Ohio. For these patriotic acts MIR.
HAYES deserves and should receive
the thanks Of all good men OF all
parties.
In this world men deserve credit
and should be henored for doing
their duty. There are SO many
temptations to do wrong Personal
ambition is SO hard to subordinate
to public duty that the man who pos.
sesses the sense, the moral frmness
and the patriotism to resist them all
and to impartially do his whole duty.
is in fact o hero and should be res
pected and honored as such. This,
we think, hes been the course OF
Dir. Hayes thus far in his career as
President of the United States. He
has tried to do his DUTY without
favor or affection to any particular
section. He seems to have taken
the Constitution for his guide and
has respect for his oath to "see that
the laws are executed" For all
these things We are disposed to COM
mend and to thank him. The old
idea-that promulgated by Washing
ton, jefferson and others OF the
fathers OF the Republicans that the
people OF each separate State had a
Constitutional right to manage their
own internal affairs uninterrupted by
the Federal Government, and that
the army had nothing to do with the
Government or States. Gen. Grant
did not so understand the Constitu.
tion and so he ordered his Generals
10 dispense State Legislatures and
to take forcible possession OF State
Houses and court rooms. The first
aet,of Dir. Hayes was to countermand
all these tyrannical orders Of Gen.
Grant and TO declare the principle of
local self-government to be in force
in the South as well as in the North.
Tn a word Mr.. Hayes made peace in
the country. He recognized the
fact that the war had been over for
twelve years. and withdrew his sol
diers from watching the Southern
people. He refused to believe the
ISLANDERS which had been heaped up
on this people by the Northern par
tisan press and the sel6sh Radical
speakers and told the ex-Rebels Of
the country Il believe you surren-
dered in good faith. ] believe you
are men Of honor and will stand up
to what you have promised. / will
trust, you as American citizens and
men or truth This was enough,
and it brought peace to our troubled
country instantly.
And now, however much we may
condemn the manner in which he
attained the Presidency; however