The New York herald., 1877-12-03


proves that he was not confident when he
made II ofthe success which has crowned his
skilful strategy. Had he not denied that
interview he would have reason to be proud
Of IL now, when all that II foreshadowed has
come TO pass.
The great victory which Mr.. Conkling has
won within the last two or three days dis
credits the administration even more than it
honors him. We cannot recollect that there
was ever before such egregious blunder-
ing on the part of President. The con-
trast between Mr.. Hayes lofty pre-
tensions and vacillating execution is
truly pitiable. Had he been con-
sistent with himself his policy would not
have been brought into such general con-
tempt His we'll known order forbidding
federal officers to take an active part in
politics was q bungling way to reach o
desirable reform, but his vacillating
attempts TO execute the order, followed
by an almost complete back down as soon
rs the elections began to grow interesting,
made tho whole thing ridiculous and con-
temptible. 1t Is too evident that the Presi-
dent has had bad advisers. We are dis
posed to acquit Mr.. Evarts of any respon-
sibility for misleading the President. Mr.
Evarts is too sound lawyer and too keen
an observer Of political tendencies
to have contributed to mislead the
President and bring him into his
present humiliating position. But GER
"a 4. Al. r. hoo al
blundered, either by his own impulses or
by the influence Of bad counsellors. He is
in fair way to be regarded as q weaker
President than Polk or ''poor Pierce" His
greatest defect is that he cannot see an inch
before his nose, and, as a natural conse-
expectations. We would fain hope that he
will not go on in the same kind OF
laundering and vacillation till the end Of
his term. We trust ho may gain wisdom
by experience. But If the first nine months
of his administration are sample of the
weakest, the most vacillating, the most un-
fortunate and unsuccessful President who,
up to his time, has ever held that important
Office.
Observers might be tempted to attribute
his extraordinary course to conscious de-
feet in his title to the Office. A prominent
public journal in this city has persistently
held him up to public odium as o Chief
Magistrate who owes his Office to fraud. 1t
looks too much as if he had been constantly
quailing under this charge. 1t is not easy
to account otherwise for his most extraor-
dinary course. But his title is good enough,
and as he must remain in Office until 1881,
we hope, in the public interest, that he will
learn wisdom in the school of experience,
and that the progress Of his administration
will be great deal better than its begin
ming.
Report Of the Secretary OF the Navy.
The Secretary of the Navy wants sixteen
and o quarter millions Of dollars for the Or
dinary and regular expenditures Of his
department and two million three hun
dred thousand for new buildings and re-
pairs. Eighteen and half millions would
not be great sum for the maintenance Of
an effective and useful navy; but the Secre-
tary wants this sum for navy that he
recognizes is neither useful nor ornamental,
but is a reproach to our government, and
would be reproach to government of far
inferior power that had any maritime
ambition or pretensions Eighteen ships
the names of which are given in the re-
port-are SO decayed that tho unfinished
ones are not worth completion and
those aAoat are not worth repairing.
II we reflect that this number con-
stitutes nearly one-third Of the ships Of
the navy we shall see that the Secretary
has good reason for his declaration that our
navy possesses at the present time less ag-
gressive force than it has possessed at any
time for a third Of o century, except only
the time during the war. An important
part of the Secretary's report is taken up
with the consideration of the policy by
which our government should be guided in
the support or construction Of navy. He
very justly contemns any expenditure for
heavy iron -clads, and regards our commercial
future as furnishing the main indication of
our naval policy. That we have at present,
and are likely to have in the future, no
other functions for navy to perform than
those that relate to the defence of our mer-
chant marine and the enforcement Of re-
spect for our colors in foreign seas, is truth
so plain as to be we'll nigh commonplace.
This, therefore, will tend to reconcile the
country with the condition of the navy; for
as we have only poor navy with which to
protect commerce we have only poor little
commerce to protect. But the fact that we
have no commerce is not due to the causes
recited in the Secretary's report.
A Redeem State.
No unprejudiced person can read Gov
ernor Hampton's Message to the South
Carolina Legislature without being i'm
4. A. a ~