Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-12-06
The President and His Policy.
St. Paul Pioneer md Press.


The so-called change of heart of
President Hayes continues to be the
subject Of rather more discussion than
its intrinsic Importance seems to merit.
Especially exaggerated is the weight
which there is disposition to attach to
the renewal of friendly personal rela-
tions between him and Messrs Chan
dler and Don Cameron. The President
has no quarrel with these gentlemen,
nor with the class they represent.
They would have been as welcome at
the White House at any time for the
last two years as the present week.
That they have chosen to lay aside
their unreasonable antagonism to him,
induced, perhaps, by a better under
standing of the real motives of his con-
duct, cannot be supposed to have infu-
enced his conduct or to have altered his
position with reference to the party
which they rather gratuitously assume
to lead Messrs. Chandler and Cameron
can scarcely be permitted to assume
the position of having by their patriotic
exhortations brought back the President
from course of error to the true path
of Republicanism. President Hayes
was never more or less of Republican
than now If there is to be peace in
the party henceforth, it will be peace
he has never broken. The stalwarts
are the prodigals, not he. If they
choose to return, well; but they must
eat their own fatted calf in decent 81
lence, if not humility, and not expect
to change places and ostentatiously for
give him whom themselves deserted
and attacked. AS the President was
unjustly blamed for initiating distinct
political policy of his own, so he is now
mistakenly praised for abandoning it.
He has had no policy but to firmly ex-
ecute the laws and rigidly limit his acts
by their authority. He has no other
policy or purpose now. What the au-
thorized portion of the republican inter-
view declares is change of feeling
rather than of policy, is personal rather
than official. Indeed, he would be less
than human were he not stirred with a
generous Indignation at the treacherOus
return made to the confidence shown
the southern leaders by him, and the
wanton fashion in which their pledges
to secure fair and free ballot in their
States were violated in the late election.
But whatever the warmth of his out
ragged personal feelings, he will make
no change in the course adopted two
years ago, not in obedience to spasm
of fraternal sentiment, but in conso-
nance with his duty as administrator of
the laws. That course, stripped of all
confusing sentimentalism and reduced
to bare official action is simply this
He abandoned the use of military force
in the government of the southern
States. This he did in obedience to
law and his sworn duty, and nobody
pretends that he will do differently
now. What he will do is to use the
civil power lawfully his for the reprcs-
sion and punishment of offenses
against the ballot in the South or, if
necessary, in the North or elsewhere.
But this involves no change of policy,
no confession of failure, no abandon
ment of his own methods for those of
the stalwarts. The orders sent to the U.
S. marshals to prosecute offenders
against the election laws in the South
are very different thing from the or
ders which Don Cameron was accustom-
ed to issue to military officers to Occu-
Ply state houses and polling places. If
the President has policy it is simply
this: the honest and faithful execution
of the law and a religious care not to
exceed it's authority. This policy he
has perslstentlv pursued throughout
his administration. He is pursuing it
now, in taking steps to punish viola
tions of the law in the South He
doesn't need any tutoring from Zach.
Chandler and Don Cameron to teach
him his duty in the matter, neither
does the performance of his plain duty,
upon his own motion, in accordance with
the uniform habit of his administration,
justify these gentlemen and other stall.
warts in getting up red fire tableau of
reconciliation to celebrate his return to
a party he never left, but which they
have done their best to split by fac
tious opposition to the performance
of his conscientious duty.