The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-01-21
TUESDAY MORNING, JANUARY 81.
ty to advise him Is vested and that was Andrew
Jackson, and his fight was for honest money,

ty to advise him Is vested and that was Andrew
jackson, and his fight was for honest money,
which always has aud always will win in the
end. johnson attempted it and was muzzled
very speedily and had narrow escape from
deposition. The Senators represent sovereign
States. They have constitutional rights aid
functions that they are bound to maintain and
exercise. They cannot surrender them without
betraying their constituents. To suppose that
they will advise and consent under the spar of
Executive dictation to removals that were
made 10 contempt of their authority and in
spite of their dissent, is to imply that they have
no adequate sense Of their responsibilities AMI
no just conception Of the consideration due to
their rank.
The points involved relate to the very struct-
ure of Government. Whether the powers of
the Chief Magistrate shall be absolute or SUBJ
ject to carefully defined limitations is topic
worthy Of elaborate discussion. If the Pres-
dent Is to be permitted to select his own indi
vidual friends and adherents as the sole recipi
ents of Federal patronage, the station he holds
will shortly degenerate into a mere personal
perquisite. have no idea that any President
ever strengthened his political standing by the
use of patronage. Those who have employed
this instrumentality most unscrupulousy have
derived the least return of political capital
from it, But the practice is in itself reprehen-
sib!e 1t tends to lower the grade of official
character, to make Office holders subservient
and mean spirited, to establish reign of terror
among the servants of the Government, and
make them feel as if they were dependent for
their livelihood upon the caprice of the Chief
Magistrate of the nation, instead of upon the
fidelity and sbility with which they discharge
their duties.
There are reasons enough without taking
the trouble to institute q comparison between
the actual and ad interim officers, why the
former should be restored to their places. But
besides being wrong in forcing an issue with the
Senate, the President is exceedingly unfortu-
nate in tie men he has chosen to illustrate his
ideas about a reformatio of the revenue sell
vice. He proposes to assign the Collectorshp
of the Port to q nonresident, man unframed
in business, professional politician, a chronic
Office holder or Office seeker, and one who does
not in ans particular equal in fitness the gentle.
man whom he has temporarily displaced.
None of his appointments are good enough to
palliate the error of undertaking to make pro.
vision for his supporters Perhaps he did the
best he could, under the circumstances. 1t is
not an easy matter to find persons of the cali
bre required to consulate eligibility to posts of
this grade who will consent to have their ma mes
dragged into such q contest The change when
it was made had all the appearance of having
been petulantly done. 1t was intended, I'M
doub.edly. to influence the Senatorial election
in this State. The administration opposed
Conkling up to the hour of the meeting of the
Republican State Convention, and then Cd
making the discovery that it could not muster
forces enough to make a show, abandoned the
attempt and left the party to carry the cleo
tion withouta venturlng on a bolt. If there
had been any sincerity in their scquiescence in
the inevitable we. should hardly be witnessing
now 30 earnest an effort to thwart the popular
will as the administration is making by trying
to secure votes for the confirmation of its
nominees.
The Treasury Department endeayors to &C.
fend its position by preferring a series of
charges against the suspended officials. But
we have already heard all the allegations
that could be adduced to show any dereliction
on their part 1t is urged for example that the
Collector is not an early riser, and does not get
to his office in very good season. Perhaps he
would answer the complaint after the fashion
OF Charles Lamb when arraigned by the Direc-
tors of the East India House for like offense
and say that he made amends for it by going
home early in the afternoon. But the truth is
that it is not the number of hours man de
votes to his duties that constitutes the test of
his efficiency, but the experiences with which
he performs them. Gen. Arthur has happy
faculty OF despatching business which relieved
him Of the necessity of that minute ate
to details that LEES astute person would be
compelled to give. A. T. Stewart, although
ct the head of the largest commercial establish.
ment in the United States, never appeared to be
hurried or Hurried There was SO much sys-
tenn about every department of his extensive
concern that he regulated affairs with the skin
of an enchanter. This is the highest standard
Of executive ability. 1t has been suggested
that the revenues are more closely collected
under the new than they were under the for
mer head of the Custom House. This is proba-
bly, true. The government has contrived of
late to squeeze an occasional six.pence out of q
defenceless passenger on q European steam
ship by methods Of espionage that are revolt
ing to the spiritof free people. 1t has taken
money out of the pockets of importers by prac.
tees that have an offensive SAVIOR of brgandsge.
A disposition has been shown to Cypress mer-
chants that is neither defensible on the prin ci-
pies OF abstract justice or sound policy 1t is
not wise to treat the largest contributors to the
national exchequer as if they were presumably
guilty of intent to defraud, and the way in
which the administration of the Custom House
is conducted to-day is the strongest argument
that could possibly be presented in favor of re-
storing the officers who were so capriciously de-
posed. YARMOUTH