Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-12-09
COLs BOB INGERSOLL
Interviewed ON the Political
Situation.
His Views OF the Present Admin
istratiOn and the Outlook.
Special to the Cincinnati Commercial.

Special to the Cincinnati Commercial.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Affecting Col.
Robert Ingersoll; styled by Bescher
the greatest American orator, your
correspondent asked him q few Ques-
tons touching public matters.
"WhO, Mr.. Ingersoll, will Garfield
probably call to his cabinet 2"
81 sincerely regret that I can not
answer this question. If I were in
Garfield's placeI know one thing, and
that is that 1 would have only good
republicans and good friends. A
president has the right to select his
friends, and there can be no good
reason for choosing enemies. A press
ident ought to be perfectly free with
his cabinet. There should be no Sc
crets between heads of departments;
all should have confidence in each.
The president is held responsible for
his administration, and for that reason
he'should be left free to select his ad-
visers. I believe that General Garfield
| will take into consideration the best
interests of the republican party-and
by that mean the best interests of
the cOuntry-and with that considera>
| ton In his mind he will select his
| cabinet.
ut never seemed good manners to
me to try and force cabinet upon q
president. He should be left perfectly
| free to select his associates for four
years."
twill he give us a stslwa:t adminis-
| tration 2" --t
IF by 'stalwart' you mean a repub
lican administration, then say yes.
My opinion is that the experiment
tried by the present administration
has been a most pitiable failure, as all
compromises at the expense of prin-
ciple must be. The people in the last
election said what policy they wished
| to have carried out, and the successful
candidate has no right to adopt some
other course. No honest man ever
| thwarted the will of the people who
gave him power. The president is
simply the agent of the people, and he
must be true to his principles. He
has no right to pursue the policy oil
the minority, and can not do so with
out being false to the principle upon
which the government is founded A
president with policy of his own,
contrary to the expressed will OF the
men who elected him, is simply 6
usulper, who depends upon the brib-
cry Of patronage for official respecta-
bility."
DO you regard the present admin,
istration as having strengthened the
republican party %
IT do not. On the contrary, I think
that if only good republicans mad been
appointed to office in the southern
states we should have saved North
Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and
Tennessee, and great many congress
sional districts in other states. The
policy of appointing democrats t.
Office In southern states was an admis
sion that the country ought to have
had a democrat for president. was
greatly in favor of liberal policy to-
wards the south. was glad to see the
solve branch extended, and to thai
extent stood by the administration
but when Packard was deserted
knew that the party in the south had
been abandoned. If Packard was nC1
elected, Hayes was defeated. From
the moment that Louisiana and South
Carolina were given away, the repub'
Iicans knew that the administration
could not be depended upon. They
also knew that most members of til,
cabinet were good republicans and
would do all they could to counterac
the effect of executive mistakes, AMI
that under such circumstances it wa
better to keep from an open conflict.
"The last four years has been 'fisl
of truce The president was not quite
out of the republican and not quite
into the democratic party. and so hs
was depended upon by neither. IL
lost caste with the democrats by tn,
bills he vetoed, and with the republi.
cans by the appointments he made
He appointed democrats in the south
and republicans in the north: rh'
democrats were disguised with his
policy in the north, and the republi'
cans with his policy in the south. HI
has succeeded In displeasing both sec
tions and both parties and himself
During the campaign he was no