Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-20
DIR. G4RFIELD,s OPPORTUNITY.

OiC DCSullil
DIR. GIRFTELD'S OPPORTUNITY.
There is no doubt but James A Garfield
will be inaugurated President of the
United States for four years to come, on
the 4th of next March. He will certainly
have the support of one, and perhaps of
both, houses of Congress, and will enter
upon the duties of his office under far
more favorable auspices than did his pre-
decessor. The people recognize the fact
that he has been fairly elected they know
that Hayes had no legal or moral title to
the position. Hayes was condemned by
men of all parties, because of the fact
that he was party in interest to the
greatest fraud ever perpetrated upon a
free people Garfield has made himself
respected by his great abilities, despite a
few ugly scars on his reputation, and will
begin his administration with the best
wishes of the whole country.
AS Democrats have as great an inter-
est in the welfare of the country as Re-
publicans, they are entitled to be heard
on questions of public policy, even though
they may not receive any OF the emolu-
ments of public office. While they
would have preferred a man of their own
political views in the executive office,
they do not desire to see an inefficient
administration, simply because it is in
the hands of the Republicans. Demo-
Gratis would suffer as seriously from blum
ders made as Republicans, and it is there
fore to their interest that for the next four
years we should have a wise, careful and
economical government
1 In the construction of his cabinet, the
members of which must be his intimate
constitutional advisors, it is to be hoped
that President Garfield will show wise
discretion. He should avoid the blum
ders made by Grant on his first
introduction into office, and appoint men
who are not incapable nobodies. He
should also avoid the mistake of Hayes
and appoint men who are something be-
ides mere machine politicians. A judi
cious, practical fnancier should be given
charge of the portfolio of the treasury
a man who is not so wrapt up in single
idea as to refuse the counsel that eXpe-
rience gives. The war department should
be placed in care of practical soldier
who has had experience in the field and
understands the wants of the army. The
retired list of the army contains the names
of many such, but if none of these are
available, the active list can be drawn up
on. The navy, the interior department.
and the postOffice department should also
be placed in charge of men who have a
practical knowledge of the details of each
SO that the public may be assured
of an intelligent administration of the
duties of the departments. For secretary of
state man should be chosen possessing
broad views of OF craftsmanship, and one
who is not afraid to assert and maintain
the dignity of American citizenship
against the most powerful nation on the
globe-a man of such attachments as
Caleb Cushing or Charles Sumner. The
American nation must be respected in
every part of the world, and the coward
ly foreign policy of the past twelve years
abandoned.
1t should be President Garfeld's first
duty to make clean sweep of the officials
appointed by Mr.. Hayes as a reward for
the part they took in concentrating the
great electoral fraud of 1876. Not one of
them should be allowed to remain to call
to remembrance that iniquity. From
Sherman down they should be remorse-
lessly excluded from any voice in the
management of affairs. They have long
been a stencil in the nostrils of the public,
and the republic has been
scandalized both at home and abroad by
their prominence in all affairs of general
concern. BY retiring every one of them,
Garfield will inspire the confidence of the
public in the honesty of his intentions
and his desire to give the country good,
capable administration
Mr. Garfield has an opportunity to &C
complish much good. His best friends
of all parties trust that he will take adj
vantage of the situation and work such
reforms in the civil service as the emer-
gency demands He can do what Mr.
Hayes started out to do but neglected.
divorce the civil service from politics
and if he acts wisely he will make for
himself a name that shall be as lasting as
the fame of the American republic.
THE navy is to have training feet. \
fleet way of disposing of the appropria-
tons made from year to year.