New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-08
UNHEEDED COUNSELS.


must bring sense Of relief to the newspaper
editors who have been in such a constant worry
ever since General Garfield was nominated lest
he might do something lndiscreeJ or rash, OF
fail to do something necessary to DO done,
thereby imperilling his chances CT success or
jeopardizing the public welfare. 1t has not
been their fault il in all this time he has done
anything unadvisedy or without being fully
informed by them AZ to his duty. 1t is little
remarkable that most of this sOcitude has been
manifested by newspapers Of the y)-ya order,
that, having no connection with any party, do
the snaring and fault finding for all. They
seem TO have set upon General Garfield with
one accord from the moment oil hB nomination
with n chorus of directions covering his conduct
before election and his action in selecting his
Cabinet afterward. And they we're as earnest
about il Us though they really believed that his
election in tie fist instance, and subsequently
the success of his Administration, depended
entirely apou his following implicitly their adj
vice. All the same he has gone straight on in
his own way, has been elected and has chosen
his Cabinet with what certainly seems to be the
public appreciation.
One of the frat outbursts of wise counsel fol-
that insisted day after day for considerable
time that he must come out at once with an ex-
I,lanation and defence of his conduct in certain
matters in which some of his blackEuard OppO-
nents charged that he had been personally dis
honest. 1t was said and continually repeated
that unless ne did this he had no chance what
ever of being elected. lie was advised, en-
treated and exhOIted to publish denial OF the
charges that he was corrupt and Venal, per-
iurer bribc-takcI and thief. But no sign ever
came from Mentor that he bad heard OF the
charges, OF was aware Of the tremendous i'm
poltance OF denial, or even that the bOsterOus
advice Of these counsellors had ever reached his
ears. lie acted, in fact, just rs though
he not only believed in his own honesty
bnt had confidence in tho people to whom,
for seventeen Yeas of public lite, his
record had been an open book. That clamor
ceased after while the blatant cOunsellOrs and
threatencrs saw that they had TO do with man
Who was not born yesterday, who was perfectly
self-poised not stranger to politics or political
contests and who didn't scare worth a cent III
the expressive slang of the street. they dried
up"
For the past three months the same people
have been dining away day after day advice
without end concerning the selection of his
Cabinet advisers. One would suppose from
their pounding that not merely the success OF
President Gariield's Administration but the
welfare of the country and possibly the hopes
of mankind depended upon the acceptance and
appointmcnt OF a Cabinet of their selection.
Hardly o day has passed that they have not
made n Cabinet, nor one in which they have
not shown that to appoint certain gentlemen
who we're supposed to be in the line Of promo
ton would be fatal to Republican harmony and
destructive of good government. The amount
of worry and mental strain these gentlemen
have gone through in the past three months is
something quite incaculable. We doubt IL
President Garfield himself has been half so much
exercised over the Cabinet appointments as any
one of these self-appOinted conservators All
their counsel and advice seem to have rolled OIL
from him like water of q duck. He may have
heard it all if be did he made no sign. When
the time came lac announced his Cabinet. And
though it contains names that some of the news
poper editors could not listen to a month ago
without thrill Of horror, it is apparently well
received by the public, rs 1t is certainly most
cordially approved by che Republican party.
We shall haveto confess after all that wisdom
would not die utterly il the newspapers that
show their superiority to everybody by differing
with everybody should cease publication.
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