National Republican., 1881-06-10
THE PRESIDENT.
VIEWS OF A BOSTON INDEPENDENT.
An IncisiYe Estimate of the Administration-Its
Low Tone as Shown by Small Efforts
at Building a Party on Gov
ernment Patronage.

| gerated he has abundant reason for anxiety.
| Coming to his position under circumstances that
| gave him every advantage over his predecessor
he has succeeded, during the first three months of
his term, in embroiing his party in conflict that
| makes the policy of President Hayes seem by con-
trast, that of a peacemaker. And General Garfield
is right in feeling that, whatever may be thought
of Mr.. Conklings course, he himself will be held
responsible, as the official head of the party, for
any disruption that might have been avoided.
The conflict which he precipitated was not neces-
sary Judge Robertson need not have been nomi-
mated.
HEHAD NOT ASKED
for the collectorship, nor for any other Office.
There were three years and ten months coming in
which the men who made Garield's nomination
possible" could have been suitably rewarded-if
their independence did not bring its own reward.
The President had an undoubted right to nominate
new collector, and to have the nomination fairly
treated by the Senate. So has a man right to
thrust his hand into hornets nest, but he doesn't
commonly assert his prerogative in that direction
more than once! The plain fact is that the Presi-
dent has blundered, and blundered badly. We have
no doubtthat hesees and regretsit. Some weeks ago
we remarked that there were twom men in Washing
ton who were not deceived as to the nature of
their victory nor blinded as to
THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WORK
before them. The President and his Premier, we
observed, were not planning to so down to history
as administrative leaders who succeeded in cap
turing one of their own custom houses. The OBJ
iectve point of the Presidents campaign is to Sc
cure such hold upon public confidence, and such
united regard from his party as shall stamp his
administration with the seal of success and make
his reelection possible. That he is I" troubled in
mind proves that he realizes now, if he did not
then, that he has won a skirmish not battle
from his own partisanS, not from his opponents
and that hopeleSsly divided party, in the great
pivotal State that swung the Presidency into his
hands, is not such proof of skiful leadership as
holds the promise and potency of final success.
The best comment upon such victory" IS the
prevalent feeling that the party is in danger
OF NOT SURVIVING IT.
And this brings up for consideration General
Garfelds equipment as party leader-for this our
Presidents are expected TO become. The greater
part of the Presidents term is before him. In state
craft, everything remains TO be DONE He has not
begun to define his policy, or to apply the princi
pies which should govern his administration, ifit
is to be anything more than dispensation of
offices. Even in politics the work before the
President is more difficult than when he sent his
first nomination to the Senate. What is the likeli
hood of his success in the higher fields ofcort? He
has failed to consolidate his party by using the
Offices as incentives and rewards. Can he unite it
upon q broad policy involving principles and
measures for the public good? 1t seems to us that,
thus far General Garfeld's course has confirmed
the doubts expressed to his possession of the at
tributes of an executive leader. The difficulties
that confronted him were nothing compared
with those met and
CONQUERED BY GAMBETTA,
or that Gladstone has had to contend with. Is it
conceivable that the official head of the French
Republicans would permit his party to be
disrupted by petty squabble a cOllectorship.
or that the English Premier would allow his gov
ernment to be wrecked by the disagreement of
two of its chiefs? really great party leader is
capable of taking all his forces along with him.
He will advance his principles by polite means,
without sacrificing the one or being compromised
by the other. Positions that he cannot carry with
out too great loss by direct assault he will avoid.
The practice of fanking is part of the science of
politics us of war. In these ways Abraham Lincoln
was a sagacious politician and true leader. He
was never without party at his back and states
meni his council The qualities that made Gen.
eral Garfield strong and popular in the House, and
that would have given him the highest rank as a
Senator, do not
SERVE HIM EQUALLY WELL
in the White House In his congressional career
he shared divided responsibility. The quickness
of perception, knowledge of human nature swift
mastery of details, and the genius for prompt and
intuitively right decision which are required i'll
an executive officer cannot be improviSed to meet
a new emergency. AS a legislative leader Gen
eral Garfeld's wide and. exact knowledge, his
power of terse and eloquent statement, his
geniality and conscientiousness gave him a high
position. But in the Executive chair different
qualities are required The President has seemed
to lack from the first that grip on men and
affairs, that elearness and resolutenesS of purpose,
that power to dominate with his ideas and the
force of his personality which characterizes the
leader who is born and then made. Since the
days ofZachary Taylor we have not had a Cabi-
net that was so much like
GO-As-YoU-PLEAsE MATCH
in administration The Senate sustained the
President less because his course was approved |
for it was no-than for the credit and prestige of
the new administration from which so much had
been expected. The members hoped for more
from the President than they feared from Mr..
Conkling Instead of consolidating his party lie
has divided it. The Independents are justly dis
trustful and dissatisfied at the use he has made of
the public offices personal perquisites or par
tisan patronage. The Grant Conklng Stalwarts
are incensed at the alleged supremacy of Mr..
Blaine in the administration. And the failure to
build success upon men
HAS NOT BEEN OFFSET
by any positive achievements of leadership in re-
gard to measures. The Chicago platform is as
dead as the Aztec inscriptions so far any appi-
cation Of its alleged principles" to the course of
government is concerned. The new questions of
highest moment which, in his inaugural, the
President said beckon us forward, have sum-
moned him in vain. He has remained behind to
parcel out the patronage and fight for his "pre-
rogative." There is just one way in which General
Garfield lacking the fOrcefu qualities essential to
personal leadership, put himself to the front
If he cannot lead the party he be the head of
the Nation. In place of the government by pat
ronage, which has brought discord to his party
and trouble to his mind, let him institute the
dictatorship of patriotism by which striking
phrase Disraeli eharacterizes the government of
the Duke of Wellington. Such rule is peculiarly
fitted to Government of the people, by and for
the people VIII President Garfield institute it?-
Boston Herald.
When Grant Couldn't Walk a Plank.
In clearing away the rubbish of the
Union Hotel at Arcata, Cal, Jake Richert the land
lord, found package of papers in which was the