Daily Republican., 1881-08-19
FRIDAY. AUGUST 10, lssl.
Give the president a Char""

Give the President n ChaP
Some of the papers in the country
seem to be in great haste for Vice Presl-
dent Arthur to step forward ana as
anne the office Of President, at least
until such time rs the President may
recover from his illness, if it does not
proye fatal. Generally the papers that
are clamoring for Vice President Ar
thur to take the reins Of government
into his own hands are the same that
have regretted that in case of the death
of the President the government would
fall into the hands 0, not only an IN
competent man but into the hands Of
an unscrupslous politician. These pa
pers are in too great hurry, and the
politicians who are engineering the
movement we are afraid have ulterior
objects in view. Give President Gar
field a chance He Is not a dead man
vet. nor is lie past recovery. He has
wonderful vital and recuperative pow
ers, and though for seven weeks he has
had, as it We're, a hand to hand fight
with death, he has not been conquered.
The country is not suffering for the
want of an active executive head.
Congress is not in session, nor won'C be
until December, and consequently there
will be no strain upon the President on
that account. 1t is true that there are
thousands of anxious patriots who want
Offices and who cannot get them until
the President, whose prerogative it is to
appoint them, is able to do so. But that
is no great drawback, nor does it pre-
sent any great pressing need. We ex
pect that some of these expectant and
anxious office-seekers are the persons
who are most anxious tLat Vice Presi
dent Arthur shall assume the Office
while the President is living, to which
h, would be entitled were he to die
Business is going on rs usual, the Ma
tional debt is being paid off, the finan-
cial exhibit was never better, the bal
ance of commerce with foreign Nations
is largely on our side; we are at peace
with all Nations of the world, and have
the sympathy Of every civilized ruler
Of a civilized people in our great Ma
tional grief. hat better would it be
if Vice President Arthur would as
sumo the Presidency? A few hungry
cormorants would possibly get an Office
without waiting for the recovery or
death Of the PRESIDENT ard that would
he about all.
We are not afraid that MIR. Arthur
would do anything that would cause the
slightest detection from the policy
that President Garfield laid down tor
his own government if he were to be-
come President. We are in perfect har-
mony with the New York Herald which
refers to Vice President Arthur in the
following complimentary manner:
If Mr.. Arthur should become Presi-
dent We believe he will make no change
in the administration; will make no
removals from office at large except for
carse; will attempt no change in the
nolicr or in the ,ersonel of the present
administration; for to do or attempt to
DO any OF these things would be to in
vite ruin upon bis own head. We be-
lleve he will quietly take UP the reins
as they fall from General Garfield S
hands. No doubt the present Cabinet
and probably some of the other impor-
tant officers of the government will Of
fer him their designations. This wouli
be proper course for them to pursue.
But we are equally certain that Mr..
Arthur will at once ask them to con.
tinue in office and it will be their high
est duty tc the country to d" so. II
Mr.. Garfield should, unhappily, die
there viii! be no extra session OF Con
gress; there will be no Cabinet changes;
tLcre will be no new policies attempted,
but the country will 20 on and the pub
lie business will 60 on just as before.
There will be no occasion tor alarm.
That is true. There is no occasion for
alarm whether Mr.. Arthur becomes
President or not. But there is no use
being in hurry yet. The President
has enough to contend with now with
out being troubled over the tenure of
his office. Let him alone in his strug.
gle for life and let him get well without
being ha~rassed and troubled Give
him every chance for his life.