Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-08-10
TO CANDiDATEs.-A Wednesday,
August 3Ist, II win be too late TO announce
the names Of candidates according TO our
party rules.
THE STA TIES AND THE PRES.
IDENT

The wisdom and strength vi our
Federal system have been tested dur
ing the month Of July which has just
passed away Not tested US it was
tested from 1861 to 1866, and during
the sectional war, but tested neverthc
less in new aud important way
During the whole Of the month OF July,
excepting only one working day, the
President has been unable to discharge
the duties and exercise the powers Of
his office. The public has not been
informed that, since the second day OF
July, any one Of the seven heads OF
departments has held any communica-
tion with the President respecting any
official business. His order or instruc.
tion has not been taken, so far as the
country has been told respecting any
Government transaction. Fora month
the Federal Government has been
without President "to take care that
the laws be faithfully executed and TO
commission all public officers And
yet government life, business life, SO.
cial life, having gone on in these United
States without any impedilnent or dis.
turbance. No one has been removed
from Office, and no one can have been
constitutionally commissioned to an
office within the last month, excepting
on its first day, or the early portion Of
the second. Why has an event which
has so strongly affected to the feelings
and sympathies Of men so little affected
their interests?
First, because SO little of the bust.
ness aud social life of the United States
is under the control and protection of
the Government at Washington, and
80 much Of it is under the control and
protection of the thirty-eight State
governments. And next, because the
sovereign powers which belong to the
Government at Washington have been
so accurately divided among three de-
partmcnts-theE Executive, Legislative
and Judicial-the last of which has not
been affected by the inability Of the
President. If Congress has been in
session no laws could have been enac.
ted during the last month, bat the
country needed no legislation. If dur
ing the whole month of July the heads
of the departments had all been strick.
en- down the public business could prob
ably have gone on oil the same in
charge of the acting Secretaries, ior
whom the law has provided, aided
by the heads of bureaus. The Presi
dent has been surrounded during his
illness by one or two officers who are
called "Priyate Secretaries" who are
officers of modern creation quite un,
known to tho Constitution, and tc
whom scarcely an iota of real power
has been given by law. They are mere,
ly subordinate manual agents and mes
sengers.
The real secret of the absence of any
political or business disturbance dur
ing the past month has been in the
fact that the Executive Department al
Washington has had so little to do thai
must be done concerning the politics
and business OF the country The
States are indestructible, and during
the last month the States have showr
that they have been and are sufficient
for the discharge Of the honors auC
duties devolved upon them.-MBfin
torn Register.