New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-02
THE PENALTY OF SUCCESS.


GENERAL GARFIELDS ANNOYANCES.
THE PRRsIDENT-ELECT SPEAKS FEHLINGLY OF TUE
ToRTUREs INFLICTED BY HE HORDE OF OFFICE
sFEKERs--No CONCLUSION REACHED ABOUT HIS
CABINET.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBCNE.l
WASHINGTON, Jan. IAN intimate personal friend
of General Garfield in this city. who recently spent
several days at Mentor with the PTesdent-elect,
said. in conversation with TRIBUNE correspondent
to-day that he knew nothing about appointments
in the Cabinet, and that he did not believe tnat
General Garfield had yet arrived at any conclusion
in his own mind even as to any single Cabinet
officer and, therefore, that he of course, did not be-
lieve that an appointment had been rendered to any
One The gentleman related the substance of con-
versatiOns between General Garfield and himself,
which show that the PresdenU-elect takes phllO-
sOphical view of his present situation and illustrate
the nature of some Of his reflections, well as in
dicate something of The pressure to which he is
already subjected by ofce-seekers General Garfield.
said the gentleman, has ALWAYS considered
himself fortunate in having large
number Of warm and devoted friends, but he never
had any true idea OF either their numbers or the
warmth of their friendship until lie was nominated
for the Presidency. Since his election they have
increased wonderfully in number andenthusasm.
"The only way in which can estimate the num-
Der of nv acunaintancesD sad General Garfield, sis
to group them. First, there is the ne0hb0rh0Od
group. | have always lived in the neighbOrhood
where was born, and for foriy-nine yeaIs my life
here has brought me a continually widening circle
Of acquantances, until can say with almost literal
truth that I personally know a majority of the
voters Of the XIXh Congressional District, and they
all, or nearly all, know me. Second. there Is the
school group. All those persons that have gone to
IL h.ty hont. unila fhOcp
whose acquaintance formed at teachers institutes,
educational conventions ETC., when was teacher.
and all whose acquaintance have made by corre-
spondence and otherwise during my public life-per
sons who are especially interested in education, and
who have sought my acquaintance or assistance on
account of my interest in the same subject Third,
there is the church group. The Disciple Church,
which from the very nature of its organization,
being new church as it is called-on account of
its oIgn in sort of protest against the creeds and
formulas OF other religious denOmnatons-has
tended to make the Campbellites what is called
cIannlsh. Membership in any new organization
naturally creates o strong bond of fellowship
and sympathy and this was especially the
case in the early organization of the Church
of Disciples. So from my connection with
that church many of its members in
all parts of the country have sought my acqnaint-
ance. They feel that they have peculiar claim upon
me, SUCH believe as no other President has ever
had made upon him for a similar reason.
Fourth, there Is the Army group-the 42d Ohio
Volunteers, Of when / was Colonel, and the two
brigades which commanded afterward. Then as
chef of staff 70 General Rosecrans was known by
sight to 100. 900 men, and personally known to
nearly all the officers n the Army of the Cumber-
land: and besides all these, Ofcoursc my connection
81, Ann mi
ces. Fifth, there is the political group All those
with whom have served in Congress during the
last seventeen wears, in which time there have been
about 9 OOO different members of the House of Rep
resentative. Besides these are the political ac-
quaintances made during political campaigns on
stumpng tours, and other acquaintanccsships which
grew out of the fact that during my rGblc service
IN Congress many hundreds of persons have ap-
peared before committees of which l have been
member. / already find that a percentage of
those groups will be disposed to take
advantage of their acquaintance with
me. whether it be intimate casual.
TO ask official favOrs, appointments. etc. Of course
many of them will be persons who wOuld be unfit or
unworthy recipients of the favors they seek, for
other reasons it will be impractcable to give them
what they ask shall be compelled to refuse them.
and thus shall cause them, we'll myself, great
pain"
81 sometimes think of Inyself," continued General
Garfield, "as a man going to prison. You have
heard the advice given to man who has been con-
yicted of crime. to go to prison and bear nantuiiy
the punishment for his offence, 10 obey all the rules
ot the prison, aud when his term expires to come
back hom, and live it down. | am gong to see il
1 eau obey all the rules of the Presidency, and then
Ione back home and live it down."
Speaking particularly of the tenacity and perth
nactv Of 0tlite-seeker5 and of the pain which some
OI them have already begun to inilIct upon hun,
Il E.,r old oil
foolish to be greatly annoyed by what seem to be
little things by the d0gged pertinacIty OF those
one terms small people, but 1t cannot be helped
sonctimes Some OF my recent experiences IN tins
regard remind e Of the story of the icbneumon and
the crocoie on the banA of the Nile.
Tho keeu cunring, cruel creature called the
ichnenmon WATCHES until II sees the crocodile
oulckIy down his throat, and WIN sharp teeth and
claws lays hold of tue very vtals OF the great croco
die which with all his strength, is utterly power
l;, 10 loosen the hold of his relentless little tor
mentor He rolls and writhes IN his strong agony
anu desperation aud at last dies. Imagine crOcO-
die with hundred OF a Thousand lchneumOns
down his throat, and yOu have picture OF the tor
ture that may be inflicted upon sensitive, sympa-
thrtic nature by the horde of Oftce-seekers which
attacks A new President, or any other man who has
patronage TO bestow at the incoming of a new Ad-
" President abors under a disadvantage that
the crocodile does not" added General GARFIELD.
The lcnneumOns that assaIl him do not wait until
he ia asleep, nor do they hunt sngy-they come
at all times and seasons and III squads or regiments
at u tlule."
AHOUSE S1RIChEN WITH DIPHTHERL1.