New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-28
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SOMETHING ELSE TO DO.

SOMEIHING ELSE ~ Ill.,
The readers of certain newspapers which
devote two or three columns daily to gossip,
rumors and would-be-wise speculations about
appointments to Office under the new Admin
istration will have reason to rejoice wnen
President Garfield takes the cath of office and
announces his Cabinet. They will not be
wholly relieved, however, from their present
Affections. A great deal of idle guess
work can still be printed about the for
eign missions, custom offices and pest offices.
The papers which give up large portion Oh
their space to setting up Cabinets and pulling
them to pieces, without any foundation OF fact
to go upon beside the chat of politicians
will not easily be broken of bad habit.
The public is sick of reading for the
fiftieth time that this or that statesman
is or is not going to be appointed to this or
that Office but the newspapers which set out
to be enterprisng," and to know more than
the President-elect himself about his own in
teptlons, keep I'D the racket of assertions
denials, reports, rumors, interviews and WISE
acre editorial predictions with increasing zeal.
The result of it all is that their readers know
not one whit moro on the subject than they
did two months ago. General Garfield has
shown an admirable faculty for keeping his
own counsel, and while welcoming and asking
advice has wisely refrained from pouring his
IDEAS and intentions into the ears of the news
paper correspondents.
Does not this eagerness to invent news where
there is none, and to discuss Gd naSsedm the
supposed claims and chances of a few politl-
clans in connection with the Cabinet and
other official positions, proceed upon a
false estimate of the public MIND !
Do the people really care so much
about the way the Offices are to be filled when
they have confidence that they are to be well
filledf Of course they are interested to know
who are to be the Presidents constitutional
advisers and are to form what In England ID
called the Government; but are they burning
with impotence to such degree that they
cannot wait until the time comes for the Pres
ident to announce his Cabinet in proper and
official way 7 If there is any great anxiety
about this matter it is probably confined to a
few politicians who want Offices or want to con-
troll offices, and does not extend to the masses
of busy, intelligent men who expect no favors
or rewards from Washington.
If General Garfield reads all that is printed
III In6 IOIuD VI rpSOihA NAepeoShOo AAOA~
Me ntor, Cleveland, Washington and a
score of other plaees-whercveI in short
a man can be found who has seen
the new President or is going to see him-he
might, if he did not know better from wide
experience in public affairs, suppose the Amer
lean people looked upon him as dispenser OF
offices and nothing more. Fortunately he is
not likely to take such limited view of his
duties and opportunities. He knows that q
President can do great deal toward mould
ing the destinies of the country. He has
broad, clear well-matured opinions on all
questions of public policy. He is a vigorous
thinker and has that power of strong per-
sonality which gives weight and momentum
to ideas and impresses them on the minds of
other people, Those who imagine he is going
to the White House to devote his attention to
peddling out offices will find themselves greatly
mistaken. He will have something else to do
and will give far more thought, we venture
10 predict, to the problem of fair elections in
the South, the question of how to regain our
lost ocean commerce, the funding of the debt,
the development of our National domain in the
West, the suppression of polygamy, the in
terests of American labor, the education of
the illiterate classes, aud many other impOr-
tant matters of public concern. than to the
ambitions and rivalries Of place-seekers.
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