Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-03-11
The Gardcid Cabinet.

orc g"ol word, q. least, 10 to lie sail
for -" Cabin epecuiltiOus that make
go large r"tt Of cU-rent news y spnr
news. III that lacy call attention t. tie
views of IL iny puOlic maa aud politi
GUNS IS to what the incoming presidan {
ought to 30, "a we'll Il. to what he NAV
hc expected to DO. Thus we are able 70
q. some .!ca ri the prevalent opirion
reea tdlng p~ii'ical obligation. How
far !. man i. hurud to the various sup
pertcrs by whose combined aid he az
t-inei otli:o forms one Of thepromilent
ana important questions of our politics
tod y. In treating the subject we
crrsl4er political obligation before
nlvIsi obligation. not because it ought
to /" there, lat because that is where
the politicians pat it. An:, indeed, they
generally stop with that. A man s
pciit.csl obligations they propose to
have him look af.er, since these affect
tDeru; for the rest he car do as he
plgaeu~, since that affects himself.
lDey will draw no lines AMI limits of
MORAL character, but Of political kind
.ircy Will draw very distinct ones about
him, with terrible warnings if he walk
got straitly therein.
More than forty years ago M. Guizot,
expecting at any moment to be called on
to form Ministry for agitated France,
wrote privately: II consider political
fidelity to be one of the first necessities
Of parliamentary government, and l
will never betray it. also hold that,
when you have obtained strength by the
support of certain people, they ought,
III turn, to derive some advantage from
their alliance with you. But !! can ap-
prcciate the difference of circumstances,
and what they will or will not allow with
regard to new combinations" That
there is truth and prop-iety in such a
view 10 one will doubt. The great
point is to coptine this within the
bounds OF right and honesty, to stop
short of political trickery, and to main
tain the moral obligation as ever supe-
rior to the political, at whatever sacri-
fee OF supporters or party, of personal
popularity or political prospects. The
doctrine Of paramount political obliga-
ton is the thing to be stamped as an
evil and q dangerous one.
There is lesson, therefore, in all
this speculation. We read over and
over that the President-elec must rec
ognize Senator This or Senator That in
the composition of his Cabinet; that he
must somehow manage to give both the
best place, or lose their support and
suffer embarrassment through their hos
tility; that he must not recognize Sena.
tor The other because he is not favored
by the two former any more than they
favor each other. The reports are all
based ON what the new President must
do because of political obligation pure
ly, without regard to his own will or
wishes in the matter. This kind of OBJ.
legation is not so much political as it is
personals still lower plane on which
to biuld "Tbou must" There is no
pretense in all this of regard for the in
terests and welfare of the whole coun.
try. There is nowhere any recognition
that there has been laid ON General Gar
fields shoulders great moral RESPONSE
bility to rule wisely and we'll for q
whole people. and to call around him as
councillors the men most fit and able
to assist him in 80 ruling, without ask.
Jig to what party or place they belong.
or to whom of his political supporters
in the campaign they are or are not &C.
equitable. II New York Examiner.