Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-10-05
The Coming Administration.

The Coming Administration.
While it is likely that, had President
Garfield lived, much of the good feeling
that had grown up among the people
during his protracted suffering would
have survived, no political millennium
would have dawned, and though parti-
san debate and discussion might have
been relieved of some of their
harshness and grossness, things would
have gone on pretty much as usual.
There are some who fear that his sue
cessor will, under the influences to which
he has hitherto been subjected, renew
the animosities of the past and undo the
good that the brief administration of
General Garfield brought about
Barring the ominous indications that
may be drawn from the associations OF
President Arthur since his accession,
which were too intimate in the past to
be speedily lessened, one can see little IN
anything that the President has thus far
done OF said to warrant him in taking a
gloomy view of the future. President
Arthur has more than three years in
which to develop his policy. What it
will be we cannot tell, but few days
will enable one to judge of its general
drift. OF course his administration will
he Republican, and the chief problem
with him will be to satisfy the rival fac
tons of his party. His first and proba-
bly hardest task will be the choice of his
Cabinet. A mistake in its selection viii
be fatal to the harmony of the party.
Though the President stands commit
ted, by implication at least, to the pur-
suance of the policy Of his predecessor,
he will not scrup,e to depart from it, if
he deems it expedient, as, possibly, Gen.
Garfield himself might have done. Gar
field is dead, Arthur is living, and how
ever sincere may have been the formers
adherents in their devotion they will
pardon much to the spirit Of harmony.
The rocks ahead of the President are
Grant aud Conkling. Unless he cuts
loose from these men they will be reck-
oned the powers behind the throne. To
rid himself of them will require nerve
and patriotism of the highest order. If,
on the other hand, he adopts a servile
attitude toward them and ostentatiously
thrusts them into positions of promi-
nece, for which neither is fitted and after
both have been relegated to private life,
he will alarm conservative people and
disgust a great many quiet, sober mem
bers Of his own party. Until
the thing is done the talk of
Grants aud Conkling's elevation
must be largely discounted, and it is to
be hoped that President Arthur's good
sense will teach him that duty to his
country should cancel all obligations he
may be under to these two disturbers of
the public peace. We do not know that
there is any position of distinction for
which Grant is fitted, but if he must be
pensioned, there arc snug berths with
little work and good pay, where he might
pass the residue of his life in case. There
are positions in which Mr.. Conkling
could serve his country quite as well as
many others, but he is untitled for the
Cabinet.
But should President Arthur defy
public opinion and conclude to run
his administration after the approved
Grant pattern we think he would fail.
The public Treasury might suffer, but
the carnival of usurpation, Federal in
reference with State affairs, bayonet
rule and the grosser features of Grantism
can never be restored. The Republican
party has left all that behind, and the
Democrats are prepared to resist its
renewal.
The South as a section would have
nothing to fear from the worst that
President Arthur could do. AS a part
of the great republic she would deplore
an abuse of his trust obtained at such
cost, but her people would wait in the
assurance that time would set things
right.
President Arthur can make a splendid
or a wretched choice. He can be the
patriot and wise ruler, or the mere poll
tician and spologist Of the machine. We
shall not have to wait long for his de-
cisiOn.