Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-09-13


The Interregnum.
Since the second Of July the ChieI
Magistrate Of the republic has hao
naught to do with. the supervision Of
affairs. The vast army Of office hooters.
to whom is committed the conduct OF
nubl;c business. have gone on attending
n their work. and their superiors. the
heads Of departments. by reason OF their
a,xis,v for and attendance upon the
President. have necessarily relaxed the
attention which they are won't to bestow
mon the conduct of business. There
has been a great deal Of talk and censure
of Cabinet government during the
Presidents protracted illness, when as 8
matter Of fact there has been strictly
little, if any, government at all. An
army in the field under analogous cir
eumstances would not be permitted to
be without head, no matter how able
its corps commanders, or however
thorough It's discipline.
The trainers Of the Constitution real
| lied the risk and embarrassment OF such
g state Of affairs as now exists and pro-
vided remedy. which is clearly set
forth. That It has not been applied is
due to the fact that President Garfield,
from whom It Is proper that its sugges
ton should proceed, has not been able
to appreciate the need Of it or has been
| dissuaded by the assurances Of his
advisers from urging its adoption.
True, his constitutional substitute
could very properly conclude for him
self, in view Of all the circumstances OF
the case, that the time had arrived for
the performance Of the extraordinary
duty entailed upon him by the organic
Law but thus far he has refrsined from
taking action in the premises No
doubt, the step has been urged upon
him by those who wish it taken for
other reasons than the public good, and
the stesdiness with which he has ap-
parently resisted their counsel is COM
mendable, considering the relations
which he sustained to them but a short
time ago.
The most hopeful Of the Presidents
attendants do not expect him to be able
70 be moved from his present residence
before the middle of next month, and
then Southern sea voyage IS talked Of.
Meanwhile, the gain made by the Presi-
dent is extremely slight, if he gains at
all, and an early recovery is as prob
lematical as It was weeks back. While
there are innumerable rumors of lines Of
action to be pursued in view Of the con
iinued illness of the Executive, there is
no intimation that the Vice President is
to he speedily invited to take control Of
affairs. As things are going, 1t appears
| to be settled that matters shall stand in
statu gts0 until the President is able to
comprehend fully what Is going on, or
until final chsnge for the worse shall
ensue, when nature would dispose of the
question.
It cannot be said that the public business
has suffered by reason Of the Presidents
inability. For aught the public knows
to the contrary. things have gone on with
their wonted regularity. The legions Of
| public employees 90 about their tasks
with their usual promptness, and so far
as is known their work is performed
with habltual dispatch. But however
easily things move in the departments it
must be admitted that public confidence,
although not visiDly shaken by the pre-
sent status of affairs, would be vastly
strengthened were the Executive Office
/ filed in the absence Of the President by
his legal substitute. a great ado is made
in some quarters over the so-styled diff
culties Of the situation arising, as is
claimed. from the doubtful length of the
Vice Presidents tenure of the Office.
| There is only one meaning to the Ian
Cuage Of the constitutional provision,
and that is that the Vice Presidents con
troll Of affairs shall cease on the Presi-
dents restoration to reasonable health Of
mind and body.
The present state of things shows to
the contemplatiye mind how small a
part the Executive, though vested with
a vast fund OF power, actually plays in
the conduct Of affairs. 1t shows, too,
that our government is a huge bureau
| cracy, and is a plea in behalf Of the cause
Of honesty and capacity in the civil ser
vice more eloquent and convincing than
al the arguments that have hitherto been
advanced Were It not that Congress will
shortly meet and enact laws that will call
for Executive sanction, things might 60
on as they are for year or more. All
this is flstteriDg as illustrating the-con-
fdenee of the people in the stability Of
the government 1t is dangerous, how
ever, be that confidence as great as it
msy.
1t may be that the importance Of the
Chief Magistrate IS largely a fiction, but
It is pleasing aud comforting delusiOn,
and the sooner the people are permitted
to indulge it again the better for the
welfare Of the republic.
A Political Warning.
The National Republican League Of