New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-04
PRESIDENT GARFIELD.


General Garfield to-day becomes President
Garfield. The far flower of promise has had
its day. The time has come for the rich fruit
of performance. This morning a simple cit
izen, only one of fifty millions. before the sun
goes down James A. Garfield will begin to be
judged, in every part of the civilized world,
as the Chief Ruler of the most powerful and
most prosperous nation on the earth. He sits
at breakfast the equal in political rights and
legal power with the humblest adopted citizen
who has found on these shores n refuge from
| Old-WOrld oppression. At dinner he will sit
the equal in rank and honor. and more than
the equal in power, of the mighticst and
proudest monarch. For fifty millions of free
citizens will have clothed him with their power
| and sovereignty, and as their Head and Rep
resentative they expect HIM to speak and act
| for four years to come. So vast change, so
| tremendous a responsibility, might shake the
| footing of another man but General Garfield
has borne himself with such rare dignity, self
command, and calmness of judgment, ever
since his sudden nomination at Chicago that
men of both parties expect from him strong,
upright, and splendid Administrations
The test begins to-day. BY its fruit the
4
reticence, patient listening and careful inquiry
have served thus far, but to-day the new
| President must begin to act, and the world
will begin to judge what manner of President
| lie is and is to be. "The fierce light that
| beats upon throne or rather the immeas-
urably fcrcer blaze of public opinion and
public criticism in free cOuntry-will beat
upon Mr. Garfield and his associates. their
works and their words, from this time on
ward. No man living knows better than
| General Garfield the tremendous power of
public opinion, and no man living ought 70
know better than he that the country locks
| to him, not for scrvc following or fatcIy,
but for brave and wise leadership.
The country waits and hungcrs for a real
leader. Ii needs at the helm a man with
| power, who knows how TO use it for wise
| ends. A thin and formal performance of
official duties is not what the Nation wanted
| when it selected for the highest power one Of
| it's most vigorous, resolute and well-equipped
statesmen. 1t believed, and believes, that
there is in James A. Garfield a capacity for
something better than ready acquics-
cence with each feeting phase of
tickle public opinion. Because he
representative, to resist false currents of pop
ular feeling. and to appeal from the fears or
passions of the hour to the deep, underlying
and enduring convictions of the Nation, Cen
eral Garfield became in the best sense the
leader of the House. And when the people,
aroused by the revolutionary aggressiveness
| of q sectional party, and staggered by the
| new and difficult problems presented, chose
| a Republican President for the next four
years, they gave their trust to General Gar
| field because he had shown himself man of
! positive force as well as unfaltering fidelity !;
| a man of thought as well as action. The
country wanted not only the wise scholar. to
| discover the best solution of difficult Problems
| but something more. 1t wanted not only the
faithful and fearless guide, to point out the
path which should be taken, but something
more. 1t needed, at the head of affairs a
practical statesman, gifted with that faculty
of getting things done which is far more rare
than the faculty of finding out or pointing
out what ought to be done. The power of
influencing, combining and uniting men, of
getting dscOrdant elements to work together
for q common cause-that is the power which
makes the leaders of men. And it is that
power which the country hoped to find in
President Garfield.
1t Is possible for General Garfield to make
| a good President, and yet to fall far short of
| the public expectation. In truth, great deal
is demanded from this trained and able man.
whose mOdesty and power whose sclf-restrant
and positiveness of purpose have taught the
people to trust him so fully. The country will
look to him to originate policy which shall
meet and solve the difficult questions that are
before u.s. But the mere schoomaster might
teach what ought to be done, and the gifted
orator might explain and advocate it, and yet
the world would be no better of. What is
wanted is the practical statesman and potent
leader who can get the thing done. The peo-
pie have hope. They heard it said that Gen.
eral Garfield would be the tool of this clique
or that. But they knew him BETTER and
trusted him. Already even his enemies have
discovered that he is going to be. not Grants
man. nor Blaine's man, nor COnklIng's man,
nor Sherman's man, but the man of the peo-
pie, chosen by them to be President of these
United States. Then it was predicted that he
would set the Republican party all afame
with the war of factions. But there is much
reason to believe that the new President will
know how to subordinate all the rlvalries OF
individuals and factions to the service OF the
country. If he can do this, and give to the
Republican party wise policy and vigorous
leadership, the election of 1880 will prove one