New-York tribune., 1881-03-29


"others please him. which was not General
"Jackson's way" This is said in way which
conveys very distinct impression that In the
mind of the speaker General JacksOn's meth
DDS we're as nearly perfect as anything human
could be; to be held up as examples Tor
the imitation of his successors aud the
models of administration for all future tlme'
Now, whether or not the criticism Is a just
one, whether President Garfield has yet fairly
exposed himself to it, or whether upon the
whole the General Jackson way Of making
others please him. is better IN the sOng run
for the executive officer of a great people than
"to please Others" the one thing in Governor
Scym0ur's utteTance that will excite general
remark is his attributing to the Presi-
dent as a weakness his own most prom
ipent and striking characteristic. For
certainly 10 political leader unless he
were q most unprincipled and arran5 dema-
g0glle which Governor Seymour is nOt--has ever
shown 50 constant a desire to please others
and so little disposition to make others please
him. Two noteworthy instances of this out OF
many will occur at once to the minds OF all
who arc familiar with political history, to wit,
his address to the draft rioters, and his ac-
ceptance of the Presidential nomination OF
1865
Further on in the interview referred to,
Governor Seymour, being asked as to the
prospects of Democratic success disclosed
degree of ignorance concerning the results OF
the late election which may perhaps be cx-
cused by the seclusion which ill-health has
eujoincd upon hm-but which careful read
ing OF the election tables Oh page 90 OF
THE TRIBUNE ALMANAC for 1881 will
enlighten and a certain innocence and
simplicity which, if simulated, might be
offensive, but being evidently sincere are only
amusing "You must remember" he says,
that through public dissatisfaction with the
Republican party the Democrats are in
"numencal majority in the country now, as
" the election returns show When he gets
his TRIBUNE ALMANAC lac will find that so
far from the Democrats being IN a numerical
majority they lack some 322,77l votes of it,
there having been cast for Hancock 4,4Iz SSS;
for Garfield, 4,i5O,921; for all Others,
3l9,741. Accounting still further for
the result, however, he says: The Re
"pubhcans have kept power through their
" hundred thousand oiiice-holders Ii there
90 had been q law or a well-enforced regUla-
"active interference with pOltics-from
political actiyity-the Republicans would
have lost the country last November"
! Tits is charmingly ingenious. When the
Governor talks about what might have been If
these hundred thousand men in Office had had
their hands tied so that they could DO nothing,
from The instinct of self-preservati0n, TO keep
their places, it never seems TO occur to him to
consider what might have happened If the
800 900 who from the instinct Of greed were
fighting for their places had had their hands
tied and been also placed hOrS dU combat. He
does not designedly leave that consideration
out. lie only does not see it from his point
OF view.
We fear that Governor Seymour, amiable
and wcll-meaRng a. he undoubtedly is, does
not permit himself sufficient breadth Of vision
While he sees 20 clearly the effect of
political activity on the part Of Oficehoders,
he ought 10 permit himself to see as we'll the
work OF Gniceseelcls. Ii WAS suggested dur
ing the last cnmpalgn-TUR TRIBUNE repeat
cdly urged II upon the Democratic managers
without cllict-that whatever evils arose from
the activity of onicchoders might easily be
done away with by an assurance 10 them that
they would not be removed except for
some other thln political reasons. General
Hancock had only TO give ms word in the
matter, and, the selfish motive for oficehold-
ing activity would disappear, and with it
Governor SeymOur's present ground of com
plaint. Perhaps the Democratic managers
thought it was better 10 have the
aclive cxtrtions on their side OF 500.O 900
men who wanted Office, than to in
duce thc withdrawal Of 100000 from
active opposition who were already pro-
vded for. IL would be not unnatural We
have alTa,- observed an ardent desire on the
p,rt of our Democratic friends for the eliEni-
nation Of selfish considerations from political
action. But they want TO begin ard end the
process on their opponents. Governor Sey-
| nlours views are interesting, but they are not
particularly broad.