New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-05-05
TILE COST OF HARMONY.

II seems To some men that President Gar
fields Administration is already a failure,
because il has not found favor in the
ewes of Senator Ccnkling The Administra-
ton has unquestionably done some good
things. 1t has accomplished more for the
public credit than the entire Democratic party
has done in twenty years 1t has uncovered
the Star Route contracts, and broken mp the
combinations BY which frauds in tie Postal
Department were pcrpetrated In fact, the
proper business OF craftsmanship has been so
well attended to that, if President Garfield
shonld die to-day, the world would speak of his
brief term of office as one Of most important re-
suits and most Crcditable endeavOrs. But it is
failure. we are told. II has not pleased Mr..
Conkling. and the first business Of a President
is to bring about harmony in tho party
Harmony is desirable, of course. But is it
exclusively the business of the President to
harmonic If there is a member of the party
who refuses 10 have harmony until hc can have
his own way in everything, is il the first duty Of
an Administration to give him his own way
If so, the Republican party has sadly mislcd a
great many of its adherents. There will be
many obstinate, irrecOnclable and inharmO-
NOUS Senators, if il comes to be the rule that
any Senator can make a virtual President of
himself by quarreling enough. In fact, it will
amount TO this, that the people elect dummy
called President, whose function is to do what
Senators tell him to do, while the State Legisa-
rurcs from time TO time choose the men who are
the real masters of the Presidents and the people.
President Garfield came into Office fore
warned. He had seen that Senator Conkling
in ar Lima
and bitter warfare against the Administration
of President Hayes All that it was possible for
q Republican Senator to do, through four years
of antagonism, to bring the Administration OF
President Hayes into contempt was done by
him. It is true, this hostility had not turned
the world upside down. There are few Admin
istratiOns which will rank higher in the history
of the country, for actual results accomplished
or for honesty of effort and faithful perform
ance of duty, than the one which Senator COnk-
ling assailed with such bitterness. His hostility
did not seem to disturb the sleep of President
HAYES, nor did it become important enough at
any time 10 make life a burden to Secretary
Eyarts. Still it is terrible thing 10 have
Senator C0nkling dissatisfied, no doubt. But
President Garfield made unusual efforts to
gratify the Senator, and named well known
friends of Mr.. COnkling for every place save
one out of many filled by appointment. What
il TO become of Ills all, if there can be no bar
mony until this particular Senator can have
every single Office flied as he wishesf
President Garfield had opportunity, as a
member of Congress, 20 see how dreadful a
thing it was for his predecessor to be disliked
by Senator Conkling He knew, too, that i'm
portant differences az to questions of party
policy gave Mr.. Conkling nearly all the inhu-
ence he had IN opposition 20 President Hayes,
and those differences no longer exist. Having
done all that duty requires, in order 10 bring
| about harmony, President Garfield can well
afford TO wait until somebody else has done
something. That he can survive four years OF
separation from the unsatisiitd Senator from
New York, he is probably fully aware. But he
cannot afford to dishonor himself, before the
people who bave trusted him, by surTendering
| the Executive power TO a man whom the people
did not BIC FL u trust in that capacity. and it is