The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-10-14

The Presidents Practical Politics.
The President of the United States
has gone to New York for the purpose
of comforting with the politicians of his
party in regard to the approaching cleo
tons. Such is the news. tclegraphed
from Washington. The time was when
we had Presidents whose conception of
the dignity of the first Office of the Re-
public was of so lofty character that
they could not find it consistent with
their sworn official duty 10 mingle in
party politics or to regard themselves
at the mere chieftains of faction.
They believed themselves representative
of the whole people, though chosen to
Office through the fundamentally of
party Organization. If some of them.
were governed in the exercise of the
appointing power by the doctrine that
"to the victors belong the spells, = they
still Disseminated in favor of the public
interest by selecting men of character
and fitness and declined to place the
patronage of the Government at the
command of clique of ambitious poll
ticians, to be distributed for personal
ends or to be made. a corrupt bond of
cohesion between discordant elements
of their party. But they existed before
the days of Grantism and the Stalwarts.
The use of the power of the Federal
Government to perpetuate political or
personal dynasty is as unrepublican and
antagonistic to the spirit of free institu-
lions as to establish q hereditary mon
L. To- - ox,1~- Il
II President Arthur should re-elect him.
self by using his official power 10 that
end and at the termination of his sec
ond term dictate his own successor by
the same means, the distinction between
our form OF Government and that of q
hereditary monarchy would consist only
in the manner by which the transmits
sion of the Executive power from the
incumbent to his successor would be ac-
complished. The fact that we have be-
come accustomed to the interference of
the Federal Government in State cleo
tons does not lessen but rather aggra-
Yates the perilof republican institutions.
The puerile terror of State Rights and
the mawkish sentiment in favor of Fed
eral intermeddling in State elections,
which so largely control the party in
power, were the Inspiration of Grant in
his attempt to force himself, through the
political power of his Administration,
into third term of the Presidency.
Arthur was disciple at the feet of that
ambitious Gamaliel and is ready to go
farther even Than his preceptor to estab-
lish dynasty of his own. He is ''prac-
teal politician and in his lexicon prac-
tical politics is defined to mean. first,
power for Chester A. Arthur, secondly,
power for Chester A. Arthur's special
friends. He has chosen few practical
politicians to share his power and to as
sist him in transmitting it to a success
or to be selected by himself and these
sharers of his political fortunes. His
principal copartners are j. Donald
Cameron, of Pennsylvania, and John
A. Logan. of Illinois. These two have
recently been given control of the
greater part of the patronage lately and
at present at his disposal. He is to as
sist them in controlling the politics OF
their respective States BY all the power
of his Administration, and they in turn
are to bring him delegations for renom-
ination in 1884 His own State of New
York he will look after in person. Thus
a second term for Arthur becomes an
issue in the approaching elections.
Nay. not merely second term for
Arthur, but the establishment of the
Stalwart dynasty first projected by
Grant, revived by the pistol shot Of
Guiteau, and to be perpetuated by the
practical politics" which regards no
honorable precedent, respects no con-
stitutional restriction. and aims only at
the qualification of the personal ambi-
tons of those who adopt it as . probes
sion.-Harrisburg Patriot.