New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-04
FypFCTED RECONBENDAT

The recommendations of President who has
himself been recommended to public conf
dcnce by an adverse majority Of 200, 900 in his
own State will hardly carry weight because of
their source. If they have merit however, they
ought to he fairly considered because OF that
merit whether they come from General Ar
thur or anybody else. There is the greater
need of this caution because from the contrast
between the excellent recommendations of his
first message and his subsequent conduct, the
public has reason to conclude that the PreSi-
dent is mDre gifted in telling what ought to
be done than in doing it. From unofficial alb
stracts of the forthcoming message it may be
il rerred that it contains many recommends
tons which deserve more attention than will be
given to them in practice either by Congress or
by the President himself unless he changes Ills
mode of operations.
For example, the President is expected to
declare that he is opposed to removals except
for inefiiccncv, neglect of duty, or malfeasance.
and wishes something done by Congress to re-
form it. The most important reform that can
at present be suggested is one that will deprive
the President of power to dictate to State and
Congressional conventions by means of dis
tributon of the patronage. "Rem0vals are
not the question: and the President knows it as
well us any man living. SO the President is
expected to declare that the Administration
intends to have full investigation and a just
decision in the Star Route cases. If he had net
kept in Office for long time ex-senator Spen-
Ger. an absconding witness, and had not permit
ted bis influence and patronage to be used to
force upon the Senate as its secretary palticu-
larly abusive and unworthy hireling of the Star
Route consplrators, his zeal for justice would
not now need any public assoveratiOn. 1t is said,
too, that the President ventures to hope that
the apparent obstacles which have so far con-
fronted" the attempt to interpOse the good
Offices of the Government to the settlement of
the affairs of Peru and Chill may be overcome.
The chief of these obstacles is the President
himself, whose countermanding of previous in
st1uctions, and publication of instructions vir-
finally stripping our representatives of all
mower, created the situation that now exists.
According to rumor, the President will make
some very creditable recommendations in re-
gard to the tariff, the revenue, and the banks,
which will deserve the careful consideration OF
Congress 1t is pity that the force OF these
should be in a measure impaired by the dem
onshatod want OF public confidence in the Pres
ident FROM whom they Come. Members of
Congress may fairly say that, however success
full they have been in commanding public APP
prevail they have not succeeded in putting their
party under ground in any State by 1906
majority. That distinction belongs to the Pres
ident alone, and to the ticket in which he and his
personal associates took the greatest interest.
But Republican members of Congress have been
defeated ALSO and many Of them in a most sur
prising manner In many things they have
been wrong and the President has been right.
If they wish to restore themselves or then party
to public confidence, 1t becomes them to take
good counsel from any and every source and to
give it all the weight that it may merit.