Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-03-02

PRESIDENT arthur furnishes, some
what striking Illustration of a fact which
has long been apparent to tho1g htfuII
observers of National affairs! that the
first Office in the fGoyernmentiiis. grad
ually losing the, peculiar lprestisesand
power which, once attached TO- 1t, ,anda
that no Very large amount Of brains is,
required to discharge reasonably weif
the duties, pertaining thereto a Even
among his warmeSt friends he has never
been Considered man Of first-rate abil-
ity. and in general opinion he does noe
stand:above what may be d called Sood.
second rate-essT heresis. dot'a Susee IN
the Union that could ynot5 prodr,se at
short police an, ADLER man. perhsps sevs'
eral ADLER men. He is q .ismartT and shcs
.cessfda politician, though mach of his.
rsuc essIi Is attributab le % lde krat kef Than,
,toskilla and. heahassthab easy3 eoyfrteous
and dignifed mannerIwhich covers a
multitude of Deficiencies aud. wins. the
esteem and praise 81 those who do ros
,inehheiwfiethe this sthiti' veAYi9 erineg of,
society hidessao1arges9ors little Mind.
Yet, with7suehA limitedI stock sinttrade.
he. has. SO far got along Aotsbadly. and
if not popular is. certainly not yeryr,ln,
popular He is making what is termed
j "a respectable President; . that Is. one
who doesnothing. son thewhole,, to pro-
yoke either yadmirationi or severe dom
domination, =, and 4 whom the country re-
CARDS with a sort Of, good pat,,red in
idiaereneei It is doubtful whether Car.
field. superior as lie was in many re-
spects,i 10 wohlf; have done issfnhch
il, any, ., better; certainly, he Hwould
have had a,aV,harder q road to
travel, and been more sharply, iOlted
'than'has his successor. But be this as
1t nisy ,atherefs no risk IN asserting that
o man ;pf ArthIfrssi caliberss could not
have filled the e2ecutiye chair IN the
early years Of the -Republie AS satisfac-
toriiyS as he has done. Though the
functions OF TIE 6ffiee l Femain rns
changed. Others changes haye Occurred
which render it niucln difficult Than
formerly TO perform pthese functions.
Prom 1879 to 1887 we had, seven Fresi-
'dentsA Washington, Adams, ,Je fferson,
Madison, Monroe. Ibohn- Quincy Adams
and Jackson rail- of them exceptionally
able men, and three, at least who would
have been great, in any country or in
any age. Yet the abilities of these sew
en- Presidents were taxed to the utmost,
and none OF uthem glided along as
smoothly as does the amiable' specimen
Of mediocrity who, now occupies the
White House, If we can, imagine Ar
thur where he is at any time between
l7S9a 1887 we may realize the Diff
ference between Presidential qualifica-
lions then and n0waa difference creatett
by the. changed situation, which de-
mands and expects less of a President.
To-day the Nation feels safe under a
Chief Magistrate whom fifty Years ago
it would have deemed utterly unfit for
the place, In ,Sother words the Presi-
dental standard has i, beens materially
lowered, while the Presidency, itself
continues, and will cohtintle, to be, the
highest objectsof political ambition
AT first glance this Ichange would
seem to be unfortunate and dangerous,
but more careful view shows ut quite the
reverse. 1t is because the people have
steadily improved in the art of self
governments that lessis required Of their
President. Once they needed Wash
ingtons. Jeffersons and IJacksons; now
an Arthur, will, serve their purpose.
They no longer look to the President
for instruction and guidance in political
affairs; they have instructed themselves
and are competent to guide themselves.
Fifty years ago a President message
was a document of great Importance,
read at every 'fireside in the land and
discussed by ALI classes of citizens.
Who, outside of Congress and news
paper offices, breads and discusses a
Presidents message now2 How much
public interest is felt in the opinions 1t
expresses or the re concentrations it
makesa-arld how much influence does
it have upon any body or 'anythinSe
The people have come to look siiponT It
as simply a matter offormt asreportI of
no particular consequence from their
head servant about Business, the. essen,
tial features of Which they are as familiar
with as he din short, othe hPresi.
dent now follows ewhereIdioncei . ne
led. He is only head servant of masters
who unde stand their own business thor,
oughly and intend to manage it to suit
themselves; not the reyered counsellor
and leader of the olden timer lWithth
growth Of popular intelligence and self
confidence In matters. OF. government
the snip Of state steers more, easily than
in former days and may be trusted to a
less experienced ahelmsman. A wash
ington at the wheel was once barely
sufficient to avert Disaster, but now the
old ship sails on. unyexed under a pilot
whom Washington would not have had
rs a private Secretary. The power and
prestige the Presidency has lost has
been gained by .he people and willin
er depart from, them No PRESIDENT
will ever again hold the high and con-
trolling position which was held by the
first seven Presidents, and it Is not de-
sirable that 4 he should.' . Presidential
goyernment. was neoessary Units day,
but its day has long since passed, and
the better government of. the people is
now firmly established and never likely
to be supplantedl while popa1ar' liberty
endures. --7St. Louis RsDU6 licds. asTsSss
Colonel Pom 6chiitree's saIary.asif
One Of the most remarkable results of
the voting in November was the election
OF Colonel Thomas p. lOchjltree to Con-
gress from the Seventh District of Texas.
Although TINS eminent citizen once Held
office under the Republican, Administfa
ton Of his, friend General Grant, he viii
60 INTO the Forty-eighth, Congress as an
independent. In all accu ately, com-
piled'lists of the members of the next
House, Colonel Tom lOchiitree's name
stands Large and bold in capitalFletters.
as benefits his National reputation: ssiae
will be untrammeled. by party obliga-
tions. he VIII be able to serve country
first of all; and hiss vigorous and inter
esting oratory. his great practie.,i ex
perience,, and his vweEd simaginatioh