The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-08-05
A STARTLING SITUATION.

spread attention. Referring to the assaSsina-
ton of President Garfield, and the generally
accepted view that the crazy pursuit of office
supplied the motive therefore it calls atten-
ton to the claim of the theorists that civil
service system like that of England weuld
insure protection against like occurrences by
relieving the Chief Magistrate from the
drudgery of peddling cut places, and remOy-
ing him as a consequence from the attitude
of direct and conspicuous responsibility. 1t
then proceeds:
Well. we have such a system now. Our law is
identical with that OF England;w have a COM
mission which holds examinations. and whose
certificates OF worthiness the only credentials
accepted by the administration. Nor Is there any
doubt that Mr.. Cleveland is honestly aud resoute-
~ trying to enforce the letter and spirit of the
law.
But what is the result
The circumstances which led to the killing OF
Garfield are almost precisely repeated, with an
Other party in power. Mr.. Cleveland represents
and favOrs one faction of the party which elected
him, General Garfield did Mr.. Hendricks repre-
sents another. as Mr.. Arthur did. What may be
called the Stalwart Democrats are as much diSap
pointed and offended at Mr.. Cleveland as the
stalwart Republicans were at General Garfield,
and for precisely the same reason. Their disdp-
pOintment and disgust is expressed in quite as
vigorous terms and Just as loudly and by means
OF organs much more powerful than was the case
wart Republicans were clamOring for what they
regarded as their rights. Washington is just as
anything TO tempt an assassin then, there Is much
more now: for then the chances at best were but
for a few removals, while to-day the exception
would be clean sweep.
To say that an assassin is not as likely to develop
from among Democrats as from among Republi-
cans is to say that Democratic human nature is
different from Republican human nature. which
is utter nonsense. There are lunatics and Sound
rels lin all parties and there are thousands OF
them to-day demanding office and growing ferO-
ciously angry because their demand is not COM
piled with. Should the present contest between
the administration and the largest half OF its own
party continue, IL should not surprise the world
very much il from these thousands one Guiteau
emerged with the crazy notion of revolutionizing
the distribution Of Office by substituting Hen
bricks for Cleveland.
Nor is it possible to prevent the recurrence of
such circumstances, and the temptations they
Drl1g; y! an! system oI elvll , service reform
modelled on that of England. The dOctrinarieS
who suggested and enforced the attempt forgot
the radical difference between our Constitution
and that OF the country they are endeavOring to
initiate In England three sOyereigus in success
sion, and even three Premiers might be murdered
without ehecting the slightest change in the gen
eral policy or action OF the Goyernment-nOt be
bauSe OF their civil service system but because OF
their parliamentary system. Parliament rules in
everything, and leaders are only its instruments.
IL is in our constitution itself that the fault lies
Powers and responsibilities are imposed on one
man under our presidential system which no one
man should bear and which 40 one man ON earth
does bear except the President OF the United states.
If Garfield carried an intolerable harden il was
doubled for Cleveland by his effort to carry out
the civil service law. He still has to select the
officials, and he is still responsible; Under the
alone for satisfaction and can blape him alone for
whatever errors they imagine they see in the
management of the enormous machinery OF gov
ScOundrel who imagines himself or his faction
sighted be impelled to revenge himself.
The News then observes that the logic of
the assassin is not much at fault, damnable
as his act may be. In no other country is
his purpose so thoroughly accomplished.
Arthur was undoubtedly more liberal to the
Stalwarts among the Republicans than was
Garfield. ''AIr. Hendricks, if he succeeded
to the Presidency, would, in turn, in spite OF
the horror he would feel at Cleveland's muir
der, dispose of the patronage of the Govern
ment in a very different fashion from the
present administration" The remedy, SAYS
the News, should be Constitutional, not
statutory. Strip the Presidency of the
powers, the exercise of. which makes the in
cumbent personally offensive and intrust
them to the peoples representatives, as in
Europe" In the absence of such consti-
tutiOnal change, any President can greatly
relieve himself if he will, by adopting the
course we suggested not long ago,
of throwing upon his Cabinet mem
bers and other subordinates the en-
tire care and responsibility of appoint
ment in their respective departments, and
referring all applications for office to them"
The President is the Chief Executive
officer of the Federal system. The range of
his duties is wider than that of any ruler of
Europe, and in numerical detail they far
exceed those elsewhere imposed on the head
of the Government. The gravest problems
of state confront him constantly, while the
demand of petty duties is as necessarily
heard. Theoretically, he should personally
discharge all-the trivial as well as the mo-
mentous. Practically, he has never done 50,
and never can do so. This is fully recog-
nized by the legislative history of the coun-
try from the beginning. Executive duties
have been imposed by Congress on subor-
dinates provided for in instances without
number. In short, Congress and the public
judgment have for generations recognized
in innumerable ways the necessity
OF supplying aids and helpers to
the President. This has resulted not
only from necessity, but from
the desire to relieve that high official from
the stress of those petty engagements which,
if not abridged, would consume his time and
strength to the exclusion Of the serious af
fairs OF State.
The power Of appointment is one OF the
constitutional functions of the Presidency
The trainers of our Government intended
that it should be the incident-not the prin-
cipal thing. The enormous development OF
the country and the unprecedented increase
of offices has made this duty the chiefest OF
those now discharged by the Executive. In
the popular eye, it must be confessed, he ha:
come to be dispenser of patronage, rather
than the wise and sagacious statesman and
ruler.
This ought not to be. The President
should not be burdened with trifes and
mere machine duties His time and talent.
should be devoted to the laws of hi.
country, and the welfare OF the lattel