The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-06
THE PRESIDENTS COURSE.
A Rebuke to Political Busybodies Who Misin
terpret His Motives.

terpret His Motives.
Washington Special to New York Times.
Those political busybodies in New York State
or any other State who going about assum.
ing to speak by authority, and saying that the
President or his Secretaries are exercising or
directing power for the purpose of controlling
the fall elections can be set down at once as pre-.
tenders. Talk of this sort comes TO Washington
from various parts of New York State. and some
OF the Presidents visitors, who have been lei to
believe that he is really concerning himself
about the fall campaign and distributing patron.
age with an eye to its possible results, have gone
to the White House to ask him who he lis forH
for Governor. and what should be done to pro-
mote any plan that he might have for the Demo
cratic party.
10 all such inquiries and to all suggestions
made with the idea of obtaining replies from the
President that will be guiding, he has made the
same general answer. He is a Democrat AS a
Democrat it would be extremely gratifying to
him to see the party to which he is attached vic
torious in the State election. But he is Presi-
dent, and he is pledged TO devote himself to the
discharge of his duties to the whole country,
and those duties are more than sufficient to oc-
eupy his time. To the task of filing the Offices
IN New York, where vacancies occur by expira-
ton of terms, and where removals are deemed
necessary in the interest of good government,
he devotes such small show of his time as he can
afford to give His greatest aspiration is to be able
to help the country, in far as it is in his
power to help it, to have good government. He
has no candidate for Governor, and will have
none. 1t would, of course, be gratifying to him
to see the Democrats nominate man who would
be known at once as the representative of sound
political aims and methods With such a candi-
date he would feel that the party would have no
Ieason to fear adverse result.
1t has not escaped the observation of the Pres
ident that something like reproach has been di-
r6cted toward him for the appointment of hlr.
Hedden as collector of New York. He expects
that Mr. Hedden's course as collector will win
praise from the harshest critics of the appoint
ment and be sufficient proof that it was not
made with the purpose or expectation that the
custom house is to be converted into political
machine for the advancement of any party man
or party faction. Mr. Hedden was Sc
lected," he has said ''as an intelligent
business man. to conduct business Office. If he
fails to conduct it, he will be removed The
declaration TO the collector holds good as to
the surveyor. Both officers much part
of the administration is member of tho
Cabinet and refusal or failure on the part of
either to comprehend or act in harmony with
the general aim or policy of the administration
would be ground for a demand to resign.
The President is aware that no matter how
directly he may pursue his avowed course it will
be impossible TO avoid some dissatisfaction
among politicians of his party faith. In
the canvass preliminary to the State convention
it may DO that the dissatisfaction will be seen in
the usual divisions. No human being will be
able to prevent, perhaps, the appearance of a
body friendly to the administration and another
which may choose TO call itself an ANTI admins
tration" faction. Thus far. in all that has been
done, the President is not conscious that any
step has been taken that not regarded wise
for the people of the State and the cause of
good government
The President is not less firm now than he was
when he took the oath of Office in his fidelity to
civil service reform To those sharp-sighted
men of his own party who have forgotten his
declarations and the fact that they the prop.
erty of the public, and who have timidly sug-
gested that he could safely relax his course
slightly, he has spoken in unmstakable and
vigorous Anglo Saxon, reasserting his determi
nation to Justify his strongest promises.
He has all that he can do and more than he
can do with satisfaction to himself in the time
at his command to attend to the Presidents
business. He does not believe that it is any part
of the Presidents business to NEEDLE with the
conventions of his State. His Cabinet officers
are all as busy as he, and none are more fully
occupied that the two Secretaries who came
from the State of New York They not men
who will deliberately hold the administration up
to ridicue by pursuing a course at variance with
that chosen by the President. Whatever of
credit the President can win for the Democratic
party by adhering to what he regards as a sound
course, it will be his aim to secure Beyond do
ing that and voting the Democratic ticket he
cannot be expected to help the Democrats of his
State to win the election in November.