New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-03-03
"Hy pOLJCYD AG1iN.

One President, and only one, in American his
tory has been able to take the tone OF die
tator without ending in disgrace. President
Cleveland shows only JacksOn's fanlts, and Is
more likely to end where Johnson did. Eager
to nick a quarrel with the Senate, he has first
forfeited the confidence of the people. In his
oppeal 70 them hehaS chosen the rot end of the
poker. The people like franlN.tss and liked
him, when he promised to do public business
behind glass doors. But now he shuts the
doors, pulls down the curtains, listens to secret
whispers. and fights to shield cOwardly Sian
derers who dare not face the light Ihen Ge
promised nom partisan service, ard no removals
except for cause. Now he resorts to untruthiul
pretences to hide the fact that ie has removed,
for PARTISAN reasons only, % per cent of ali
officials whose terms have not expired. ana iE7
appointed some jail-blrds, and many whose
partisan work has been so infamous that they
are rejected, like Chase and Pillsbury on Mon
day. Democratic Senators not daring to call the
roll and 20 on record in their favor
The President cannot appeal to tho people in
this position without bringing disgrace upon
himself and his party. The traitOrous Times
fries 10 excuse him. Bnt the thee papers hav-
ing the largest circulation of those which
he1ped his election do not stoOp to his defence
The World treats as extraordinary his "dc-
FAINT claim that papers on file in the public de-
partments are his own private property and
observes ave are bound to say, and we say It
with great regret, that the attitude taken by
the President viii not strengthen his argu-
@ment or his position generally The HeroH
finds in his message "a confession by the
Il, Ln hoc u, hat q n IL
. servance of his own public duties and preroga-
" tives must have prevented him from doing -
has "perpetuated the old evil and the very
dangerous system of intrigue between the kx-
ecutiye and the Senate Then it adds, of his
claim to have honest purposes;
Every President has had good intentions. Tho first
Napoleon was always speaking about his good inien
tons All rulers abound in the honorable inIen
tcus but nevertheless II has been thought prudent IN
free countries TO establish legislatures purpose 10
limit the powers Of Executives with good Intentions
As for The San, it carefully refrains from any
word of commentator, but calmly discusses
the question whether President Cleveland is
big enough man 10 break up the party that
elected him. The truth is that his position has
become absolutely indefensibe. Many bad
appointments could be excused on tie score of
honest error, but paltcring with pledges, SLAM
dering faithful officials untruthful pretences to
shield UNIV orthy motives, are not so excused.
That path Andrew Johnson trod, processing all
the while the Hottest. intentions, and came to
be cursed by Democrats as more odious to the
| people than the Democratic party itself.
President Cleveland's evasiOns do not hide
| the fact that he would make haste to state the
| reasons for his removals if they had not been
| for partisan ends only. 1t is marvellous that
any man large enough to reach high office
should fail to see a thing so plain. Thus he
| closes against himself the only path of honor
| able escape, for had he said frankly, These
men were removed because they were Republic
"cans, and because judged it essential to the
g. deficiency of the Administration that their posts
@should be filed by men in harmony with mt
politically" though hypocrltes OF the Re'
| FORM sort would have been dspleased, The
President would have been stronger with hi'
own party, and would not have been despseC
as sham by the plain people," Even in thu
| message he tries to keep up the shallow pre-
tence that he has made q no removals except 10
I cause" His mental reservation, that Republl
ran partisanship is a sufficient cause, is obvious
| But he cuts off the last hope of gaining pOpula
confidence when he confcsses that he has actet
not upon any official reports as to the conduc
| of officers, but upon the requests or representa-
! tions of Senators, or upon confidential whisper
of leading men. That is not bipartisan gov
eminent; it is not government I" behind glas
/ doors "; and it is anything but reform"