The Lamar register., 1919-07-09
THEN AND NOW


Representatives and Samuel J. Randall
Of Pennsylvania, was the Speaker. On
April 3rd OF that year, this Democrat
ic House, under suspension of the rules
requiring two-thirds vote, passed the
following resolution without single
dissenting vote from either tho Demo
cratic or the Republican side:
Resolved, That the President Of the
United States be requested to inform
the House if in his opinion it is not
incompatible with the public interest,
whether, since the 4th day of March,
1863, any executive acts, or duties, and
ii any what have been performed at u
distance from the seat Of Government
established by law and for how long
= period at any one time, and in what
part Of the United States; also whether
any public necessity existed for such
performance, and If SO of what char
such executive Offices. acts, or duties at
such distance from the seat of Gov
eminent established by law was in
compliance with the act of Congress
Of the 18th day of July, $780,"
General Grant was President at the
time. His health was fer from salts
factory and ae had ventured to spend
u few weeks in the hct midsummer
months at Long Branch. This Jersey
Coast resort was then, as now, only
few hours journ"y from Washington.
There WAS no telephone service then,
but there was an excellent telegraph
service, and with a Scecial vine run
into his Long Branch house, President
Grant was in close touch with Wash
ington oil the time, AMI, n an emerg-
ency, could have got mere co quickly
in person that the possibility Of pub
lie business suffering frcm his absence
was 30 remote as to seem quite neglig-
ibie.
None the less, Long Branch was not
the seat Of government Of the Unitel
States, and it was not the post OF duty
prescribed by law for the President Of
the United States. There were then
NO preceden.= for the President of the
United States being away from his
pest Of duty while Congress was in
session and the important business of
t..e country under discussion. That
the democratic, and the Republicans
too, for that matter, looked upon even
the brief sojourn OF the Presidei-t at
= nearby resort as of questionable
propriety, If not cf actual ilegality,
Is evidenced by the searching character
of the resolution for which Democrats
and Republicans votsd without single
dissenting voice. In tho absence of any
express provision in t:ie Constitution
against q condition which. presumably,
tsss trainers Of the Constitution did
not contemplate as among the possi-
bilities, the ste.I. tone Of all but re-
primand in wl.ch the resolution al
dressed to General Grant is enunciated
shows how firniy rooted was thHn the
conviction that the post of duty OF
TIE President Of the United States was
AT the seat Of Govn,-rent of the
United States rEd 70. somewhere else.
How widely different ere the views
Of st Atesmen then as compared with
now!
Now, the President of the United
States. in opposition to the expressed
wishes and the best judgment of the
people Of tho country, including man
Of his own party adEerents, absents
himself from hic post CT duty at p
time when matters of grave import to
the nations welfare ire under consid-
GRAFTON. He does not 60 to nearby
place within u quarter of "a days run
from the seat Of Gcvernr:cnt. He goes
to foreign country 5000 miles away
ard over a quarter of a months jour
ney distant He roams or speech-mak-
ing and festival reception tours to the
capitals Of many o. the countries Of
Europe. He does not absent himself
fer few short weeks, as did Presi-
dent Grant at Long Branch. He stays
away nearly s"ven months. He spends
a full eighth Of his entire term of
office in distant foreign lands. He
summons to his side the heads of three