Year: 1879

1t was the policy of President Lincoln
to promote peace within the Republican
party; to league himself with no partic-
ular faction to the exclusion of others /;
to conciliate, not to ALLEVIATE, the leading
men whose support was essential to the
harmony and strength of his Admins
tration. In the selection of his Cabinet,
and in his Executive appointments
throughout, this method was pursued
with such tact and stability that, without
any arbitrary exercise of executive pow
err he disarmed all factious opposition,
and kept the party well together during
the most trying period the country has
known since the adoption of the Consti-
tuition.


1t may be said that, in such a time of
great national peril the state of affairs
was exceptional, and that course which
was then indispensable, and more easily
successful by reason of the then existing g
emergency, affords no just precedent for
an Executive in times like the present.
1t is certain that this example has not
been followed by President Hayes,
though there was an intimation in ad-
vance of his Inauguration that he was to
be Influenced by the great example of the
first President chosen by the Republican
| party of oday. His first official act, the
selection of his Cabinet, dispelled any
such illusion. Mr.. Lincoln deemed it
unwise to take Cabinet officer from his
own State, already sufficiently honored
and powerful in having the Chief of the
Administration he gave the first places
in the Cabinet to his foremost rivals for
the nomination, and the most prominent
party leaders he did not rigidly dis
criminate against those Republicans who
| ho1 oYnaoaA hiro III
he forget or neglect those who had been
his active upporters-much less seek to
destroy them he did not go outside of
his party to find Cabinet adviser or ap-
point bitter political opponents to re-
| sponsible Offices; and, above all, he sought
to conform in all things to the reasonable
| and clearly expressed will of the people
He regarded the Presidential offices as q
great trust, and not as his personal prop
erty, to be used as he saw fit to accom-
plish his selfish ends or to crafty his
| individual inclinations.


As we have indicated, we hoped for
something like this course from the
present. Executive. We expected it when
we urged his nomination and election
The people of Ohio, judging from the
past, thought they had reason to expect
it. 1t was, undoubtedly, hoped for by
AeSpAOiAO@ho IhiOOSaOuI Gn0 COuALIJ.
Their disappointment in this respect has
been great, and sufficiently accounts for
the fact that, when President Hayes,
instead of exerting all the power of his
office to protect Southern citizens in their
constitutional rights. directs his energies
for year to crushing Senator Conkling,
only to see him unanimously nominated
for re election by Legislature over.
whelmingly Republican, honest and high
minded Republicans everywhere rejoice
in the New York Senator's triumph


1t will doubtless be of little avail for
any one to suggest to the President that
the longer he makes it leading object
of his Administration to crush Republi-
cans leaders, and to repress and humil-
late stalwart' Republicans, the lower he
will fall in popular estimation. There
was time, recently. when we hoped for
a radical change in the course of his Ad
ministration. That hope has not been
strengthened by recent events Still,
"it is natural for man to indulge in the
illusions of hope" We have even heard
of hoping against hope"