Year: 1875




-'


sUKHKR REcRKATIoNs.


The New York World is exceedingly
wise, in its own eonceit. 1t persists in
the endeavor to make itself ridiculous
over the summer sojourn of the President
at Long Branch. And we are free to &C.
knowledge that its efforts In this line are
brilliant success. The course Of the
World this season Is the more inexcussble,
because we took pity upon its ignorance
last year snd pointed out its error, when
II asserted that this summer sojourn was
illegal. 1t now grsyely reiterates the alle-
cation. 1t even argues seriously in Its
support. Citing the law which requires
can offices attached to the seat of Govern
e.ment to be exercised Ia the District of
Columbia, and not elsewhere" it insists
that when the President is absent from
the seat Of Government he ceases to be
legally President. 1t ignores the fact to
which we called its attention on former
occasion, that all acts OF the Executive are
issued from the seat of Government in this
District, even though they may be in
spired or directed from Long Branch or
some other point more or less remote. 1t
forgets that executive offices remain here
open for business, and the seals Of Gov
eminent, which give them attestation and
efficiency, are here affixed to all Executive
acts, where they are made matters of re-
cord, and from which point they are pro-


60 of fo alcn OrrarlnOl~ol
When theSlaws referred to were passed
the means Of official communication were
by mails transported in stage coaches or
sailing vessels instead of the more rapid
methods now in use. Washington,
Adams and the earlier Presidents were IN
able to be absent from the District in per-
son and still be aware of all that was 60
ing on here and in the various portions Of
the country, as at present, and yet they
habitually sbsented themselves for several
months In each year. The improvements
of the last half century have, so to
speak, annihilated time and space in the
matter of the transmission of intelligence
and the communication Of instructions.
The President of today is therefore able
personally to direct the operations of Gov
eminent by communications to the heads
of the Executive Departments as efectuaIly
from distance in most instances as though
he were physically present. In this view
the objections of the World to the personal
or physical absence of the Chief Executive
become purely technical and of no practical
consequence whatever. ...


The people laugh at such futile attempts
Of his political enemies to make capital
against General Grant. They admire all
the more that independence of character
which enables him to act like his fellow
citizens, conform to the usages of society,
and seek that physical recreation necessary
TO health at the proper season of the year,
and thereby fortify himself for the arduous
labors Of the future. They see that he
does not unnecessarily magnify his Office,
and say by his acts that everything will
ego to the deviI' in minute if he is not
on the ground to watch public affairs in
person. They justly argue that this con-
duct on his part pays the highest possible
compliment to their capacity for self-gov.
ernment They construe his conduct, and
very properly SO, too. into higher sppre-
citation of the principles Of republican gov
eminent than is usually attained by mere
politicians and Journalists. Honest and
guileless himself he is not constantly sus-
pecting evil of his subordinates and
the community at large. Always
ready TO deal with corrupt and
dishonest officials when such are
unfortunately found to have obtained
and abused positions, he does not spend his
time in the useless borrowing of trouble,
lest some of his appointments should turn
out to have been bad selections Having
exercised proper and judicious scrutiny
In choosing ministers Of the law, he rarely
changes his selections except for real cause;
but where such cause is made apparent to
his mind and judgment no Executive has
ever been more prompt in the application
of the proper corrective. OF course, he
does not expect to satisfy, in these respects,
either the Opposition or Ishmaelitish press.
It viii be day Of sorest trial to the coun-
try when his conduct extorts the need OF
praise from such sources. His party and
the whole people might well lose confidence
In him If he commanded the approval of
the State rights Democracy. He can we'll
afford TO endure the ISLANDERS and criticisms
of those who make the libel of patriots a
profession The World viii have to dis
cover in him some more hagrsnt neglect OF
duty than necessarily results from sojourn
with his family at Long Branch during the
summer solstice, in order to impair the con-
fidence which the people have thus far re-
posed in him.


A stranger reading the diatribes and
structures of the Opposition and Detective
press upon the Administration would inevi.
tably receive the impression that our people
were Eetion Of thieves and brigands, Of
whom the President was the chief But he
would at the same time be puzzled to guess
what possible injury the people could suffer
by the absence of such q chief as they rep
resent him to be from the Capital. II he Is
90 totally unfit to be here. as they repre-
sent, it would be the most natural conclu.
nen in the world for an unsophisticated
stranger to reach that his absence must be
q positive blessing. Perhaps the World
will explain this paradox. zfs





MODERN D1MOoRACY.a


The time was when the word DE
mooney meant something; when to say
q man OF party was Democratic signi,