And State Papers 9 



and more important appointments there are usu 

 ally conflicting interests which must somehow be 

 reconciled to the best of the President's capacity. 



Here again it must be remembered that the mat 

 ter is not always by any means one of merely what 

 we call politics. Where there is a really serious con 

 flict in reference to an appointment, while it may 

 be merely a factional fight, it is more apt to be be 

 cause two groups of the President's supporters dif 

 fer radically and - honestly on some question of 

 policy; so that whatever the President's decision 

 may be, he can not help arousing dissatisfaction. 



One thing to be remembered is that appointments 

 and policies which are normally routine and unim 

 portant may suddenly become of absolutely vital 

 consequence. For instance, the War Department was 

 utterly neglected for over thirty years after the 

 Civil War. This neglect was due less to the suc 

 cessive Presidents than to Congress, and in Con 

 gress it was due to the fact that the people them 

 selves did not take an interest in the army. Neither 

 the regular officer nor the regular soldier takes any 

 part in politics as a rule, so that the demagogue 

 and the bread-and-butter politician have no fear of 

 his vote ; and to both of them, and also to the cheap 

 sensational newspaper, the army offers a favorite 

 subject for attack. So it often happens that some 

 amiable people really get a little afraid of the army, 

 and have some idea that it may be used some time 

 or other against our liberties. 



The army never has been and, I am sure, it 



